Video games are being used in the classroom more than ever before for educational use. 

In 2013, 74 percent of K-8 teachers were using digital games, according to an article on Forbes.com. This statistic was derived from a survey by Sesame Workshop titled, "Busting Barriers of Just Dabbling?: How Teachers Are Using Digital Games in K-8 Classrooms," the article said.

The survey also found, according to the article that "55 percent of these teachers have students playing digital games at least weekly, 9 percent daily."

"The games they are using are mostly designed to be educational, with only 5 percent playing commercial games, and 8 percent playing hybrids [commercial games adapted for education like MincraftEDU or SimCityEdu]," the article said. "It seems the majority of teachers [82 percent] play games in their own free time and that there is a relationship between personal game play and in class game use."

The study separates "four different gamer-teacher profiles that the study identifies," the article said. The four categories are "The Dabblers [20 percent], The Players [23 percent], The Barrier Busters [22 percent], and The Naturals [34 percent]."

"As we continue to learn that digital games can be educational and fun and what features and implementation strategies influence both learning and enjoyment, a parallel line of research should examine what kinds of information about digital game use should be communicated and to whom," the study said. "To that end, we think that these and other profiles of game-using teachers can be leveraged to understand which teachers are using digital games to teach and how patterns in their perspectives, behavior, and support may underlie the nature and efficacy of game-use in teaching. "

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Article by Kassondra Granata, EducationWorld Contributor