There is this perception among most gamers that educational games simply cannot be fun. In fact I am pretty sure that the mere mention of the term "educational" has your mind evoking images of reading dry text, doing projects that feel more like slave labor and cramming for a hated test even as I write this paragraph. Am I wrong?

The active role in video games in a boon for education efforts worldwide. It helps motivate people to learn and increases retention. It provides an innate answer to the question so many children ask in school: "How will this knowledge help me in the real world?" In the world of the game the rewards for proper application and retention of knowledge are immediate and interesting.

The myriad other benefits of educational games. Increasing the motivation to learn by turning what was once a chore into play has the great benefit of exponentially increasing retention. Mr. Rogers, possibly the greatest authority on teaching children by getting them in a playful mood, said, "Play is a very serious matter....It is an expression of our creativity; and creativity is at the very root of our ability to learn, to cope, and to become whatever we may be."

Remember when you were a child and many of your peers who did poorly at school would show remarkable retention in areas such as sports trivia, card collecting and popular entertainment? The difference is quite simply that their interest was piqued. When it comes to play we all have virtually photographic memories. Therefore even if educational games are not quite as fun as the most enjoyable things in life to some children, the fact that they are fun at all increases remembrance of things learned.

So who plays these games online? Parents and teachers scouring the Internet to find helpful gems amidst all the confusion. Playing these games to test out their viability in terms of bettering the quality of a young person's life. Teachers especially might be prone to actually spending free time playing such games as many of them are in a sense lifelong students.

Then of course there are the students themselves. They may play in class at the behest of an innovative teacher, at home trying to gain an edge in the classroom or life, or in some rare cases out of sheer love of learning itself.

Online educational games are not just for young adults, either. By design many of them cater to the educational needs of a more mature audience. There are all sorts of advanced educational games you can play online. If you are willing to classify a trivia game such as Jeopardy as educational then there are even more possibilities. There are clubs and communities all over that support those who find enjoyment out of such enlightening fare.

So in short, anyone who wants to learn can find benefit from these games. In fact many people who think they do not want to learn may well be roped in under the guise of playing a game-before they know it they have learned by default. In the future I see educational games becoming far more advanced to the point where they can match the entertainment value of purely recreational games. When this transition finalizes we will see their true power. By making education into a fun process these games might make geniuses of the future generation yet.

Learn more about this author, Royce Radcliffe.
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