O Potencial dos Jogos Digitais no Ensino De Geografia: Cartografia Imersiva como Recurso Didático

Abstract

This work investigates the potential of digital games as pedagogical tools in teaching Geography for the final years of Elementary School, focusing on cartography and the opportunities offered by immersive games. The research seeks to understand how these games can contribute to the development of the skills and competencies foreseen in the National Common Curricular Base (BNCC). The objectives include analyzing the relevance of digital games in geographical learning, identifying connections between cartographic content and popular games such as Free Fire, Minecraft, and Blox Fruits - One Piece, as well as demonstrating didactic strategies based on these elements to improve the teaching of the subject. The study starts from the premise that Digital Information and Communication Technologies (DICT), already widely present in the daily lives of children and adolescents, can (when pedagogically mediated) enrich learning and awaken greater interest in geographical content. The games already specified were analyzed as objects of study, considering their maps, spatial dynamics, and how they represent cartographic elements. The research, of a qualitative and exploratory nature, was based on a broad bibliographic review and analysis of case studies, without direct practical application, seeking to understand how elements of digital culture and gamification can be integrated into teaching in a critical, creative, and meaningful way. The analysis showed that games allow students to develop skills such as spatial reasoning, map reading, decision-making, and cooperation. The cartography of immersive games, in this context, emerges as an extension of physical space, offering three-dimensional experiences that favor active learning, critical thinking, and the construction of meanings about the real world through the virtual. The case studies analyzed demonstrate that, when used with educational intent, digital games can promote engagement, youth protagonism, and meaningful learning. In addition to the potential, the research also recognizes the challenges to adopting this approach, such as inequality in access to technology, the need for specific teacher training, and the care required for the pedagogical suitability of the content. Finally, the work points to the importance of rethinking teaching methodologies, bringing them closer to the languages ​​and interests of students in the digital age. By articulating geographical concepts with resources already familiar to students, the proposal contributes to a more current, inclusive pedagogical practice connected to the requirements of the National Common Curricular Base (BNCC) and the National Digital Education Policy (PNED). It is concluded, therefore, that the cartography of immersive games has great potential to transform the teaching of Geography, broadening horizons and strengthening the critical thinking of students.