The second part of this research project, detailed in the previous post, explored the community context of games. The third and final part of the research, explored in this post, is about youth use games to shape their future. More specifically, it is about where and how youth encounter games in high school, how educators think about the potential of games and learning, and how the academic interests of college students are influenced by video games.

10. YOUTH, GAMES AND ACADEMICS

“I wish there were less games in my school” said no student ever.

So perhaps there is little surprise in the finding that, according to the Gaming Advisory, youth wish games were infused throughout their school day.

What is interesting, however, is why.

Yes, they identify that gaming can be fun, helps them relax, and forms social bonds.

But they are also highly aware of how games empower their academic learning.

Digital games are infused enough into their academic coursework that they can appreciate how it teaches new skills and content while providing an effective way to review material.

They do not understand, however, why their schools leave the power of games-based learning largely untapped.

In general, according to the G.A., they are most likely to encounter gaming in their courses through competitive, content-agnostic, cloud-based quiz platforms, like Kahoot or Quizziz. Youth often view these as an almost magical force that drives both learning and engagement. (We asked the students to create comic strips to illustrate the main lessons they wanted us to learn, which will be used below to highlight some of our findings, in their own words. To be clear, their comics came before our analysis.)

Among 49 different games experienced in class mentioned by students, half were Kahoot or the nearly identical Quizziz and the similar Quizlet. When depicted in their comic strips, these types of games often come across as an academic cure all.

In general, games are used as both a learning tool (as a way to develop new skills or learn new content) or as learning support to review that content (to reinforce the learning or as test prep).

Occasionally, single-subject games are used to teach content, like a typing game to learn typing, Oregon Trail to teach U.S. History, Coolmathgame to learn Math, or lab simulations to teach Chemistry.

It is rare, however, for a non-quiz, content-agnostic game to be used, like Minecraft for Engineering or an escape room for Chemistry. 

Beyond what they already experience, what youth said they want more of, is content-specific game-based learning opportunities, to go deeper into specific skill sets or academic content areas. For example, they would like to see games that teach specific subjects (like Shakespeare, global politics, or rhythms).

They also want to see games used as subject matter to elucidate academic content (how physics, math and chemistry are used to design games, the psychological effect of game music, and how games impact society).

We were surprised to see that games did not appear to have a common home within their schools. While game coding might be taught in a Computer class, students were just as likely to play an escape room in World Studies, learn engineering through Minecraft, or use Duolingo to learn a new language. Below is a list of all games they used the previous year in school, along with the class subject where it was encountered, and the role it played (if identifiable). 

11. WHAT EDUCATORS HAD TO SAY

Meanwhile, according to our surveys and interviews, NYC educators are not oblivious to the impact games have in the lives of their students. However, the exact details remain obscured to them. Most could not share much about topics like the games students play, their game-adjacent activities, or how their gaming is shaped by their backgrounds.

They did, however, highlight the same benefits identified by the youth – games as both community unifier and source of relaxation. Only a few teachers were able to speak to the racism students experience in online anonymous game communities and through biased game representation. One after school educator highlighted the value of the “social-emotional aspects of gaming… as kids grow up and try to find themselves.”

Most did not report seeing any correlation between students’ academic interests and the games they like to play. At the same time, one teacher lamented a missed opportunity for getting games like Civ 6 into global history courses because there are “not enough educators comfortable” with the idea. That discomfort was described by one teacher as the “misconception that it’s all just a waste of time. And that it’s anti-social.”

When asked “Do you see any existing academic pathways in high school that build upon youth’s interest in gaming and/or their career plans related to gaming?” only half could list an example. All were STEM-related save one (videography).

The percentage offering examples raised from half to 75% when the question shifted from seeing academic pathways in high school to college. More striking was the broad range of non-STEM examples (many within game-adjacent fields) such as design, business, political science, pre-law, English, communications, and event production. When asked “In the past year, have you encouraged any students to pursue any of these pathways?” the majority said they had, directing them to after school programs and higher education opportunities.

Nearly all agreed that they see “overlooked opportunities for building on students’ interest in gaming to advance them on their academic and career pathway.” The challenge, as one teacher framed it, is that “most of the students that we serve look at video games from the consumer side.” The job then of educators, as they described it, is to help their students make a connection between their gaming interest and their future. “I believe that it’s us educators that need to really talk to these kids about the potential of games.”

For educators to play this role they asked for curriculum to bring games into classrooms across the disciplines; for internships to connect youth with industry; and for resources to offer after school programs within their schools.

12. WHAT COLLEGE STUDENTS HAD TO SAY

Most of these blog posts have intentionally focused on the voices of NYC high school teenagers and shared little about the college-level research that was core to these activities. However, there are two pieces we will conclude with, as it reflects on what today’s college students have to say about when they were still high school students.

In a survey completed by 104 current City College of New York (CCNY) students, we asked “Is there anything about your current or past interest in gaming that influenced your current academic trajectory?” While one third said gaming had no influence (34%), the majority (57%) said games had in fact influenced their current trajectory.

Among the 41 who named a specific academic trajectory, roughly one third (15) identified a trajectory aimed towards work in the video game industry, through computer engineering, software engineering, mechanical engineering, and computer science. Specific roles identified as goals within the gaming industry include game designer, creative director, video game trailer editor, illustrator, game story writer, and professional eSports player. One respondent shared a comment with a sentiment common to many: “My current interest in gaming is what led to me deciding on majoring in computer science.” 

The remaining two-thirds (26), the vast majority in fact, named a wide range of fields for a career outside of – but influenced by – gaming: engineering, computer science, mathematics, mechanical engineering, graphic design, interactive design, education, law, social sciences, sociology, storytelling, comic books, medicine, and psychology. Clearly, academic interests inspired by gaming is vast and broad.

Among CCNY students whose academic trajectory was influenced by video games (N=59), the majority (63%) named at least one type of person or institution who helped them to make that connection. So what can this tell us about who is influencing high school students to pursue interests inspired by games at the college level?

The number one influence is by far from the gaming industry itself (23%), equally split between both game designers and professional YouTubers. When it comes to game designers, students listed both companies (like Nintendo and Bungie) and iconic game designers (like Notch and Shigeru Miyamoto) as role models and influencers. Meanwhile, individual YouTubers and streamers help them understand game design in a more sophisticated way, raise awareness about career opportunities, and inspire them to move from consumers to creators.

The second most named influencers who helped students connect their gaming interests with their studies at CCNY are their professors and their experiences at other universities (19%). They specifically name-checked CCNY’s Sonic Arts Center, the Fashion Institute of Technology’s toy design program, Stony Brook, and NYU’s Game Center. As one student wrote, “My professor pushed me and challenged me to dig deeper and do better and create more until I was satisfied with what I made.”

13. CONCLUSION

This series of posts began by addressing how this study reframed youth from being the subjects of gaming’s influence to being agents leveraging what games afford, shifting focus from what games do to teens to what teens do with games. While it was undertaken with a specific goal in mind – to better understand the lives of teens living in the communities of Harlem, Upper Manhattan, and the South Bronx to recruit them for the City College of New York – both the lessons learned and the approach taken can be of value to anyone interested in supporting the development of today’s youth to pursue their dreams. 

We would like to conclude by acknowledging the important role played by Urban Arts Partnership in facilitating and carrying out the research for the project along with SAENY consultants: Ms. Milena Chakraverti-Wuerthwien who provided critical staff support throughout the project, Genesis Espinal for playing an important liaison role between the project team and SIA during the youth advisory program, and Veeshan Narinesingh, who provided valuable outreach to the Harlem community.  

For more information on the Gaming Pathways Project, please contact: Susan Perkins, Ph.D. Dean, Division of Science CCNY and Stan Altman, Ph.D., President, and Professor, CCNY.