Updated Mar 17, 2026 by European Schoolnet
36% of the 1,474 European teachers surveyed currently integrate video games into their lessons, with over half of those users employing them regularly.
The primary barriers to adoption are the difficulty of finding age-appropriate, curriculum-aligned, and GDPR-compliant games (45%) and technical limitations such as inadequate hardware or internet access (42%).
Teacher digital competence has risen to a self-reported 7.7/10 since the 2009 baseline, supported by more positive attitudes and increased backing from school leadership.
Empirical evidence from 2009–2024 confirms that games, when aligned with learning objectives, produce modest gains in intrinsic motivation, STEM and language achievement, and collaborative behaviors.
Despite positive trends, the field lacks rigorous longitudinal data and suffers from inconsistent definitions, making the effects of gaming on higher-order cognition remain uneven.
Effective implementation is currently hindered by systemic issues including chronic under-funding, rigid curricula, parental skepticism, and a lack of teacher compensation or professional development time.
36% of the 1,474 European teachers surveyed currently integrate video games into their lessons, with over half of those users employing them regularly.
The primary barriers to adoption are the difficulty of finding age-appropriate, curriculum-aligned, and GDPR-compliant games (45%) and technical limitations such as inadequate hardware or internet access (42%).
Teacher digital competence has risen to a self-reported 7.7/10 since the 2009 baseline, supported by more positive attitudes and increased backing from school leadership.
Empirical evidence from 2009–2024 confirms that games, when aligned with learning objectives, produce modest gains in intrinsic motivation, STEM and language achievement, and collaborative behaviors.
Despite positive trends, the field lacks rigorous longitudinal data and suffers from inconsistent definitions, making the effects of gaming on higher-order cognition remain uneven.
Effective implementation is currently hindered by systemic issues including chronic under-funding, rigid curricula, parental skepticism, and a lack of teacher compensation or professional development time.