What is Mental Rotation

In this chapter, we explore why and how to use video games for educational purpose to enhance spatial skills. We review the history and trends of the educational use of video games, introduce the concept of spatial skills, and present the importance of spatial skills in STEM education. We outline existing research on spatial training using video games, discuss the methodological issues in these research, and summarize speculated underlying mechanisms of spatial learning. We also discuss considerations in designing video games to maximize the training outcomes of improving spatial skills. We hope that this chapter will not only provide a comprehensive overview of our current knowledge on the importance of learning spatial skills and the potential of video games in facilitating the learning, but also inform about the effective design of video games to accelerate the acquisition of spatial skills.