Can gaming in class help students learn?
Using games in the classroom can help students engage with difficult social issues in a concrete and memorable way. Research has shown that digital games can support motivation and learning, especially when they are paired with guided reflection and discussion. In this lesson, students use the online game Spent to explore the realities of poverty, financial insecurity, and homelessness, while also comparing social conditions in the United States and Norway.
Why use a game in class?
Research has shown that online games can be an effective and motivating way to support learning in EFL classrooms, especially when students are actively engaged in language and decision-making. Although Spent is not a vocabulary game, it gives students an authentic context for discussing difficult social issues, using relevant vocabulary, and reflecting on real-world challenges.
In this research paper I found the following;
To conclude the literature review on the impact of online games on vocabulary learning, it can be said that online games are an effective and motivating way to teach vocabulary in EFL classes. However, the gender factor has an influence to the learning process with online games. Male students showed more success in learning vocabulary through online games rather than female students. Source
Purpose
The purpose of this lesson is to help students explore the realities of poverty and homelessness through the online game Spent. By playing the game and reflecting on the choices it presents, students develop language, empathy, and critical thinking. The lesson also encourages students to compare conditions in the United States with those in Norway and to discuss how social systems affect the lives of individuals.
Learning goals
Students will be able to:
- describe challenges connected to poverty and housing insecurity
- explain how financial pressure affects everyday decision-making
- use relevant vocabulary to discuss work, money, health, and social support
- reflect on ethical dilemmas connected to survival and responsibility
- compare the situation in the game with Norwegian society and the welfare state
- discuss how games can be used to teach about real social
Introduction
“Spent” is about how it is to be poor in the United States.
The player must survive for 30 days with only $1000 available. During the game, the player faces a series of difficult choices about housing, food, transport, healthcare, work, family, and unexpected expenses. The goal is to make it through the month without running out of money.
At first, that may sound manageable. Very quickly, however, the game shows how easily one problem leads to another. A single expense can force a choice that creates even more difficulty later. This makes the game a strong introduction to conversations about poverty, insecurity, and homelessness.
Because the game is web-based, students can play it on any device with internet access.
Before playing
Start with a short class conversation to prepare students for the topic. You may ask:
- What does it mean to live in poverty?
- What is the difference between being poor and being homeless?
- What kinds of expenses are hardest to avoid if someone has very little money?
- What support systems exist in Norway for people who lose work, housing, or income?
This pre-discussion gives students some context and helps them enter the game with more awareness.
Activity
Have students play Spent individually on a computer, tablet, or phone. Ask them to play through the game at least once. If possible, let them play a second time so they can see whether changing their decisions changes the outcome.
While they play, students should make note of:
- the choices they made
- the consequences of those choices
- moments they found surprising, frustrating, or unfair
- situations where they felt they had no good option
Follow-up questions after each play:
What happened to you in the game? What choices did you make along the way and how did it go? What was the hardest choice you had to make in the game? Why? If you play the game once more – what do you want to do differently? Why? What have you learned from playing the game a few times? After a few rounds, it may be good to look a little beyond the game itself.
Here are some suggestions for questions you can work with after playing the game
- A talk afterward about cultural differences, working life, and the welfare state.
- What events in the game do you think could not happen in Norway? Why?
- What things are different in Spent in relation to Norwegian conditions?
- Is it the way it is to be poor in Norway too? Why?
A chat afterward about the choices you have to make along the way
- Did you do anything you really didn’t want to do?
- What was it – and why did you choose it anyway?
- Take in various ethical challenges the player encounters along the way and evaluate them from different ethical ways of thinking.
Assessment
Students can be assessed informally through participation in discussion, reflection notes, or a short written response. Look for whether students can:
- describe the challenges presented in the game
- reflect on the consequences of different choices
- use relevant vocabulary in discussion and writing
- compare the United States and Norway in a thoughtful way
- discuss ethical and social questions with nuance and empathy
- evaluate the strengths and limits of games as a learning tool
Conclusion
Spent is a simple game, but it opens up complex conversations. It gives students a chance to experience how quickly financial insecurity can shape decisions about work, health, family, and survival. When supported by discussion and reflection, the game can be an effective starting point for learning about poverty, homelessness, ethics, and the role of the welfare state.
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