Editor’s Note:Once upon a time, video games were almost as crude as a cave man’s drawings—a pixelated blip bouncing between two paddles.
But as the medium has progressed in the decades since Pong’s inception way back in 1972, so has it’s impressive realism. Today’s games offer players an immersive, interactive and cinematic experience that plunges them into intricate, morally complex storylines for hours on end—not to mention giving them the chance to test their digital mettle against other competitors online.
Which begs the question: How does this compelling medium influence those immersed in it? Or, to put it another way, are video games ultimately a boon for players? Or a bane?
In a word, the answer might just be … yes.
In the first part of our two-part series on video games, Plugged In gaming expert Bob Hoose will tell us ways in which the medium has had a positive influence—on families and society as a whole. Tomorrow, Adam Holz will examine the other side.
The Case for Video Games
If you’re bitten by a mean dog, you’re probably going to be a little shy around the neighbor’s hound. For that matter, you might even think the whole species is just a bunch of no-good, rotten mutts. You’d be mistaken, but it’s understandable that you might feel that way.
Well, let me suggest that video games are the misunderstood mutts of the media world. Many people lump these digital amusements together as growling, addictive beasts filled with violence and language and all sorts of foulness. But I’m here to put forth the idea that even a video game can be worthy of a pat on the head now and again.
Let me admit that I love video games. I’ve played them all my life. And I could even share tales of how playing video games helped me keep the communication lines open with my kids at key teen angst crossroads. But I’m not going to toss you anecdotes for this gaming apologetic. This defense deserves science! There have been scores of studies that point to physical and mental benefits linked to gaming.
First off, hand-eye coordination boosts are self evident. You don’t even need a study to see how timing a button punch with onscreen activities could help you improve in that department. And the muscle-flexing, heart-pumping benefits of get-up-and-move games such as Wii Sports or the Xbox Kinect system’s EA Sports Active 2 are pretty obvious too. The American Heart Association even gives these games a thumbs up in some cases. And there are other plusses to be found.
Strategy-based games that involve long-term planning and the management of resources, such as the Civilization titles, have been shown to boost high-level brain functions, including multitasking, planning and working memory. Puzzle games can fire up the mind, as well. A study out of the School of Medicine at the University of California examined the effect of Tetris, a game in which players have to rotate and fit falling shapes into a stacking puzzle. It found that the game made patients’ brains more efficient while boosting their mood and reducing both stress and physical pain. In fact, the study says that cortex of the brain, which influences how well people see and pay attention to things, was shown to actually thicken among Tetris players. (That’s a good thing, the scientists say.)
Research published in the Archives of Surgery found that laparoscopic surgeons who played a video game before surgery had almost 40% fewer errors during those procedures. And though there’s always a justifiable concern when it comes to nasty content in a game, a study at the University of Rochester determined that action games could deliver those same kinds of benefits. The study revealed that the games induced what’s called “plasticity” in the visual cortex. That plasticity is essential to improving cognitive abilities and maintaining mental fitness.
There are plenty of other studies that connect video games with everything from improved vision to strengthened teambuilding skills, but let me bring things a little closer to home. The fact is, we as people are hardwired to be constantly learning, whether we’re reading, walking through the park or, well, playing a video game. Video games incorporate not only visual and auditory modes of input but also tactile (touch) and kinesthetic (movement) forms of communication.
Now, I’m not saying that you should run right out to buy Junior the nastiest M-rated game out there. Bloody third-person shooters or f-bomb-laden sleazefests are never going to be an uplifting experience. But it is possible to incorporate gaming into a healthy family environment.
My suggestions?
1. Talk it out. Make sure your kids know exactly what your family’s standards are.
2. Understand the ratings system. Figure out what the difference is between an “E” and an “M” rating. And use those ratings as a starting point—but not a stamp of approval.
3. Make it social. Get the play out in the open, buy multiplayer games and keep plenty of controllers handy.
4. Play along. Knowledge is power, and the more you know about a game the easier it is to pat it on the head or send it away when it comes time to, once again, address suggestion No. 1.
And as a side benefit, when the alien hoards do someday show up in attack formation, you’ll know exactly how to save the day.
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