Games should be part of UK education

The vice chancellor of Gloucestershire University has suggested that video games should play a role in the state education of the UK’s youth.

Patricia Broadfoot, vice-chancellor of the University of Gloucestershire, said computer games could be used to assess creativity in schools.

According to The Times Higher Education, Broadfoot told the International Association for Educational Assessment conference in Brisbane last month:

"Games are excellent learning tools in that they are interactive and provide rapid feedback, opportunities for extensive practice, engagement with intellectual complexity, emotional involvement and, increasingly, open-ended outcomes that challenge the creativity of the player," she said.

They also offer training in metacognition, strategic thinking, concentration and even social skills, she added.

"Perhaps most important of all for many students is the level of engagement that computers can provide," she said.

"Engagement, as we have seen, is the essential starting point for creative thinking, whether this is at school, at university or in the workplace."

Current tests in the space are limited for assessment needs on a large scale, Professor Broadfoot said, adding that the sector needed to "embrace the full potential of the information age".