Discover how engaging educational games captivate and educate adult learners. Explore top apps and strategies for effective learning.
The Rising Prominence of Game-Based Edtech among Mature Learners
In my ten-plus years reporting on the convergence of gaming and education, I’ve witnessed the blossoming popularity of learning-focused apps amongst adults seeking to augment their knowledge and abilities through digital means.
From specialized programs catering to seniors searching for cognitive stimulation to platforms designed to help working professionals expand skillsets adjacent to their vocations, educational gaming has become an increasingly ubiquitous and sought-after tool for mature learners across the societal spectrum.
Propelled by demand from time-starved yet ever-curious adults, the global tech gaming market swelled to a staggering $7.3 billion in 2020 alone, underscoring the sheer scope of this trend. For an industry once dominated by products targeting grade school students, the ascent of the adult “edu-gamer” stands poised to reshape the landscape in ways developers and journalists alike have only begun to grasp.
The Distinct Difficulties and Opportunities of Crafting Games to Engage Grown-Up Minds
Yet satisfying the needs of adult learners through gaming presents unique trials compared to creating content for children. Adults boast more crystallized interests, firmly established learning styles, and less free time to devote to entertainment.
Designers must, therefore, identify subjects and skills particularly relevant to mature audiences if they hope to pique their intellectual curiosity. Gameplay elements must strike a fine balance between education and humor to sustain engagement amidst busy adult lives.
Through in-depth interviews with tech execs and e-learning designers and hands-on trials of their products, I’ve gleaned the ingredients for resonant adult learning games. They must impart practical knowledge while stimulating critical thinking, empathetic understanding of diverse perspectives, and other higher-order cognitive talents matured minds crave.
The Time is Now: A Clarion Call for Innovation in Adult Learning Games
As my travels through developer symposiums have illuminated, our industry stands at a crossroads. While engagement games for adults have gained traction, too many provide mere gamified homework – repetitive digital drills swathed in the superficial veneer of entertainment. True breakthroughs lie ahead.
Educators, cognitive scientists, and designers must join forces to craft a richer array of games spanning different skills, educational goals, and difficulty levels appropriate for diverse adults. Through such collaboration, we may yet create enlightening games as delightful as they are enriching for grown-up learners.
The Need for Engaging Learning Games for Adult Learners
Adaptability to Adult Learning Styles
Top education games allow customization to match mature learners’ preferences, like adjustable difficulty levels or multimedia features that align with visual, auditory, or kinetic learning.
Practical Application and Skill Transfer
The most effective learning games focus on knowledge and abilities that translate to real life rather than isolated app-specific skills. They aim to impart transferable expertise.
Overcoming Common Pitfalls: Identifying “Lame” Learning Games
I’ve had the misfortune of sampling bland or ineffective education games in my career. Here are some red flags I’ve identified:
Repetition: The Perils of Overusing the Same Game
Some apps rely too much on repetitive actions rather than progressing gameplay and challenges. This redundancy bores mature learners.
Lack of Challenge: Why Variety Matters
Games without increasing difficulty or new dilemmas fall short of engaging adult minds. Dynamic tests are key.
Balancing Act: When Games Become More Work Than Fun
Education and enjoyment should be seamless; games that feel like a chore fail.
Where’s the Strategy? The Role of Critical Thinking
Thoughtless tapping or guessing doesn’t exercise adult minds. The best games incorporate strategy, planning, and analytical thinking.
Agency and Choice: Why Player Influence Matters
Adults want a more active experience. Their actions should impact gameplay.
The No-Debate Puzzle: Balancing Challenge and Engagement
Overly difficult games frustrate learners. They are too easy, and they’re boring. Designers must strike the right balance.
Strategies for Crafting Engaging Learning Games
Actionable Approaches to Avoid or Replace “Lame” Games
Here are tips on developing dynamic education games, drawing from my reporting and reviews:
Exploring Alternative Game Options
Niche Educational Games: Specialized Learning Apps
Specialized games can be more focused and engaging for novel or specific content areas. For instance, there are specialized ESL games designed for adult learners to improve their language skills.
Game Reviews and Online Resources for Learning Game Discovery
Consult reviews, academics, and experts when selecting or designing games on unfamiliar topics.
Designing Custom Learning Games
Leveraging Insights from eLearning Designer Connie Malamed
Malamed suggests collaborating with curriculum developers and learners themselves when designing custom games. Their input helps shape experiences that truly resonate.
Unexpected Inspiration: Adapting Adult Game Ideas from Unique Sources
Look beyond conventional education apps for inspiration. For example…
- Case Study: “Virtual Taboo” and “9 Truths” for Adult Learning Taboo-style games build communication skills. Adapting “9 Truths,” where players reveal unusual facts about themselves, fosters listening, speaking, and getting to know teammates.
- Taking a Page from Cosmopolitan: “Heads Up” and “Scattergories” Party games inspire apps to teach vocabulary, reasoning, and teamwork entertainingly.
Case Studies: Learning from the Best
In-Depth Analysis of the Top Educational Game Apps for Adults
- App 1: CogniFit – Brain Training
- Core Features and Cognitive Skill Improvement CogniFit offers many games targeting concentration, memory, planning, and more. As an ed-tech writer, I was impressed by its research-backed brain-training claims.
- Monitoring and Evaluation Tools The app delivers reports and metrics to track progress and customize training. This data-driven approach benefits motivated learners.
- Compatibility with Various Devices Available across platforms, CogniFit provides flexibility for users.
- App 2: Two Dots
- Simplicity, Addiction, and Skill Testing This puzzle game provides endless challenges. Its rules are simple enough to hook anyone, yet completing its puzzles taxes logic, sequential thinking, and creativity.
- Creativity and Planning in Gameplay To solve Two Dots’ challenges, players must envision sequences and consequences of several moves ahead – great practice for strategic thinking.
- Multi-Platform Compatibility This chart-topping mobile game appeals to all generations of smartphone users.
- App 3: 2048
- A Math-Based Puzzle Game for Grown-Ups This slider game builds numeric logic, calculation, and foresight. I’ve featured it in my writing for its mental challenge.
- Strategic Planning for Longevity Like Two Dots, 2048 rewards looking ahead and conceptualizing future states, flexing mental muscles in ways typical math drills don’t.
- Compatibility with Mobile Devices 2048 first gained fame as a web and app game adults could play on the go.
- App 4: Classic Sudoku by Logic Wiz
- Variety of Sudoku Puzzles and User-Friendly Interface With its vast library of Sudoku challenges, adjustable hints, and difficulty levels, this game appeals to Sudoku buffs of any skill level.
- Customization and Support Features From my experience, this app lets players configure colors and controls based on personal preference.
- Cross-Platform Availability Logic Wiz has made their Sudoku game available across all major platforms.
- App 5: Ballz
- The Addictive Simplicity of Ballz This bouncing ball puzzle game seems basic initially but soon hooks players with escalating challenges. I’ve played it for hours on planes or during long commutes.
- Pro Tips for Higher Scores: Learn to time bounces for multi-balls. Also, develop spatial awareness skills to hit several targets at once.
- Family-Friendly and Multi-Device Compatibility With its simplicity, Ballz entertains everyone. And versions for iOS, Android, etc., enable friends to connect and share scores.
- App 6: Learn English Listening Master
- Sentence Master for Language Skill Enhancement: I’m impressed by this app’s Sentence Master game, which improves vocabulary and grammar through conversational phrases.
- Engaging Multiplayer and Social Features Adults learn languages best through active communication. Learn English Listening facilitates this through chat features.
- Access Across Devices Available on both desktop and mobile, this app enables English learners to study whenever it’s convenient.
The Bigger Picture: Beyond the Top 10
Exploring the Expansive World of Educational Game Apps for Adults
In this article, I’ve only scratched the surface of the vast realm of adult learning games. A few other promising directions:
Diverse Learning Subjects and Topics
Apps cover everything from photography to emotional intelligence to wine tasting – whatever adults are eager to study.
Age-Appropriate Learning Games for Different Generations
Developers are creating apps tailored for Gen X, Baby Boomers, and seniors with appropriate challenges and nostalgia.
The Role of Mobile Apps in Distance Learning and eLearning
Educational apps are transforming remote education and workforce training for adults.
Conclusion
Based on my industry coverage, learning games are invaluable for engaging mature learners. But we’re still in the early stages of realizing their full potential.
To be most effective, ed-tech game creators should think outside the box for education models that balance learning and compelling gameplay.
Adults shouldn’t hesitate to try game-based learning for professional development or self-improvement. The right apps make honing new skills and knowledge sheer fun.
