Electronic games in geography teaching

Possibilities for approaching content through games

Abstract

Context: Childhood is marked by different experiences, such as building relationships, discovering activities, playing, studying, and achieving accomplishments. The generation born between 1990 and 2000 played in different ways, whether in lan houses, on the streets, in parks, with simple games like hide and seek, marbles, spinning tops, kites, among others. On the other hand, those born from 2010 onwards grew up in the digital era, experiencing digital technologies from an early age. In the teaching of Geography, technology is also present, although some still resist recognizing it as a methodological option.  Methodology: The use of electronic games in the teaching of Geography can promote meaningful and contextual education, as well as work on student development. This work proposes activities to teach cartography and imperialism in Geography classes, using two electronic games: League of Legends and Grand Theft Auto V. The methodology of the work was based on bibliographic and qualitative research. In the first stage, authors who address geographical education, such as Callai (2012; 2018), Castellar (2006), Castellar et al. (2011), Santos (2007), Coelho (2015), Máximo et al. (2020), and Carvalho (2006), were researched. In the second stage, considering the focus of the research on geographical education, efforts were made to improve the quality of  teaching. Considerations: As a result, a discussion was held on electronic games and Geography, highlighting points that support the use of these games in the classroom, as well as addressing the importance of working with games in geographical education.