These are some of the best classroom-friendly games for improving students' decision-making and problem-solving skills. Decision-making is at the foundation of social and emotional learning and is key to success in school and life. These games build students' decision-making skills by placing them in a variety of interesting and difficult scenarios that get them thinking through choices, seeing the consequences, and learning management and responsibility. They'll be navigating political dilemmas, selecting between various ethical arguments, even making strategic city- and world-building choices. Best of all: The games on this list are so absorbing, students won't even realize they're brain boosters!
Music producing game balances fun with critical thinking and planning
Bottom Line: Students will have a blast with the music production and band-managing theme that carries with it some useful lessons in 21st century skills.
Refinement of strategy game formula supports historical exploration
Bottom Line: Like any consumer-oriented game, this experience will absorb and delight students far more than "educational" games, but it'll require open-minded and creative teaching.
Legendary strategy game is a hit with history buffs in school and out
Bottom Line: For flexible classrooms, creative teachers, and sharp students, Civilization V is the perfect platform for making rather than memorizing history.
Bottom Line: SimCity does a great job teaching kids about cities by putting them in control of designing them, but this game needs a constant Internet connection.
Provocative, first-person look at poverty builds empathy
Bottom Line: It'll need some scaffolding, but for students ready for the subject matter it's a great -- if sobering -- way to illustrate to students the daily realities and struggles of poverty in America.
Charming political campaign sim mixes data analysis and civics
Bottom Line: It's a highly entertaining and surprisingly deep way to help students see the strategy -- as well as ethical choices -- involved in elections.
Nuanced political sim about the balancing act of government
Bottom Line: This is a grown-up civics sim, full of tough choices, compelling cause and effect relationships, and controversial issues that will work best for older government students.
