Note to the gamer: what computer games can teach us

The popularity of computer games is growing every day, children and adults spend more and more time doing this activity, which makes us think about how to use gambling for good – first of all, for learning

According to Knowable Magazine, certain types of video games can improve brain function when performing a narrow set of tasks. A number of studies have also shown their effectiveness in mastering a second language, learning mathematics and science. This is potentially good news for pupils and students, and for the millions of people who love to play or can’t stop doing it.

The latter phenomenon, by the way, is a long-standing cause for concern for parents, doctors and educators. More than half of our countries (58%) believe that video games do more harm than good (according to VTsIOM data as of August 15, 2019), while noting a negative impact on the psyche and manifestations of aggressive behavior. Also, 54% of citizens have a bad attitude towards the passion for games of relatives.

According to various estimates, there are more than 2,3 billion gamers in the world (as of 2018), and two years ago, the World Health Organization finally decided to include online and video game addiction in the list of diseases (ICD-11 will come into force from 2022).

People (and not only young people) spend a lot of time playing games, and this is a fact in connection with which the task arises to turn this hobby into something more productive than mere entertainment and venting of negative emotions.

Early research into the effects of games on improving brain function

Initially, data that this is possible were obtained on the basis of testing shooters. That much-criticized “shooter games” can be useful was noted by student Sean Green, who studied psychology at the University of Rochester. He gave the visual attention test to his friends, who showed amazing results. At first, Greene and his supervisor Daphne Bavelier chalked it up to some kind of mistake, because when Bavelier herself was tested, her result was normal. The difference between the participants in the experiment was that all of Green’s friends devoted more than 10 hours a week to playing the Team Fortress Classic shooter.

Green and Bavelier then ran another experiment by dividing a group of “gaming newbies” into two teams. The first one spent one hour a day for a shooter for 10 days, the second spent the same amount of time playing the Tetris spatial puzzle.

The tests showed that the participants in the first group were better at focusing on objects of interest against a visually loaded background, and were also able to simultaneously track up to five moving objects. During other studies, it became known that “Tetris”, in turn, improves the ability to spatial thinking and visual representation of two-dimensional objects.

Bavelier, now a cognitive researcher at the University of Geneva, notes that action gamers are better at navigating between divided attention (the ability of the brain to respond to stimuli at the same time) and focused attention (the ability to focus on the target stimulus). “It’s called attentional control, the ability to switch flexibly as needed,” she says. Switching between tasks is also facilitated by playing All You Can ET, a special cognitive simulator in which players must provide the aliens with certain food and drinks in a timely manner.

Pitfalls in the issue of introducing games into the educational process

Green, now a psychologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, notes that games can help train professionals whose jobs involve increased visual attention, such as surgeons, law enforcement, or the military. The latter, by the way, is confirmed even at a very high level. “The ability to quickly absorb information, react and coordinate actions, while remaining calm under pressure, is often a sign of people who play well,” a spokesman for the British Air Force told the BBC.

But at the same time, Greene also acknowledges that the real-life benefits of playing many hours of conventional Call of Duty may be limited: if time for video games crowds out time for other tasks, other skills may suffer over time.

It is also important that the results obtained in the experiments are very specific and valid only within the framework of the task: that is, “shooters” do not improve spatial thinking, as in the case of “Tetris”, but, on the contrary, it does not improve visual attention. In turn, the educator and psychologist Richard Mayer even states that, having researched this topic for a long time, he did not find convincing evidence that the so-called brain training games really helped to significantly improve memory, attention, or decision-making speed.

Another controversial issue: how to use (and whether to use) video games in the classroom? In it, researchers also disagree: for example, according to Bavelier, brain-enhancing computer games can be integrated into school classes to add a “honey spoon” to complex subjects and boring programs. Although “shooters” are probably not suitable for this: of course, they can hardly be offered to elementary school students.

“It could be a game where the doctor has to choose the right medicine to save the world. But it should not be associated with death, violence or zombies, ”she said. But the professor also wonders if children can transfer the cognitive skills learned from games to other, more real situations.

Sean Green, in turn, notes the complexity and high cost of creating games. High-quality, effective and convincing games can cost as much as the creation of a blockbuster, the psychologist noted.

Maximum Engagement is the Benefit of Games to Use

Still, the prospects for introducing video games into the classroom are encouraging, despite the paucity of research on any benefits of this teaching method over current ones. Even if we assume that “brain trainers” are overrated, we cannot dismiss the fact that games are really highly addictive and involve in the process.

“The most important feature of games is their motivational power,” Mayer says. “And we want to use it.” Brain scientists, educators and game developers need to work more closely together to create immersive games that help sharpen cognitive skills and have fun. As Bavelier adds, a child’s brain is capable of remembering hundreds of Pokémon and their abilities. Imagine if they would start studying the stars in the sky with the same enthusiasm!

Writer Greg Toppo, in his book The Game Believes in You: How Digital Play Can Make Our Kids Smarter, agrees that games can help improve student engagement, bring lessons to life, and allow them to be adapted to the needs of each specific class. Games can also be used to reward students for consistent practice, perseverance, and out-of-the-box solutions.

In addition, games can help in the “pumping” of “soft skills” (soft skills). “There are a lot of soft skills that gamers can use in their professional lives, such as teamwork, problem solving and strategic planning,” said Ryan Gardner, regional director of Hays Recruitment. True, if you play games without thinking about the skills that you can learn from them and continue to use them, it is unlikely that you will be able to use your passion to improve your career prospects in the future.

Computer games and eSports education: first steps in our country

At the moment, online and video games are offered to be used (or, more rarely, are already being used) as part of training sessions and as independent lessons. So, in June 2019, the Ministry of Education of our country proposed to introduce computer games and mobile applications as learning tools in schools and colleges within a five-year period.

In the summer, there were also ideas about singling out separate classes for eSports and other games. In August, experts from the ANO Internet Development Institute (IRI) advised including Dota 2, Hearthstone, Dota Underlords, FIFA 19, World of Tanks, Minecraft and CodinGame in electives for schoolchildren. The selection criteria were popularity, updates of games, their compliance with domestic eSports requirements, and age marking 14+. In addition, the selected games, according to IRI experts, should develop the students’ skills in team play, strategic thinking, logic and reaction speed, as well as reveal their creative potential. The Ministry of Education rejected the idea to include such subjects in the school curriculum: according to the department, they can lead to overwork of students. Instead, schools were asked to introduce esports lessons at their discretion.

How to make money on esports

Meanwhile, interest in eSports in the world is only growing. The global market in 2018 reached $775 billion, and, according to the PwC report, its revenue will increase by an average of 18,3% every year. Esports broadcasts in our country were watched by 22 million people – thus, our country was in third place in the world in this indicator.

Not so long ago, the idea that you can make a living playing the game seemed unrealistic. Now, some players are able to financially support their family and see this as a good career opportunity.

Athletes’ incomes range from $2 to $15. In addition to team salaries, gamers can get a substantial amount of prize money for winning tournaments, donations (voluntary donations from viewers) on streams (online broadcasts of what is happening on a computer or console), support sponsor, and advertising.

At the same time, it is not so easy for our countries to study as an esports player now: this educational area is just beginning to gain momentum, while in the EU, the USA and some Scandinavian countries, such educational institutions have been operating for a long time. You can learn with the help of online services that teach gaming skills, online courses, cyber-schools, several university programs (such are, in particular, the HSE and the Russian State University of Physical Culture, Sports, Youth and Tourism). There is also an esports faculty at Synergy University. In general, the FCC of the Russian Federation, founded in 2000, is responsible for the mass development of e-sports in our country.

According to Elena Avdeeva, director of the first Moscow school with classes in mind sports, the skills acquired with the help of computer games will help a child in any profession. “Moreover, esports and new technologies open the way to the professions of the future: a smart home architect, a drone operator, an esports journalist, a cyber trainer, a vulnerability search specialist, a virtual reality artist, a neural network developer, an esports athlete, and so on,” she noted earlier in conversation with “Evening Moscow”.

However, with the introduction of new esports areas and the introduction of video games in the classroom, a number of difficult tasks arise: firstly, the idea of ​​how to teach new disciplines and effectively use gaming opportunities in the classroom has not yet been fully formed. Secondly, it is not entirely clear how to minimize the risks associated with a long stay at the computer: these are problems with vision, overweight, posture, social, offline interaction, and possible computer addiction. Despite this, online and video games have good prospects for gaining a foothold in the educational process, and, perhaps, very soon parents will not scold their children for staying at the computer for a long time, but will begin to take part in these games and help to get the most out of the process. .