Videojuegos comerciales como herramienta de aprendizaje y comunicación: una revisión bibliográfica sobre sus beneficios para el desarrollo de competencias en los niños y niñas

Abstract

Commercial video games, although they have been a part of children’s lives for years, are mainly seen as a source of entertainment in our society, often causing concern among parents. The most common reasons for rejecting video games are the violent content and the sexism of some of them, but they are also mentioned as the cause of children reducing the time spent on other activities such as sport or as a hindrance to the development of social skills because they are said to promote individualism. However, the idea that playing is an appropriate tool for more effective learning has been gaining momentum over the years. An example of this was the creation of serious games, a product with a clear educational intention camouflaged in a playful environment to attract students. One of the shortcomings of this type of video game is the lack of interactivity, a fundamental aspect for achieving immersive learning experiences. Given that one of the characteristic features of commercial video games is interactivity, this article aims to offer an analysis of the contributions made so far on the benefits of playing certain types of video games. The purpose of this analysis is to investigate whether it is possible to obtain clear conclusions on the competences that are developed by playing certain types of commercial video games, as this aspect could suggest the implementation of a pilot test in which commercial video games are used in the classroom as a learning and communication tool for boys and girls, which would also help to reduce the gender digital gap from the earliest stages of education