A game is a structured form of play, usually undertaken for enjoyment and sometimes used as an educational tool.
Key components of games are goals, rules, challenges, and interaction. Games generally involve mental or physical stimulation, and often both. Many games help develop practical skills, serve as a form of exercise, or otherwise perform aneducational, simulational, or psychological role.

Gaming is already a widespread activity in our culture —more than 45 million homes have video-game consoles. Over 154 million Americans play video games (that’s about half of the country’s population). In a given week, the average eighth-grade boy will play video games for about 23 hours, while the average girl will play about 12—that’s even more time than they spend watching TV.

Therefore, one of the most obvious benefits of using these technologies for learning is that students are often already familiar with these interfaces and the “language” of interacting with and utilizing them.