Educational Features of Gaming

This document, by Karol Kowalczuk of the University of Białystok and published in the journal Homo Ludens in 2020, argues that computer games have moved beyond their traditional identity as entertainment and possess genuine educational value that modern schooling should recognize and use. Its central thesis is that games, with their multisensory, dynamic, and immersive character, match the learning preferences of "digital natives," the generation raised with digital media, and therefore offer a practical alternative to conventional, lecture-based teaching methods that struggle to engage today's students.

The argument rests largely on theoretical grounding rather than original empirical data. It draws on Marc Prensky's distinction between digital natives and digital immigrants, on neurodidactic perspectives from Marzena Żylińska, and on game design theory from scholars such as Ernest Adams, Ralph Koster, and Jane McGonigal. The author identifies several qualities that make games effective learning tools: their structure of clearly defined goals and rules, their capacity to simulate complex environments, their emotional immersion, and the progression from novice to expert that mirrors curricular development. Statistical support is limited to a single data point from the Central Statistical Office of Poland indicating that nearly 20 percent of teachers are trainees or contract employees, which the author uses to qualify claims about the generational gap. The paper acknowledges that its theoretical propositions require further empirical testing, and it notes that such research on Polish video game studies is an emerging field.