While I am not a huge gamer, I do enjoy playing games from time to time. A game I have been enjoying recently is a multiplayer, collaborative game called Among Us. In this game, you have a group of crewmates, who work together to complete tasks and try to guess who the imposters are. The Imposters are those fake tasks, sabotage the ship, and kill off all of the crewmates. Crewmates and Imposters work together through either the in-game messaging system, in-game voice chat, or other various communication services.
This game does have a bit of learning potential to it. I really enjoy this game because of its social feature. When I am imposter, I implement my persuasion skills to convince others that I am a crewmate. You also have to employ careful attacks to hide bodies and deceive others. It also requires a bit of critical thinking, since you have to debunk whether a person is lying or being truthful. This game can help youth develop teamwork capabilities. This also enhances for social collaboration as they are able to communicate with a variety of people of all ages.
With any online game, there will always be a risk of inappropriate usage of the social features. However, proper monitoring of young children during gameplay can foster a positive online experience. Making sure that kids only, or at least when not monitored by an adult, engage with only familiars. Also encouraging gameplay that incorporates positive learning experiences. I remember in elementary school, we would play games on Cool Math, and they incorporated fun and education in many of their games.
