{
  "$schema": "https://ivywaters.com/research/schema.json",
  "id": "IW-VG26",
  "slug": "video-games-homeschool-kids",
  "shortTitle": "Video Games & Learning",
  "title": "Video Games, Learning, and Homeschool",
  "deck": "An evidence-bounded guide to what games may support, what they do not prove, and how families can observe and document learning without turning play into a worksheet.",
  "category": "Digital learning",
  "geography": "International research synthesis with study populations identified",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "pdfFile": "video-games-homeschool-learning-2026.pdf",
  "status": "Published",
  "publishedAt": "2026-08-13",
  "updatedAt": "2026-08-13",
  "nextReview": "2027-08-01",
  "methodology": "Narrative synthesis of systematic reviews, meta-analyses, longitudinal studies, and credible institutional guidance, with game type and study design kept visible.",
  "limitations": "The evidence is heterogeneous and often correlational. Findings for a specific game, population, or outcome should not be generalized to all games or all children.",
  "ledger": "VIDEO-GAMES-SOURCE-LEDGER.md",
  "figures": [],
  "claims": [
    {
      "id": "IW-VG26-C01",
      "label": "Evidence principle",
      "text": "Video games are a medium, not a single educational intervention.",
      "classification": "Research synthesis",
      "sourceScope": "Reviews and game-based learning research",
      "figure": "iw-vg26-f01",
      "canonicalAnchor": "https://ivywaters.com/research/reports/video-games-homeschool-kids.json#IW-VG26-C01",
      "evidenceNote": "Use the report's inline citations and source scope; do not present an Ivy Waters synthesis as a directly measured statistic."
    },
    {
      "id": "IW-VG26-C02",
      "label": "Interpretation finding",
      "text": "Observed associations do not by themselves establish that game play caused an outcome.",
      "classification": "Methodological finding",
      "sourceScope": "Longitudinal and observational evidence",
      "figure": "iw-vg26-f02",
      "canonicalAnchor": "https://ivywaters.com/research/reports/video-games-homeschool-kids.json#IW-VG26-C02",
      "evidenceNote": "Use the report's inline citations and source scope; do not present an Ivy Waters synthesis as a directly measured statistic."
    },
    {
      "id": "IW-VG26-C03",
      "label": "Documentation finding",
      "text": "Families can document strategy, systems thinking, collaboration, design, and reflection without claiming every play session is academic instruction.",
      "classification": "Ivy Waters practice framework",
      "sourceScope": "Research synthesis and records practice",
      "figure": "iw-vg26-f04",
      "canonicalAnchor": "https://ivywaters.com/research/reports/video-games-homeschool-kids.json#IW-VG26-C03",
      "evidenceNote": "Use the report's inline citations and source scope; do not present an Ivy Waters synthesis as a directly measured statistic."
    }
  ],
  "editorialStance": "Ivy Waters measures the infrastructure of home education, not whether one family's educational choices are superior to another's.",
  "canonicalUrl": "https://ivywaters.com/blog/video-games-homeschool-kids",
  "jsonUrl": "https://ivywaters.com/research/reports/video-games-homeschool-kids.json",
  "pdfUrl": "https://ivywaters.com/research/reports/video-games-homeschool-learning-2026.pdf",
  "sourceLedgerUrl": "https://ivywaters.com/research/sources/VIDEO-GAMES-SOURCE-LEDGER.md",
  "correctionsUrl": "https://ivywaters.com/research/updates.json",
  "citation": "Ivy Waters Research (2026). Video Games, Learning, and Homeschool (Version 1.0.0). https://ivywaters.com/blog/video-games-homeschool-kids",
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      "id": "IW-VG26-S-1213E743",
      "title": "Examining the effectiveness of gamification as a tool promoting teaching and learning in educational settings: a meta-analysis",
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    },
    {
      "id": "IW-VG26-S-16A49E59",
      "title": "Gaming disorder",
      "url": "https://www.who.int/standards/classifications/frequently-asked-questions/gaming-disorder",
      "publisherDomain": "who.int",
      "accessed": "2026-08-13"
    },
    {
      "id": "IW-VG26-S-2247ECE8",
      "title": "Video game training does not enhance cognitive ability: a comprehensive meta-analytic investigation",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000139",
      "publisherDomain": "doi.org",
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    },
    {
      "id": "IW-VG26-S-3FD1F82C",
      "title": "Loot boxes: What’s in play?",
      "url": "https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/blog/2020/08/loot-boxes-whats-play",
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      "id": "IW-VG26-S-485B05C1",
      "title": "Action video games normalise the phonemic awareness in pre-readers at risk for developmental dyslexia",
      "url": "https://www.nature.com/articles/s41539-024-00230-0",
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    {
      "id": "IW-VG26-S-59D43954",
      "title": "Notice of Retraction and Replacement",
      "url": "https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2803642",
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      "title": "A game-factors approach to cognitive benefits from video-game training: a meta-analysis",
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      "title": "Genshin Impact developer settlement involving loot boxes, children’s privacy, and purchases",
      "url": "https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2025/01/genshin-impact-game-developer-will-be-banned-selling-lootboxes-teens-under-16-without-parental",
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      "id": "IW-VG26-S-942D5626",
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      "title": "FTC finalizes order requiring Fortnite maker Epic Games to pay $245 million",
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      "title": "Association of Video Gaming With Cognitive Performance Among Children",
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}