Most studies of online gaming have focused on potential harms to children from inappropriate content. However, our favored media format also provides a powerful outlet for children to explore and develop basic skills such as leadership, creativity and competition. Games can be tools for entertainment to fill leisure time or provide the ability to expand the mind.
Harvard Medical researcher Cheryl Olson summarized in her article in Parent Magazine, “Parent-approved video games played in moderation can help young kids develop in educational, social and physical ways.” Olson conducted a survey of 1,254 middle school children. She conducted focus groups with boys and their parents, and used that data in her article “Children’s Motivations for Video Game Played in Context of Normal Development,” published in “Review of General Psychology.” She concluded that gaming can be used effectively in the classroom to stimulate applicable learning as well as enhance leadership and teaching abilities.
In another study, Nick Yee observed adolescents and their experiences in multiplayer online games. He uncovered that these children had obtained leadership skills such as mediation, persuasion and motivation. Admittedly, the online games like “Call of Duty” are unique environments that don’t discriminate (much) against age, sex, or race but rather measure an individual’s worth on how to effectively play the games. In his article “The Demographics, Motivations and Derived Experiences of Users of Massively Multi-User Online Graphical Environments,” Yee also said, “There are very few activities, hobbies or games in real life where you would find people with ages ranging from 11-69 interacting and collaborating to achieve shared goals.” But that’s not all researchers have concluded.
Gamers who experience leadership positions also transform into a type of teacher and have interactions with their peers. Reed Stevens, Tom Satwicz and Laurie McCarthy used ethnographic research methods to intensely study the day-to-day long-term use of video games by a sample of pre-teens and young adolescents. They reported in their article “In-Game, In-Room, In-World: Reconnecting Video Game Play to the Rest of Kids’ Lives” that “Unprovoked teaching and learning among peers and siblings. Including advice on how to overcome obstacles, collaborative learning with shifting teacher-learning roles and ongoing “apprenticeships” of players at lower levels.” There are even ways for games to express a gamer’s unique ability to create.
Games like “Minecraft”, “Eden” and “Little Big Planet” have become popular in recent years due to their immense amount of customization gamers can add to the environment. There are countless videos of entire cities replicated within these games and the modification of open-world titles such as “The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim” allow for gamers to design the game to their personal preference. A national telephone study survey of youth ages 12-17 for the Pew Internet & American Life Project found that 36 percent of boys and 20 percent of girls who play games often used mods to change their games.
Reed Stevens also observed children customizing games in ways that highlighted their distinct personalities and interests. The power to create and design things provides a powerful outlet for gamers to express their own ideas. Olson’s study found that 23 percent of girls and 24 percent of boys used creativity and games as a motivation for why they play video games.
Some parents are afraid of what games are teaching their children. It comes as no surprise that parents are more concerned when games such as “Dead Space” used a marketing strategy revolving around the tagline “Your mom will hate this game” and with images of parents screaming in terror at the exaggerated violence. Parental cries give fuel to Hillary Clinton’s vendetta to ban games like “Grand Theft Auto” for its themes of crime, sex and violence. Recent media has portrayed games and gamers alike with an aura of taboo.
Andrew Przybylski, Richard Ryan and Scott Rigby conducted a series of survey and experimental studies involving young adult online game players and college undergraduates to look at the potential motivating value of violent content in context with other motivations for play. They found that when games provided opportunities for competence, mastery, meaningful choices and options, violent content did little to increase the enjoyment for players.
When deciding what material is appropriate for their child, parents should consider reading the ESRB label and listen to what the retailer says about the product. In fact, the best way to understand more about gaming culture is to play with your kids. This will give parents more understanding (in context) on what their kids are playing and what they are learning. It also provides a shared activity that all ages can enjoy. Research from the Office of Naval Research (ONR) actually indicates that video games can help adults to process information much faster and improve their fundamental abilities to reason and solve problems in novel contexts.
Games like “The Legend of Zelda” and “Portal” include puzzles that can help increase a child’s ability to problem-solve and plan. Games like “Skyrim” and “The Sims” provide opportunities for self expression. Olson even explains that games like “Civilization” increase an interest in geography, human history and leadership. Popular first-person shooters such as “Call of Duty” provide an arena for kids to compete at higher levels of competition. Many experts predict that games will become a fundamental part of education. Children claim that they find educational games to be more engaging and entertain than lectures or presentations. They also allow for the student to experience what they are learning and learn how to practically apply the skills taught in real-time. The Federation of American Scientists (FAS) states that youths actually need more, not less, videogame play as a result. Citing games’ ability to prepare workers for the increasingly competitive global job market, the organization says that games promote strategic thinking, interpretative analysis, plan formulation, and ability to respond to change.
In effect, video games are not only just a way to pass the time; they can also be an educational tool to help stimulate learning. Games can be used as a resource to help enhance the quality of the relationship with your family with a hobby that everyone can enjoy. Gaming has been proven to teach skills, immerse the user in a new world and enrich the minds of players everywhere.