You look up at the board as the podium is revealed. You squeeze your eyes almost shut and pray. Third place is spotlighted, then second, and your name is not up there. Panic sets in. Did you not answer the question fast enough? Then, first place is revealed, and your heart leaps as your name appears on screen. You strut up to the front of the room to receive the grand prize: candy. Is there anything better than an educational game that floods your system with dopamine? Whether played on your own, like Wordle, or in a classroom, such as Kahoot, they provide a chance to practice and retain what you have learned. But are they actually effective at what they do?

Spanish teacher Mary Gonzalez believes that learning games, such as Kahoot and Conjuguemos, can help students beyond the aspects of retention and memorization. 

“You have to be able to be present and be enthusiastic with what you’re learning… and games can help towards that goal,” Gonzalez said.  “It makes you happy, it makes you smile, and then you are not so intimidated by the academic aspect of, maybe, a teacher in front of the class, just regurgitating a lot of information.”

For teachers, educational games are used to reinforce content while keeping the class engaged. It can give insight on what would be beneficial to review. But these activities are also tools to give students a brain break, or to ease into the class in a low stress environment. Gonzalez saw the best results when the class was interacting live and competing against one other. Many students also involve themselves in educational games which they use, or intend to use, outside of school, as an avenue to further their education. 

“I have the app [Duolingo] but I don’t play it,” Olivia Foresti (‘28) said. “It gives me notifications. I turned it off but like please leave me alone.” 

However, these games can’t always stand on their own. Duolingo for example is often criticized for its over gamified system, and for not actually being able to teach new languages efficiently. Instead, many users stress over keeping their streak alive and staying at the top of the Ruby League. The focus tends to shift away from learning a language, due to the nature of their motivating gimmicks. On top of that, by trying to get students to learn using incentives, they might be hurting them in the long run.

According to Excelsior University in their article “Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation: Implications in School, Work, and Psychological Well-Being,” “Rewards can actually undermine intrinsic motivation because they take the perceived control away from the individual and place control in the hands of others.” 

Could this be a continuation of the trend towards short form media based on quick bursts of dopamine that keep the user hooked? With the rise of social media and iPad Kids, platforms such as Tik Tok and YouTube Shorts have rocketed in popularity and encouraged students to shorten their attention spans. The popularity of educational games could be another form of this trend. Students are looking for immediate rewards, be it winning the class Kahoot with a perfect score, or happily doom scrolling their way through a Saturday afternoon.

“I think a lot of the review time is lost in high school Spanish, so [Duolingo]’s very good for review,” Sonya Rooney (‘27) said.

Despite that, these games can still play a role both in and out of the classroom, reaching beyond teacher-led learning. Students are motivated to learn, despite what aspect of the games are motivating them. In the end, does it matter why students are choosing to learn?