Video games could play an key classroom role according to a new report based on a survey of almost 1,000 teachers and more than 2,300 primary and secondary school students in the UK.

The report found that 59% of teachers would consider using off-the-shelf games within the classroom, while 62% of students wanted to use games at school.

The Teaching with Games report was commissioned by the games company Electronic Arts (EA) and carried out by FutureLab to investigate the place of mainstream commercial computer games in the classroom.

The research project ran for a year, and was aimed to provide practical and informed evidence of implications and potential of the use of these games in school.

It also aimed to develop “an informed strategy for future educational development requirements, based on collaborative discussions between industry and education community”.

The BBC reported that researchers followed 12 teachers in four schools in the UK and looked at ways they could use commercial software in the classroom, concluding that there was “still a generational divide between teachers and students in respect of computer games play”.

The report found that more than 70% of teachers never play games outside of school hours while 82% of children said they played video games at least once a fortnight.

The reported also noted 37% of teachers and 22% of students think that computer games should not be used in the classroom.

The survey, which was also backed by Microsoft, Take Two as well as the Interactive Software Federation of Europe (ISFE) found both teachers and students were concerned about the effect of games on players.

More than 70% of the teachers asked felt that playing games could lead to anti-social behaviour while 30% of students believed that playing games could lead to increased violence and aggression.

The report which coincides with the first day of the London Games Festival, a week of events that include the Bafta videogame awards, a developers’ conference and a showcase of new titles for consumers.