Why Games Work...

"Tell me and I will forget... Show me and I will remember... Involve me and I will understand"

Monopoly, Trivial Pursuit, Clue and other such games usually bring back memories of having fun with friends and family. Developing strategy, risk calculation and communication are some of the skills unknowingly acquired by learning in a fun stress-free way. For many adults, prime-time TV game shows have filled the void of playing childhood board games. Shows like Jeopardy, Who Wants to be a Millionaire and Wheel of Fortune are undeniably popular.

Interactive classroom gameshow style activities engage the learner, which is criticial for developing "knowledge with staying power".  A well constructed game can be an indispensible tool for classroom learning as it offers the following: 

• Engages the learner in mind and body by providing energizing learning activities 
• Exciting fun activities are emotional which result in greater retention rates
• Allows for integration with others.  Team style play blends both a competitive and cooperative environment—stimulating participants to learn with and from each other
• Games are strategy driven
• Games appeal to all styles of learning--auditory, visual, verbal and kinesthetic
• Game show platforms allow the content and format to be easily customized to the learning objectives
• Game show activities can be used as a pre and post training gauge
• Classroom game show activities allow you to review, elaborate, correct and apply content as well as place it in a real-world scenario