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Game Collection

A guide about the games available in SUNY Cortland's Memorial Library.

Why Play Games?

scrabble tiles spelling lifelong learning

Image Source: Pixabay

Why do we play games? Because they're FUN!

But games can also teach a lot of valuable lessons. Players may not even realizing they're learning! This makes games especially ideal for classrooms. While many "educational" games exist with goals of explicitly teaching different concepts, any informal or casual "popular" game will also impart meaningful skills.

Here are just SOME of the skills that you can learn from games:

  • Cognitive: creativity, divergent thinking, problem solving, strategy, reasoning and logic
  • Academic: math, ESL (grammar, pronunciation, fluency, vocabulary, content), science, vocabulary/grammar, speaking
  • Social: peer communication and applied learning (advanced students help others), group interaction (turn taking), competition, cooperation and teamwork, negotiation, relationship skills, social awareness, conflict resolution, tolerating setbacks, other perspectives
  • Emotional: empathy, regulation, lower anxiety, leisure and relaxation, safe environment, confidence, motivation
  • Cultural: own and others (mirrors and windows), real world
  • Kinesthetic: fine motor skills, balance and gait, energy
  • Executive Function: memory, attention, planning ability, self-management, self-awareness, decision making

Illustration of game dice and pieces

Sources to Explore:

Estrada-Plana, V., Martínez-Escribano, A., Ros-Morente, A., Mayoral, M., Castro-Quintas, A., Vita-Barrull, N., Terés-Lleida, N., March-Llanes, J., Badia-Bafalluy, A., & Moya-Higueras, J. (2024). Benefits of Playing at School: Filler Board Games Improve Visuospatial Memory and Mathematical Skills. Brain Sciences, 14(7), 642-662. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci14070642

Mercier, M., & Lubart, T. (2021). The effects of board games on creative potential. The Journal of Creative Behavior, 55(3), 875–885. https://doi.org/10.1002/jocb.494 

Noda, S., Shirotsuki, K., & Nakao, M. (2019). The effectiveness of intervention with board games: a systematic review. BioPsychoSocial Medicine, 13(1), 22-43. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13030-019-0164-1

O’Neill, D. K., & Holmes, P. E. (2022). The power of board games for multidomain learning in young children. American Journal of Play, 14(1), 58–98. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1357958.pdf

Wong, C. H. T., & Yunus, M. M. (2021). Board Games in Improving Pupils’ Speaking Skills: A Systematic Review. Sustainability, 13(16), 8772-8783. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13168772

Zsoldos-Marchis, I. (2020). Pre-service primary school teachers’ opinion about board-games in developing mental computation skills. PedActa, 10(2), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.24193/PedActa.10.2.1