During the Covid-19 pandemic, board games filled many hours with family and friends again. Before homes were filled with screens, board games were the leading role in group leisure. Moreover, playing has always been a human need, fundamental during the learning process to learn to solve problems . But what scientific basis is there behind the benefits of board games ?
In order to understand the scientific evidence and the impact that board games have on cognitive processes in childhood , we spoke with the team of the industrial doctoral project “ Conectar Jugando ”. The company Mercurio Distribuciones , a leading publisher in Spain on family and children's games, launched this strategic research project in collaboration with the Neuropsychology, Gens and Environment Research Group ( NeuroPGA ) of the University of Lleida. The bridge between the company and the university is Núria Vita-Barrull, the industrial doctoral student who carries out her research within the framework of the industrial doctorate.
Since 2014, the NeuroPGA research group has been investigating the cognitive benefits of playing modern board games, a work supported by research conducted on children with ADHD and the elderly , published in high-impact scientific journals. This is how they came to propose to Mercurio the possibility of doing an industrial doctorate, and creating the “Connectar Jugando” program of cognitive training based on modern board games in primary education . A research that is increasingly generating more interest among professionals in the leisure sector, the scientific community and society in general: “ since the project began, we have participated in interviews with channels specializing in board games ( YouTube , podcast), we have talked with the influencer in games and education María Couso , and we have collaborated on reports about board games in general media such as RTVE in Juegos de sociedad , in El Confidencial in La locura por los juegos de mesa llega hasta Garzón: cómo la pandemia nos hizo 'jugones , and in The Conversation magazine with an article on the benefits of board games that has been very well received by national and international audiences, ” explains Núria Vita-Barrull.
"The speed at which the board game was introduced into the classroom did not correspond to quality research that would give it a basis"
The project aims to provide scientific evidence that justifies the use of board games in primary school classrooms, providing a rigorous and critical look: “ we realized that the speed at which the board game was introduced in the classroom did not correspond to quality research that gave it a basis ”, says doctoral student Nuria Vita-Barrull. The work carried out by the team has been able to demonstrate that when teachers use board games in their classrooms, there are obvious benefits in the basic executive functions of students .
But how important are these functions? Although the concept may seem very technical, the truth is that during learning and throughout our lives it is essential to know how to adapt to our environment, set goals and achieve them, anticipate situations, control impulses, plan, etc. All of this is part of what is called basic executive functions, and it is important to acquire them from childhood.
Board games, well-stimulated, allow this learning process: “ with the industrial doctorate we have seen that, even applying modern board games in the school environment, both in the general population and in children at risk of social exclusion, helps to develop basic executive functions, ” clarifies Dr. Jorge Moya of the NeuroPGA group. Another obvious fact is that board games involve interaction with other people, which could also favor social relationships.
"We hope that it will change the point of view on the game, and that it will be given the importance it has beyond pure fun"
During the development of the project, a key aspect has been addressed, not investigated until now, providing innovation in this field of research: with what criterion does a teacher choose one board game or not another ? In order for the choice of board game to meet the educational objectives, the project has sought to provide the maximum possible objectivity. In this sense, the experience of the Mercurio company has been fundamental, since the development of its catalogs is based on an educational vision , seeking to have games that allow working on different educational and cognitive capacities. The project, with the help of a committee of experts formed by professionals from different disciplines, has analyzed in depth and with scientific methodology the wide range of games of the company.
Conectar Jugando is a reality thanks to the joining of forces between the company Mercurio and the association AFIM21 (Atención Familia, Infancia y Mayores) which initiated the project to use board games in classrooms in Almeria and put the company in contact with the NeuroPGA research group in Catalonia. The collaborative research between the university and the company has been one of the key elements for the development of the project: “ sharing the experiences and knowledge of each of the agents involved has allowed the research not to remain in the laboratory, but to have a real impact in schools and in the world of board games ” explains Núria Vita-Barrull.
The reality is that the experience is being introduced into classrooms , during the 2021-2022 academic year the project has brought board games to 5 schools in Lleida and 4 in Madrid, thus reaching a considerable number of participating students: “ the message that not everything is worth it is getting through. We are beginning to see that professionals and colleagues from other universities are interested in knowing the evidence of board games, and are not satisfied with opinions or perceptions subject to bias, ” Núria Vita-Barrull tells us.
The project demonstrates that by training cognitive processes (improvement in memory, verbal fluency, understanding a text, performing mathematical calculations, etc.) in the classroom through games, there should be an improvement in the students' ability to remember and update information, to curb impulses when necessary or to change their thoughts or actions according to the conditions that occur in their day-to-day lives. In short, this Industrial Doctorate has demonstrated the effectiveness of the application of board games in formal educational environments : " we hope that this playful methodology, with modern board games, will be increasingly implemented in schools, " says Dr. Jorge Moya-Higueras.
As Paolo Alaimo, CEO of the company Mercurio, concludes: “ we hope that the point of view on the game will change, and that it will be given the importance it has beyond pure fun .” The project will allow for more research collaborations along these lines in the coming years, thus improving the applications of playful programs in the classroom .
