Educational Games Boost Social-Emotional Learning

How Educational Games Are Transforming Social-Emotional Learning

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have received a $1.39 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to develop innovative educational games targeting crucial middle school development areas.

The Project: Gaming for Good

Led by Professor Richard Davidson and Associate Professor Kurt Squire, this initiative will create two evidence-based educational games designed to help eighth graders develop:

• Emotional regulation skills
• Improved mental focus
• Cooperation abilities
• Empathy development

"By eighth grade, most Western children are regularly engaging with digital games," Davidson notes. "We're harnessing that engagement for constructive social-emotional learning."

Why Social-Emotional Skills Matter for College Readiness

The Gates Foundation specifically supports this research due to its focus on college preparedness. Key benefits include:

1. Mindfulness training: Builds attention regulation - the foundation for all learning
2. Kindness cultivation: Develops cooperation skills essential for team-building and leadership

Two Game Prototypes in Development

The research team will initially develop:

1. Focus Builder Game
- Uses breath awareness techniques
- Targets attention span improvement

2. Social Connection Game
- Teaches compassion and altruism
- Enhances cooperative behaviors

This project represents an innovative approach to digital learning, combining game-based engagement with proven psychological techniques for adolescent development.