Though some might see video games as a distraction, a recent study from the University of Georgia suggests they can actually serve as a place to practice key science skills — with the help of some adorable cats, of course.

Along with a team of designers and programmers, UGA researchers created a video game to help elementary schoolers learn about anatomy and health, and develop their reasoning skills. The game, Virtual Vet, took seven years of testing and three versions of the game to figure out what worked best for young learners.

“For kids to access this content, you have to support their math and literacy. And that was not our original game design,” said Georgia Hodges, the lead author of the study and an assistant professor in UGA’s Mary Frances Early College of Education. “Our original game design was science, science, science, but what we learned is that you have to support math and literacy first. Then have them practice analyzing and interpreting data. And then you get to the science learning.”

Gathering, analyzing and using evidence is a key part of any scientific field. However, it’s also a complex process that many students struggle with.

The researchers tested students on their anatomy knowledge before and after playing the game, comparing their scores to students who learned using traditional hands-on classroom activities. On average, the children who played the game scored higher than ones who didn’t.

A good story can grab kids’ attention, help them learn

In Virtual Vet, students take the role of vet assistants examining two cats: Cookies and Cream. While Cream is a healthy, playful little kitten, Cookies is sluggish and overweight. Students are tasked with figuring out what’s happening to Cookies and how to improve his health.

The game doesn’t just make kids memorize facts. Instead, it asks them to gather evidence, analyze data and use the information they’ve found to explain what they see.

On paper, this might sound like boring schoolwork. But in the video game, helping two cute cats improve their health gets students sucked into the game — and it helps them learn in the process.

“These kids care about the story. They care about Cookies and Cream and want to help them,” Hodges said. “It’s not as important to them to sit there and practice analyzing and interpreting data, but if you embed it in a story and there’s a reason for them to care, then all of a sudden, you have disengaged kids become engaged.”

Students need practice, feedback to thrive

The game is broken up into six levels, each one having learning objectives such as understanding how muscles work or recommending healthy choices. Unlike other hands-on activities where students only practice once or twice, kids can’t move on to the next level until they’ve practiced a skill several times in the game.

The video game also gives real-time feedback to students, providing guidance to fix any mistakes and move on to the next level.

“When you give kids feedback and you give them a chance to try again with instruction, the kids learn more,” said Hodges.

Teachers can guide students as a class, individually in video game

But teachers shouldn’t just put their students in front of a computer and call it a day. Teachers still have a critical role in helping their students learn, the researchers said.

“Our game design puts the teacher in the center,” Hodges said. “Teachers are monitoring student progress in real time and are intervening on top of that real-time feedback.  They can also see trends and intervene with both the whole class and individual students.

“Don’t take the teacher out but have them there to facilitate learning.”

The study was published in Science Education and co-authored by Kayla Flanagan.