Quality and Educational Value of Popular Digital Games in Younger School Age

Abstract

Modern times have changed the way children play. Starting from the fact that play is a basic activity for children through which children learn and develop, we wanted to get acquainted with new games that have moved from the real world to the digital environment. The paper presents the results of a research whose subject was the intensity and frequency of playing digital video games, as well as a description of the most frequently played games in younger school age. Through research, we became familiar with the games Roblox and Stumble Guy, which are the most popular among the target group, their content, and the way they play. By directly playing these games, we explored their potential educational aspects. The research shows that children of younger school age spend between one and three hours a day playing these games, that they like to play synchronously with their peers the most, and that the most frequently played games have common features such as competitions to achieve certain goals, attractive graphics and modest educational values.