How an Open-World Video Game Teaches Kids STEM

Imagine learning math and science from the perspective of a middle or high school student. The student’s mental image of the subject is more than likely that of a textbook—dense, daunting, and dry—accompanied by a sigh exclaiming, “Please, anything but this!”Only the rare student, who already is passionate about the topic, would consider navigating a textbook alone or for pleasure. But the simple truth is that these books of isolated facts and abstract ideas have never been the way people have truly learned to view the world scientifically. The pursuit of questions that matter, in ways that stretch our imaginations and support a kind of playful engagement with ideas, has always been one of the defining characteristics of our species.Over the last few decades, research in educational psychology has shown that play, in particular, is how children develop the cognitive, social and communication skills needed to succeed in life. Play comes in many forms, and allows children to test their abilities, explore, invent, and most importantly—fail and learn from their mistakes. Learning through play is where children (and adults) develop higher-level thinking skills that enable them to be engaged and creative learners throughout life.