Healthful. Plentiful. Beneficial.
No, I'm talking about Purina Dog Chow, here. Rather the topic of conversation this week is on video games. Many people would and have argued that video games are far from healthful or beneficial. Plentiful, yes, but otherwise they are considered a detriment to mood, brain development, and overall health. This theory has been perpetuated over the years through several studies conducted on the health and wellness of individuals who participate and view violent video game content. Though some links between violent tendencies and the playing of violent video games have been uncovered, experts Isabela Granic, Adam Lobel, and Rutger C. M. E. Engels argue that there are many more positive outcomes involved with playing video games as stated in their article, "The Benefits of Playing Video Games."
I have been an avid video game player since I was able to hold a controller in my hand. Not long after, extended family would criticize my brother’s and my use of video games as a lazy, time wasting, and brain sucking activity. Later, came the scholarly articles and reviews of the negative effects of video game play. Despite what people and scholars said, I never saw my time in front of a game as a terrible thing. In fact, I credited a lot of my personal perseverance and problem-solving skills from all those years of gaming, and so the very title of this article got me excited about the fact that there were others out there who actually advocate for the benefits of video game play. Plunging into the article, I hoped to unlock some scientific truths and knowledge around why gaming is an effective social, emotional, and cognitive skill-building mechanic.
According to the authors of this piece, learning is a process of play that builds on social, emotional, and cognitive experience. Throughout the article the authors cite many established points of research around learning, most of which is centered on ideas of fixed mindset versus growth mindset and play as a fundamental tool for early childhood development. They combine these two theories to explain the possible benefits of video games. For instance, they argue that video games create an “ideal training ground for acquiring an incremental theory of intelligence” – the idea that intelligence is acquired through hard work and study as opposed to talent – “because they provide players concrete, immediate feedback regarding specific efforts players have made.” Because gaming provides a safe space to experiment, flail and fail, this instills in children a sense of perseverance in the face of failure allowing them to continue in search of the rewards or learning they seek. Throughout all of these arguments, the authors make it clear that their claims are mostly grounded in theory as it is difficult to isolate these types of traits in gamers due to the variability of game experience from one game to the next. This is where I had hoped the article would shine – by showcasing some new studies that links increased gaming to increased benefits in gamers. Unfortunately, this article is mostly theory based on research around best practices for learning and teaching.
One place where this article does shine is in its argument about social gaming versus gaming in isolation. The authors argue that the problem most researchers have with video games (violent ones in particular) is the unnecessary exposure to violence, but that what these studies fail to mention is how the violence is being showcased. The authors cite a study that was conducted on the difference between cooperative violent games and competitive ones which showed an increase in prosocial (socially beneficial behaviors), cooperative behaviors outside of the game context in those who played cooperatively as opposed to competitively. I found this to be a very interesting and subtle commentary on the fact that social relations can be strengthened in game despite the type of backdrop (violent or non-violent). In this way, the social aspect of gaming adds to the collective nature of learning, allowing players to problem-solve and become creative thinkers together.
After reading this article, I am left with many questions still. I want to know what kind of research can be done to test their theories? The authors mention all of these different studies that have experimented and concluded the negative effects of gaming, so how can we do this in reverse and look at the positives scientifically? After reading the section on “serious” games and their helpfulness with cancer patients (play Re-Mission here to see what this is all about), I am wondering what kinds of “serious” games can be developed to help other illnesses like mental illness. Lastly, I want to know more about what makes in-game motivation for learning different than out of game motivation for learning.