Computer games in recent years have become not just an element of fun but also a topic that can bring a lot of money to anyone who understands it. Moreover, the number of game development companies is growing exponentially. So even gamers begin to get confused with their many names.
But the more popular a variety of game worlds, the more willing to blame them for all mortal sins. Many haters spread myths about the harm of computer games, but they constantly run into a wall of misunderstanding built by gaming fans. And if you think clearly, you can understand that any hobby growing into addiction can cause actual harm to humans.
But if people come home after work or school, turn on the computer or console and enjoy an hour or two of their favorite game, it won’t be a cause for concern. However, read this article if you still want proof that games don’t interfere with learning, and the opposite claim is nothing more than a myth.
Education in a Game Format: Aren’t Games Evil
It turns out that video games not only don’t interfere with the learning process but, on the contrary, contribute to it. But, it depends on what and for what purpose a person plays. After all, the market provides a vast amount of games: from simulators that teach how to properly operate a means of transport to those that allow the player to try out the role of a surgeon performing heart surgery.
To prove that games help to learn, scientists conducted an experiment in which people who regularly play computer games have an increased ability to perceive visual information and more quickly understand new material if presented in graphical form. Two groups of people, nine in each, took part in the study. Members of the first group were gamers, and participants in the second group were not.
The subjects had to perform two types of tasks to detect certain defects in the displayed images, and the scientists only showed the principle of the first type. The participants underwent a visual test on the second day of the experiment. The speed of performing the tasks was compared with the rate gained the day before.
The results showed that both groups of participants equally increased the speed of solving that first type of task. As for the second type, here gamers demonstrated their increased ability to perceive visual information: they significantly improved the speed and quality of execution, which cannot be said about those who were not fond of video games.
Scientists from CU Denver Business School conducted another study to determine how much more successfully a person can be taught using a game form. Again, their work was impressive: more than 65 experiments collected data from 6,476 people. The results showed that people trained using interactive game simulators retained information longer and had a higher proficiency level than those taught using standard methods.
The game form increased the average level of erudition by 11% and the skill level by 14%. So, the conclusions are obvious. However, if these facts don’t convince you and you need even more evidence on this topic, use the Best Essays Education website, where you can find an experienced professional who provides all the information you need.
Video Game Addiction or High Academic Performance
Are parents right that they often blame their children, playing DotA after school, for being addicted to computer games? To answer this question, let’s look again at the facts. Researchers at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) studied Internet usage and educational outcomes among 15-year-old Australian students.
They found that teenagers who regularly played online games performed better than their peers. The study analyzed the academic performance of more than 12,000 high school students aged 15. In addition, RMIT professor Alberto Posso compared results from the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), which assessed students’ reading, math, science, and computer literacy skills on a 1,000-point scale.
The researcher also collected information on what students were doing online. As a result, those students who played online games daily were much more capable than their peers in many disciplines. So the professor believes that the passion for games helps students develop analytical and decision-making skills. Thus, it directly impacts teenagers’ academic performance and helps them.
According to the professor, a gamer often faces puzzles that require the use of erudition. In addition, sometimes gamers need to understand some chemistry principles to comprehend the science this way. And if you also use the Trust My Paper service, your success in chemistry will increase many times.
Computer Games vs. Social Media
During the study described above, scientists also analyzed the scores of those students who spend their free time on social networks. As it turned out, spending time on social media had a diametrically opposite effect, and it, on the contrary, had a worse impact on learning. For example, students who spent their time on Facebook had grades in math on average 20 points lower than those who preferred to spend less time on social networks.
It is worth noting that while the study shows some connection between games and academic performance, it doesn’t prove the existence of a correlation between the two. The positive correlation between online games and academic performance is just the beginning. In the future, scientists will be tasked with complicating and deepening the research methodology on this topic.
Impact on Cognitive Abilities
The impact of video games on human cognitive and other abilities has been raised not for the first time. For example, scientifically proven that 3D games can develop memory: looking at a specific model, Mario 3D World, scientists from the University of California, Irvine, found that games can improve memory performance by 12%.
In turn, Professor Alberto Posso has already recommended that teachers use video games in the educational process. For example, the game Minecraft is adapted for school learning and has been used for years in secondary schools. According to the developers, it will help students learn geometry and develop critical thinking and teamwork skills.
Conclusion
The current situation is that some organizations use video games as a way to manipulate the human mind. But most of these activities are aimed at financial gain, not at agitating young people to violence, the breakdown of marriage, or lowering citizens’ education level. Even though some call to ban games and begin to fight against game addiction actively, most of the community still assesses the positive impact of digital entertainment on real life.
It’s not to say that games are in every sense a good thing, and everyone must necessarily play them. To become a gamer or not is a purely individual choice, which should not interfere with work, school, or family relationships. But it’s time to agree that computer games 20 years ago and today are two different things.
