10 Awesome Games That Will Give You Motivation To Kick Through Your Exams

The topic might seem paradoxical for many, and that is understandable. Games are meant to be a source of entertainment, and they often distract us from what we should be doing. How then can they be useful for us as we study for finals? Of course, there are different learning games that we have devised over the years to help us study for exams. The only difference is that now, those games are being hosted digitally and made available for us to download on our games and PCs. Therefore, a game needs not to be distracting; there are several games out there that perform the exact opposite, which is help maintain focus and achieve study goals.

However, one still has to note that games are still games, and thus have some entertainment behind them. For one to learn productively through a game, the focus should be more on learning than on just enjoying oneself. Of course, it is okay to have fun, but while preparing for an exam, the learning value we get from the game is more important than the game itself. It is important to note this because many often get carried away in the fun and entertainment and what was meant to help them then becomes a stumbling block. Whatever method you are using to learn, discipline is very important. You want to ace that exam, don’t you?

Another mistake many who learn with games might make is replacing the actual learning process with games. Playing games, however learning-oriented they may be, cannot save you if you skipped most of the classes and did not hand in most of the assignments nor participate in projects. The games suggested here are not just some magical potion that would make you best everyone else. No! It is far from that. Games are mainly helpful when you want to revise something you have learned already so that you can recall it in the exams. They don’t replace your normal coursework, nor your personal study; they only augment your efforts. So, take note of that.

Just before we dive into the games, since this article is about preparing for exams, specifically finals, I thought I should introduce you to an increasingly popular technique. That is the use of custom college paper writing services. If you are looking for someone to help you with your writing assignments, you can seek their assistance, and they handle your research papers and other write-ups on your behalf. Using a writing service could be a way you could lift some burden off yourself as you prepare for your exams. You might choose to pay for research paper from PapersOwl, for example, or any other reputable service you can find.  That said, if you want to learn how to find motivation to study for finals, then you are reading the right piece. Playing games may seem counterintuitive for many, but find out here, how to make it work for you. 

Brainstorm Race 

This is a simple game that requires no more than a pen and a sheet of paper. It is best played in groups and even groups of groups. Usually, there would be a timekeeper who would also coordinate the game. Individuals or different groups of people get writing materials. Then the timekeeper calls out a term.

The task of the participants would be to write down as many things they know about the term as possible before the assigned duration (30 seconds, 1 minute, etc.) runs out. The teams or individuals who write the most wins the round. You can play this on your own too and race against time. However, it can’t be as interesting as playing with others.

Elevate

Elevate is an app consisting of many games to sharpen your mental skills and improve your memory. Mental sharpness is definitely important if one is to scale through exams. Alongside that, the game also helps to sharpen maths and comprehension skills.

The games are not just wild thoughts of random people; they are backed by many series of research by experts to provide the best. College students stand to gain a lot from this app. Alongside Elevate, other popular brain training games include Peak, Lumosity, and many others.

FlashCards

The good old flashcard method for memory retention still lives on today, both in physical cards and digitally on our phones. Flashcards help you recall what you have learned. If you need an app for that, you may check out the Quizlet app or Tinycards by Duolingo online.

Both apps have digital flashcards on various subjects that you may practice with alone or with friends. In addition, they also allow you to create your own custom flashcards for the subject you are preparing for. What more? Both are free, and great benefits come with using them.

Habitica

Habitica is a mobile game, but it is not a learning app. It is rather an app for organizing your tasks. As a student, exam periods can be the most demanding periods in school. More so is that distractions do not become minimal? If one does not manage their time well, then they may easily falter in their exam preparations.

The idea behind Habitica is that you should “treat your life like a game to stay motivated and organized.” That does not mean throwing caution to the wind and not being serious about anything; it only means the app gamifies your tasks so that achieving them seems more fun. This is not just an app for exams, but for all times as well. It gives you a sense of how to reward yourself for studying.

HangMan

Hangman is an old popular game used in classrooms. Typically, the teacher would writethe first letter of a word on the board and leaves out spaces for students to fill the rest by guessing the right letters until they are complete.

Nowadays, there are hangman games you can play on your iPhone or Android device. Hangman might not be the best game for you to review your semester’s course work, but it does improve your knowledge in other ways, such as in vocabulary.

Kahoot

Kahoot!is one of the most popular educational games at the moments. The basic idea of Kahoot!is simple. You only have to create a quiz (known as a “kahoot”) yourself and play on your own or with your friends.

The creation of a trivia only takes a short time,and your game is live online. Kahoot!is a game that can be played by kids and college students alike. In fact, teachers now assign kahoots as homework and classroom assignments. To review all you have learned throughout the semester, Kahoot! is definitely a game to have on your mobile device.

Mnemonics

Mnemonics is a technique used to ensure retention of what has been learned. It usually involves the encoding of what you want to remember using a song, acronyms, images, rhymes, etc.

You can devise mnemonics for yourself or along with friends and practice for easy retention during the exams. Besides, as I mentioned, everything is digital these days, and so are mnemonics. There are several mnemonics games you can check out on your phone’s app store that serve the same purpose.

Quizzes

These ones abound online. While you study for finals, what happens when you feel distracted, and desperately want to do something fun, other than reading?

Well, you might as well just learn a quiz app on your phone and learn new stuff instead of just letting that time waste without doing nothing. Quiz apps like Sporcle, Wikimaster, QuizUp, etc. help improve your memory and learning. 

Simulation Games

Mobile app stores are filled with games that help you simulate various actions across different fields. For example, anatomy, physics, chemistry, surgery, business, geography, etc.

The visual training one receives helps them learn better the process associated with particular actions in their field of study. Of course, understanding depends on prior teaching on those topics, and such simulation games only serve the purpose of planning and revision.

Vocabulary Apps

These are especially useful when preparing for international exams or entrance exams into a tertiary institution. Usually, a test of comprehension is required and covers vocabulary too.

Many ways exist to improve your vocabulary, but mobile apps are becoming increasingly popular for this purpose. Examples of such games include Magoosh, WordUp, Memrise, etc. With only a few minutes of practice every day, your vocabulary would have improved greatly over time.

This article has discussed playing games as a means of studying for exams. But what are other things you need to do if you must know how to find the motivation to study for finals? Certainly, it can’t all be games all day. Well, first of all, you have to admit that you would not always be motivated to study. You are going to feel stressed, hungry, bored, etc. as you prepare. So sometimes, the motivation and will would not just be there. Even games may not help at times. That is where your discipline comes in; you have to be able to discipline yourself. The point is that motivation is not enough to get through with exams; you still have to put in some discipline and hard work to get through with it.