The genres that these games cover are just as diverse and prevalent as the titles themselves. This breadth in mobile titles has opened up the gaming community to entirely new demographics.
One area of gaming, though, manages to put up a fight with little fanfare or public adoration. In fact, this one genre that many give so little thought to happens to be one of the industry's most popular – the educational mobile game.
Educational Titles Are Taking Off Like Rocket Ships
Market data shows that the popularity of educational game titles continues to rise with each passing year. Currently a $1.5B market, some experts believe that educational titles will account for approximately $2.3B in revenue by 2017. Mind you, 2017 isn't in some far-off future; quite the contrary, it's right around the corner. That a market could enjoy roughly 60 percent growth in just two years is nothing short of staggering.
But why this surge in popularity? Well, there's no one answer, but two things that helped pave the way: There were the greater accessibility that mobile devices users were able to afford, and the leap in technology that made it possible to put the world at your fingertips.
Smarter Processors Help Drive Smarter Games
Whereas traditional gaming consoles limited access to video games – partly by design, but partly as a result of cost considerations – mobile devices like smartphones and tablets make it possible for anyone and everyone to play video games.
The incredible gaming performance applied to processors of mobile manufacturers is helping drive the development of new games (and yes, this includes educational games). There are literally hundreds and hundreds of educational titles to choose from, and that only counts the games that you have to pay for! In truth, there's no shortage of options for parents and schools who are interested in game-based learning.
Is This Really a Good Thing? Educational Titles Being So Popular?
Inevitably, the question will be asked, Are these games actually effective educational tools? Or are they just wolves in sheep's clothing? In other words, are they educational on the surface, but mindless at their core? Well, to provide a blanket answer to that question would probably be a bit disingenuous – after all, there's bound to be some stinkers in the bunch, right? – but it has been shown conclusively that games can positively affect and benefit learning.
Cognitive games can help improve memory and brain function, and beyond that, games with an educational bent can actually teach. It's important to remember that educational games don't have to be limited to puzzles, math problems, and memory tests.
Education & Tech
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