Fortnite is one of the most successful international online games among children, teenagers and even adults. We have already spoken on other occasions of the difficulty of keeping our children away from this phenomenon that, if we do not control their use, can get to hook.
And responding to the saying that "If you can not beat them, join them", Victor Arufe Giráldez, a teacher-researcher at the Faculty of Education of the University of A Coruña, Fortnite has been used to teach children physical education, with very satisfactory motivational results, as commented to Babies and More.
Because this specialist in Physical Education ensures that "Those who criticize him are unaware of his game mechanics. Behind the seemingly negative, there is always something positive that we can work with."
In Babies and more Why Fortnite hooks children so much and how to control it before going back to schoolGamification in schools
Our Xataka classmates were already talking to us at the beginning of this course about how games are being adapted to classrooms to motivate students with fashion video games: like a 'Fornite' map projected on the digital board, and letters, challenges and characters reminiscent of 'Clash Royale'.
And it is that gamification has become one of the most direct and effective ways of motivating students. That is also the opinion of Victor Arufe, who describes himself as an inveterate lover of continuous training and knowledge recycling, and who assures that he likes "have a broad view of things and address different problems from multiple perspectives".
Hence, this teacher specialized in Physical Education, sports and physical exercise and its benefits, has incorporated Fortnite into the classrooms, the game that rages among the little ones, in order to motivate students.
Recognizes that the game has been heavily criticized by teachers, families and experts, but "However, we often forget that positive things can be extracted from everything apparently negative."
That's why he has allied himself with the game and He uses it to teach in the last courses of Primary Education, ESO and Bachelor, and also in camps and sports schools.
This is the video that recommends that teachers put in class to see what their didactic adaptation is and how it is played and that it helps us to get a more graphic idea of its values.
In this link you will also know in detail the 10 levels that children and young people must overcome and what they consist of. There are options to play in teams or in pairs, instructions to revive the teammates, the roles to adopt ... and all in order to create original dances and survive until the end.
"Having the mechanics of video games in school love them"
We wanted to know if the didactics were having good results and Victor has told us that "The teachers have welcomed him with open arms, since today many children play this video game, and see that they can have the mechanics of the video game at school they love it."
He assures that some teacher has even told him that "He had never seen his students so motivated". In addition, as the didactic adaptation allows to go up levels, "The motivation is continuous throughout the months, since children have to complete a total of 10 levels. Upon completion, they will be able to complete the album of stickers linked to Physical Education."
The adaptation is being used in schools and institutes in Spain and Latin America and the secret of its success seems to be based, according to Víctor, on which "It works many values and contents of Physical Education, both in terms of abilities and physical condition, as well as basic motor skills, psychological variables or psychomotor factors".
He has assured us that in the coming months he will try to make a study through the collection of motivation and student satisfaction data with this didactic proposal. So we will be aware of the results.
Values that improve with Fortnite
But Victor Arufe does not stay alone in the classrooms, and ensures that at home we can work the values of the game, to take advantage of the pull he has among young people.
Eliminate gender stereotypes. Fortnite has achieved that our children play with female characters, eclipsing the role of hero, strength, fighter frequently shown in the male protagonists of video games and action movies.
Power the fellowship. It is very important to educate our children to work as a team and in the game they learn to do it, since if they see an injured player they must go quickly to relive it. Success is only achieved by supporting each other.
Teach to manage personal assets. The game only allows you a certain number of weapons and material, so the player will have to make decisions and manage effectively so as not to lose it or waste it. It can help children learn to value things and how to take care of them.
In Babies and more A group of researchers is studying whether the use of video games in classrooms could improve student learningWork patience. Being an online game, the game sometimes takes time to start and, even playing, there are many situations where waiting has a prize.
Promote creativity. The video game has a modality where the player himself can build an island with his own structures, buildings, etc., also promoting the child's familiarity with spatial structure, viso-spatial intelligence, and other skills. In addition, it allows freedom to stop the player from doing what he considers at all times and enjoy building protective cabins, forts ...
Strengthen strategic thinking. Each game is a new learning for the child, which gradually improves his tactical thinking with the trial-error. Calculate distances, appreciate trajectories, analyze obstacles, have a good peripheral vision, spatial structuring ... all this comes into play in a matter of seconds or milliseconds.
Fortnite, an addictive game
Our colleagues in Xataka warned us of this danger, which worries a lot in schools around the world. They explained that It has an active player base of more than 130 million and has been able to generate more than three million dollars a day. Some schools have even asked parents to control the access time to the screens and supervise the game that they claim is hooked to many of their students.
In Xataka "Fortnite is like a drug": some schools warn of serious problems with the education of children because they are hooked to the gameThat is why it comforts, and much, the results that the initiative of Víctor Arufe Giráldez is obtaining and his reflections on Fortnite:
"The fact that a game has violent content does not mean that your child is going to have violent behavior. The education he receives at home is stronger than the influence of playing a videogame a couple of hours a week. It is a symbolic game With 4-5 years we already played in our childhood to shoot with slingshot, police and thieves, and other street games that evaded us for a few hours of the role we assumed in our day to day, without being violent. "
Of course, I also keep his recommendations: "Play Fortnite with your son, who is sure to enjoy twice as much. And especially dose the allowed time, know your game and its behavior during it. We cannot allow seven-year-old children to be playing alone, talking to unknown adults online and spending 5 hours in a row in front of the screen ".
Photos | Epic games
