Howvideogamescanimproveourmental

andphysicalabilities?


DISSERTATION

Name:SeelamNookaRaju
ID:2013UG02041

AnassignmentsubmittedtoICATDesign&MediaCollege
Inpartialfulfillmentoftherequirement
Fortheawardofthedegreeof
B.A.(Hons.)COMMUNICATIONDESIGN
In
GAMEDESIGN

ICATDesign&MediaCollege

AffiliatedtoBCU(UK)
Hyderabad500035.

Abstract
ThisdissertationcontainsstudyonhowGamesimproveourphysicalandmentalskills.I
selectedthistopictostudyhowvideogamesimproveourmentalandphysicalskills
afterplayingthem.Videogameshavebeenproventoimprovetheskillsofourbrainin
bothcreativeandlogicalmethods.Inthefollowingdissertationyouwilllearnhow
videogamescanimproveourbrainfunctionalityandwhattypeofgamescausesthe
differenttypesofimprovements.
AreviewisconductedonsimilartopiconwebsitebyMarkGriffithstitledPlayingvideo
gamesisgoodforyourbrainhereshow.Thisarticlewastheinspirationformy
dissertation.

Thisresearchwillhelpmeinfindingouthowvideogameswillimproveyourskillsand
howpeopleofdifferentagegroupsreacttothegamesofdifferentgenres.This
dissertationistargetedtowardsthosepeoplewhoplaysvideogames.

Declaration
IherebydeclarethatsubmissionofthedissertationquotedsentenceHowGames
improveourphysicalandmentalskillsfromthepeoplewhowritesarticlesand
paragraphsacrossthereferencesandacknowledgetothefullestofmyknowledge.Iam
awarethatfailingtoacknowledgetheworkofwherevernecessarywouldleadto
treatingthedissertationasaworkofbody.

Signed:..........................
Date:..............................

BonafideCertificate
CertifiedthatthisdissertationtitledHowGamesimproveourphysicalandmental
skillsisthebonafideworkofS.NookaRajuwhocarriedoutthedissertationunderour
supervision.Certifiedfurtherthattothebestofourknowledgetheworkreportedhere
indoesnotformpartofanyotherthesisordissertation.

SignatureofGuideSignatureofHeadofthedepartment
Name:Name:

Acknowledgement
Thecompletionofmydissertationonthe"HowGamesimproveourphysicaland
mentalskills"wouldnothavebeenpossiblewithouttheguidancefrommymentorMrs.
K.SaiSheela.Thankyoumam,foryourunendingpatienceandsupportinmakingme
completemydissertationontime.
Ifinallywouldwanttothankmyfamilyandcolleaguesfortheirmoralsupportwhich
playedanimportantroleinhelpingmecarryoutthisdissertation.

TableofContent
Chapter1|Introduction....7

1.1|ResearchQuestions.......8

1.2|Aim........8

1.3|Statementoftheproblem...........8

1.4|Objectives.........8

1.5|Significanceofthestudy.........9

Chapter2|ResearchMethodology...........10

Chapter3|ReviewofLiterature........12

Chapter4|Casestudy..........17

Chapter5|Hypothesis.........21

Chapter6|Conclusion............22

Chapter7|Bibliography.........23

Chapter1|Introduction
MytopicforthisdissertationisHowgamescanimproveourmentalandphysical
skills.Inthisdissertationyouwillfindhowvideogamescanimprovetheabilitiesthe
playersinmanywayslikeimprovingtheireyevision,theirdrivingskills,mathematical
skills,problemsolving,developleadershipqualitiesandmanymore.Italsocontains
detailedstudiesconductedbyvariousuniversitiesandoutcomeofthestudy.there
weremanyarticleswrittenonthisspecifictopicwhichIgatheredfromtheInternetand
reviewedthem.

IwasplayingvideogamessinceIwasachildbutmyparentsusedtorestrictmefrom
playingvideogamesfortoolong.Iusedtowonderifthereisanypositiveeffectwhile
playingvideogameswhichwouldconvinceparentstolettheirchildrenplayand
encouragethemtolearnfromthem.OncewhenIwasachildIvisitedgokartingtrack
TherewithmycousinsIwentforarideonthegokartandallofmycousinbrothers
weresurprisedthatIwasdrivinglotbetterthanthemonthetrack,Icouldn'texplain
whyIwasgoodatitatthattimebutsoonI'verealisedthatmydrivingskillshave
improvedalotbecauseIwasplayingRacinggamesveryoften.SincethenIalwayshad
thisquestioninmindthatwhycan'tvideogameshelpusimproveourmentaland
physicalskills?

Wearefinehereinthenewsthatvideogamesarethemaincauseofviolenceinchildren
butrecentstudieshaveproventhatthisisnotexactlythecase.Iagreethatsomeof
theviolentincidentswhichtookplacethepastwerecausedbypeoplewhoplayviolent
gamesbutdoesn'teverybodyplaygamesnowadaysandmostofthegamesbynature
areviolent,thatdoesnotcreateviolenceinRealworldItalldependsontheperson
playingthegameandstatusofhisemotionallife.SinceIgotthischancetoresearchona
topicformydissertationIchosetogodeeperonthesubjectandexploreanswersto
whyvideogamescan'thelpusimproveyourskills.

1.1

|ResearchQuestions

Willstudentsplayeducationalgames?
Whatarethegamesthatmostpeopleplay?
Willallagegroupsacceptgamesasanimprovementforhumansenses?
Whyweneedtoplaygames?
Howstudentsarereactingtoeducationalgames?

1.2

|Aim

Theaimofmydissertationistofindouthowgamescanhelpusinimproving
ourmentalandphysicalskills.

1.3

|Statementoftheproblem

Videogameshavebecomeregularhobbytoomanykidsandyoungadults.Sodo
theyaffectthebehaviourandskillsoftheplayersinpositiveways.What
physicalabilitiescanbeimprovedbyplayingvideogamesandwhattypeof
gamesshouldweplaytodevelopourmentalskills.

1.4

|Objectives

Understandhowvariousgameshelpimprovetheskills.
StudythepsychologyofStudentsagegroupbydirectlymeetingandinterviewing
them.
Researchtoknowhowmindgamesareaffectingstudentsintheirreallife.
Understandvariousgenresandtheircoreactivities.
Researchaboutthecompaniesinvolvedincreatingsimulationgames

1.5

|Significanceofthestudy

Peoplearebuyingvideogamesandplayingthemforhourstogetherwithoutknowing
theimpactofthemonourmindinbothpositiveandnegativeways.Iwanttohelp
peopleunderstandthisbetterbyresearchingonthepositivewaysvideogamescan
effectourmindandfindoutifthereisanypositiveeffectonImprovingthephysical
abilitiesandskillsoftheplayers.

2|RESEARCHMETHODOLOGY

ThemainpartofthestudywillbecollectedfromsecondarysourcesthatareInternet
based.Italsocontainsinterviews,surveysandsomeotherresearchtechniques
conductedincollegesandschools.Thestudyisbasedonthequestionhowgamescan
improveourskills?WhichstatisticsandanalysisfromInternetonhowtheycanaffect
ourmindinpositiveways.

Showmyresultstartswiththequestion,willstudentsplayeducationalgames?andthe
answerisVideogameshavebeenpartofeducationsincealongtime.Butwiththe
increasingtechnologyinoureverydaylifepistolgameshaveemergedasamajor
teachingtoolforchildrenofallages.Nowadaysgamesaretailormadetoincludebasic
taskshumansandanimalsfaceinourdaytodaylife.Gamesnowadayshavecometoa
pointwheretheyarenotjustentertainmenttoystoplaywith.Theyarenotjustamulti
milliondollarindustry.TheyletGamersexplorenewworld,theyletthemthink,talk
andactexploreunrestrictedlydifferentkindsofworldswhichareotherwise
inaccessibletoacommonman.ThisnewworldsExplorerandinteractwiththemare
whatmakesgamespowerfultoolforlearningandeducatingchildrenandyoungadults.

AccordingtoESRBanaveragegamerplaysvideogames8hoursperweek.andspends
for60hoursperyearcompletelyonvideogames.duringthisintensemindexercisethey
gothroughdifferenttimesofgamesoneaftertheothertheymayspendtheirentire
timeonasingleAddictivegame.Researchshowsthatpeoplehousepaintalmost7
millionmanhoursplayinggameslikehaloandDota2.Generallymostaddictivegames
havethepropertiesofaneverendingstory.Mostaddictivegameshavesomethingelse
todoifyouhavecompletedthegametechnically.gameslikeBatmanArkhamfor
instanceareveryaddictiveevenaftercompletingthegameyouhavesomethingelseto
dolikecollectingtheriddlertrophies.Likethismostaddictivegameshaveother
challengestocompletebesidesthemainstoryline

10

Whyweneedtoplayvideogames?
ExperimentalstudiesbyGreenandBavelier2007,BOOTETAL2008suggestthat
playingvideogamesmighthelppeoplebecomemoreskillfulinatleastone
visualspatialtask.experiencedpeopletrainedwithvideogameshaveimprovedtheir
mentalrotationabilities.
Experimentsuggeststhatgamerelatedimprovementsareaccompaniedbydistinctive
changesinbrainprocessing.
Inthestudytraineeswhoshowedthegreatestimprovementinspatialskillsanda
patternofincreasedamplitudeintheirvisualeventrelatedpotentials,Apatternwhich
mayreflectmoreintensebrainactivityforvisualattentionandsuppressionof
distractinginformationbyWUetal2012andenhancestudentsabilitytolearn.

11

3|REVIEWOFLITERATURE

ThisarticleisaboutHowdovideogamesprovidelearningandhealthbenefitstoagamer
:areviewoftheempiricalliteratureandauthorkarene.dillandjodyc.andwebsite
praegerwestport,connecticutlondon.
Iwillbeintroducingagreatauthorwhohavecontributedtothevideogameindustry.In
mystudyoneoftheauthorincludeadameichenbaum,daphnebavelierandc.shawn
greenwhohavehelpedinmystudyhowvideogamesprovidelearningandhealth
benefits.
Isplayinggamesgoodforus?
ThisisthequestionIheardailyfromgamers..!!!!!!DaphneBravelierprofessorof
brainandcognitivesciencesatuniversityofRochester.havingconductedmorethan20
studiesonthetopicsaysitturnsoutthatactionvideogamesarefarfrommindless
shooters.
Herresearchhasshownthatvideogamesshowimprovedskillswehaveseenthe
typicallyinpeoplethatdontplaygamestheirreactiontimeontestofmultitasking
lengthenedby200millisecondswhichissomethinglike30%,Braveliersaysbutin
gamersitislengthenedonlyby10%.
1

Accordingtosergio'sfMRIstudiesgamersmainlyusetheirfrontalcortex,thisisan

areaofbrainspecializedforplanning,attention,multitasking.Nongamersincontrast
usepredominatelyuseanareacalledtheparietalcortex,thepartofbrainspecializingin
visualspatialfunctions.Sergiosaysthegamersreallydidnthavetousemuchbrainat
all,theyjustusedthesehighercognitivecenterstodoit.

[1]DrewGuarini,2013,9waysVideogamescanactuallybegoodforyou,huffingtonpost.com,7Nov2013

12

Agrowingbodyofresearcharoundtheworldisshowingthebrightsideofvideo
gaming.
VideogamescanhelppeopletoseebetterafterplayingFPSgames,learnmorequickly,
developgreatermentalfocuswhenpeopleplaypuzzlegames,becomemorespatially
awareoftheirsurroundings,estimatemoreaccuratelyandmultitaskmoreeffectively.
Somevideogamescanalsomakeyoungpeoplemoreempathetic,helpfulandsharing.
DouglasgentileatIowastateuniversitygameresearchsaysthateffectivenessofvideo
gamesonphysiologyandbehaviorissostrongthatGAMEScanbepowerfulteachers
thatwecanharnesstheskillsofyoungadults.
Inresearchedpublishedinin2003theyusedaseriesofvisualpuzzlestodemonstrate
thatindividualswhoplayvideogamesforatleastfourdaysperweekforaminimumof
onehourperdaywerebetterthannongamersestimatingnumbersof
objects,controllingwheretheirattentionwasfocusedspatiallyandswitchingrapidly
betweentask.JosephChiisholmapsychologistatuniversityofBritishColumbia,Canada
foundvideogamesplayerswerebetterabletoidentifythedistractionsandarequicker
toreturntheirfocus

Thebenefitsofplayingvideogamescanreducestress,refinemotorskills,improveyour
visionandmoregivenbyDannyGALLAGHERmarch102013.
TheuniversityofUtahreleasedastudylastyearthatexaminedtheeffectsofregular
gamingonchildrenshowedsignsofimprovementinresilience,empowerment,and
fightingspirit.Researchersrevealedthatgamesabilitytoactonneuronalmechanism
thatactivatepositiveemotionsandrewardsystem,improvedkidsattitudeastheyfaced
thedailychallengesoftheirillness.
Videogameseducationforprimaryschoolchildren.
Playingvideogamesinmanysituationsmayboostyoungchildren'slearning,healthand
socialskills,accordingtoareviewofresearchinAmericanpsychologist.Theeffectof
videogamesonchildrenandadolescentsdevelopmentandamorebalancedperspective
13

isneeded.Videogamesactuallystrengthenmanyofourcognitiveskillssuchasspatial
navigation,reasoning,memoryandperception.A2013metaanalysishasfoundthat
peopleplayingshootergamesimprovedaplayer'scapacitytothinkaboutobjectsin
threedimensionsjustasanacademiccourseswhichisdesignedtoenhancetheskills.
Videogameshasacriticalimplicationforeducationandcareerdevelopmenthas
establishedthepowerofspatialskillsforachievementinsciencetechnology
engineeringandmathematicsGranicsaysenhancedthinkingwasnotfoundwhen
playingothertypesofvideogamessuchaspuzzlesorroleplayinggames.Playing
gamesmoreoftenmayalsohelpchildrendevelopproblemsolvingskills,theauthors
saidthemoreplayinggamesmayalsohelpchildreninsolvingskillsandreported
playingvideogamesthemoretheyimprovedinproblemsolvingandschoolgradesand
socialskillsthefollowingyearandchildren'screativitywasalsoenhancedbyplaying
anykindofvideogames,butnotwhenchildrenusedotherformsoftechnologysuchas
computerorcellphone.
Simplegamesthatareeasytoreachandcanbeplayedanytime
suchasangrybirdscanimproveplayersmoodspromoterelaxationandwardoff
anxietystudysaysplayingvideogamessimplymakespeoplehappier,thisseemstobe
fundamentalemotionalbenefit.GRANIChighlightedthepossibilitythatvideogamesare
effectivetoolsforlearningresilienceinthefaceoffailure.Anotherstereotypeof
researchchallengesisthesociallyisolatedgamer.4Morethan70percentofgamersplay
withafriendandamillionofpeopleworldwideparticipateinmassivevirtualworlds
throughvideogames.Multiplayergamesbecomevirtualsocialcommunities.people
whoplayvideogameseveniftheyareviolentthatencouragecooperationaremore
likelytobehelpfultootherswhileplayinggamesthanthosewhoplaythesamegame
competitively.

[4]IsabelaGranicPhD2014,Videogameplaymayprovidelearning,health,socialbenefits,American
PsychologicalAssociation,February2014

14

MarkGriffiths:Theeducationalbenefitsofvideogames
2

VideoGameshavegreatpositivepotentialandconsiderablesuccesswhengamesare

designedtoaddressaspecificproblemtoteachacertainskill.videogametechnology
haveaimpactonchildhoodeducation.sincevideogameshavethecapacitytoengagethe
childreninlearningexperiencesthishasledtoriseofedutainmentmedia.Some
evidencesandrecentresearchsuggestthatimportantbasicskillsmaybebuiltor
reinforcedbyvideogamesforexamplespatialvisualizationthatisrotatingand
manipulatingthreedimensionalobjectsin3dapplicationsimprovewithvideogames.
Playingvideogamescanhelpchildreninsettinglifegoals,ensuringgoalrehearsal,
reinforcementandmaintainingrecordsofbehaviorchange.VideoGamescanbeusedin
examiningindividualcharacteristicssuchasselfconcept,selfesteem,individual
differencesandgoalsetting.Videogamesallowparticipantstoexperiencenovelty,
curiosity,andchallenge.Thiswillstimulatelearning.Videogamemayhelpin
developmentoftransferableITskills.Videogamesequipchildrenwithstateoftheart
technology.andimprovelanguageskillsvideogamesfacilitatediscussingandsharing,
followingdirectionsansweringquestionsandbasicmathsskills,basicreadingskillslike
characterdialoguewhichareprintedonthescreeneg:PLAY,QUIT,GO,STOP,LOAD,
ETC.
Skillsachievedbygaming:videogamingisnowtheworld'slargestentertainment
medium.
3

Lehartfound94%ofgirlsand99%ofboysplayedvideogamesasperUSsample

Gentileconductedthreestudieswiththreeagegroupswithinthreecountriesand
foundthateasilyintheUS,partofthestudy161collegestudentsthatthosewhoplayed
prosocialgamesbehavedmorehelpfultowardsotherstudentsinlatertask.InJapanese
simpleprosocialbehaviorwasrelatedtoprosocialgameplayingoverfourmonthperiod
andisuptoparentstoensuregameswithmaximumbenefitsareplayed.

[2]MarkGriffiths2014,Positiveplay:Thebenefitsofvideogaming,gamasutra.com,120914
[3]Lenhartetal,2008,TheBenefitsofPlayingVideoGames,pewinternet.org,2008

15

Gaminghasbeenfoundinimprovingarangeofvisualization,attentionskillsand
cognitiveskills.
KarniEtAl2003showedthatcognitiveexperiencescanbecomeareasontothelong
termchangesinthehumanbrain.
5

Brainsaretrainedtobeamultitaskingmachine,gamescanhelppeopleprocessgeneral

informationmuchmorefasterthanfornongamersandimprovetheirfundamental
abilitiestoreasonandsolveproblems.Gamesenhancedsplitseconddecisionmaking
andmanyotherskillslikeboostauditoryperception.Gameslikemodernfastpaced
actionvideogameswillsharpenyourvision,improveyourattentionandworking
memory.
BowmanandRotterclaimsthatcreativeandprosocialgameshelptoreleasestressand
aggression,goldetal2006saidthatvideogameshaveshowntohavebeneficialeffects
aslearningaidswithinthehealthcaresector.
Medicalpointofviewonthebenefitsofgaming:
Absorptioninagamedistractsthemindfromdiscomfortandpain.Playinggamescould
helpchildrenwhoarerecoveryfromphysicalinjuries,gainmotorskillsand
coordination.Nowdoctorsinmanycountriesareusingthismethodtotreatpatientsin
physiotherapybecauseithelpplayerstoimprovehandeyecoordinationandhelp
playersgainmanyskills.

[5]Karnietal2003,Artasmeansforlongtermneurocognitivechange,journal.frontiersin.org

16

4|Casestudy

AnarticlebyAdamEichenbaumintheAmericanjournalDescribethelonglasting
effectsofvideogamesonourmind,suchasdecisionmaking,perception,memoryand
attention.Thestudymainlyfocusesonactiongameswhichcontainfastmoment,
keepingtrackofmanyitems,Makingsplitseconddecisionswhichareallconsideredby
scientistsasthebuildingblocksofIntelligence.ThechosenfewGamersandnon
GamersandconductedfewsurveysandtestonthemwhichconcludedthatGamers
haveahigherperceptiononwhatevertesttheyconductedthanGamers.Thistellsus
thatgamingisthecauseofbetterperformance,butitdoesn'tproveit.
ThecontinuetotestonthisparticularsubjectTogetabetterproofthatvideogamescan
improvetheperformanceoftheparticipants.thistimetheychoosefewpeople
randomlyWhowerenotplayinggamesonregularbasisandaskedhalfofthemtoplay
agameeverydayforafewhoursforthesakeoftheexperimentandtherestdidnot
playanygames.ThefindingsofthisexperimentconveyedthatGamersdeveloped
Improvedperceptualskillsthanpeoplewhodidnotplaygames.

ThefollowingparagraphIamgoingtolistallthefindingsoftheresearchconductedby
EichenbaumMostoftheresearchhavepresentedbelowdirectlyextractedfromthe
originalreport.

Slightimprovementsinvisualprocess
50hoursofactionvideogamePlayoveraperiodof10to12weeksImprovethevisual
processofdifferentiatingtheSmalldifferencesinshapesandsizesinshadesofGrey
whichiscalledasvisualcontrastsensitivity,Comparedtopeoplewhodidnotplay
games.

17

AmblyopiaVisioneyedisorderduetowhichpeoplesufferingfromitcouldnotsee
clearlywithoneeye,Duetofaultintransmissionofsignalstothebrainfromotherwise
healthyeye.TotreatthisdisorderLiAndhiscolleaguesperformedAnexperiment1
peoplesufferingfromthisdisorderFewpeoplewereaskedtoplayactiongameswith
thehealthyeyeclosedandfewotherpeoplegivenbasictaskstodolikewatchingTVor
writingabookwiththehealthyeyeclosed.Theyfoundoutthatpeopleinthegaming
conditionshortgreatimprovement,oftennormaltonearnormalvisionwhereaspeople
innongamingconditionshowednoimprovement.Manyinthegamingcondition
developedhundredpercentvisionandstereoscopicdepthWhichhastheabilityto
CoordinateinputfrombotheyestodeterminetheDepthhasbeenrestored.

Betterattentionandvigilance
Improvedspatialattention:Green&Bavelier(2012)Havefoundthatactionvideo
gameshelpthepeopletoimprovetheirAbilitytolocatequicklythetargetstimulusand
distractingenvironment.Thistestwasclassifiedasagoodexampleofimprovingdriving
skillsinvideogameplayer.

Patience
Oneofthemajorskillgameshavetaughtmeduringmychildhoodistobepatient.Old
arcadegamesLikeSuperMario,spaceinvadersandRampagehaverepetitivegameplay
andmechanicswhichpushestheboundariesofhowfaryoucango.Andmorerecent
gamesofRPGgenreLikeFinalFantasy,DragonWarrior,neverwinterNightsandWorld
ofWarcraftimplementedlevelingsystemwhereweincreaseourlevelbyfightingthe
sameMonstersagainandagainwhichhelpedmetobemorepatientandpreservative.

Strategicplanning
IguesseverybodycanagreethatStrategygamesaremuchappreciatedfortheir
gameplayandareStrategyitselfisaveryimportantlifeskill.Everybodyneedstoplan
18

theirstrategyfortheirincomeandexpenditure,orplanningtheirvacationand
fulfillingtheircareerpath.Thepointhereisthatthistypeofgameshelpusinthinking
aheadofthesituationwhichisanimportantpartofeverybodyslife.

LeadershipQualities
Gameshavethenaturalabilitytocreategreatleadershipqualitiesinyoungadults.
ImplementingsimplegamemechanicsLikeClans,Guilds,allowsagametobrainthe
mindofkidstobegreatleadersthefuture.Thismightsoundsillybutthereissomuch
incommontomanagingaguildandaprojectteam.BasictaskslikeMobilizingpeopleto
asinglegoal,Resolvingconflictsbetweenteammates,Managingschedulesandtime
table,Inspiringandmotivatingyourteammatesareallpartofgamingculturewhichare
veryhelpfulinreallife.

Creativityandmentalpower
Manygameshavebeendesignedespeciallytotrainyourbraintoimproveits
functionality.someofthegameslikeBrainAgemathgameandFlashFocusahand
eyecoordinationgamearegoodexamplesforgameswhichtrainourmind.Likeother
musclesinourbodythebrainwillloseitsfunctionalityifyoudon'ttrainitwellfrom
timetotime,theinteractivitiesofgamescanhelpyourbrainexercisewhilehavingfun
atthesametime.thiswillalsoimprovethecreativityandgenerateuniqueideasand
increasethementalpowerofGamers.

TheresearchersfromDeakinUniversityinMelbourneAustraliathestudyexaminedthat
racinggameshaveproventohelpimprovepreschoolmotorskills.Thestudyexamined
53preschoolagedkidsanddiscoverthatthosewhoplayedinteractivegameshad
betterobjecttocontrolmotorskillsthanthosewhodon't.Itisclear,though,whether
childrenwhohavebetterthanaveragemotorskillsmostlikelytendtogravitatetoward
videogamesinthefirstplace.

19

Reviewofcybertherapyandtelemedicineincludedthestudyfoundthatthegamerswho
sufferedfrommentalhealthissuessuchasstressanddepressionwereveryquicklyable
toventorhealtheirfrustrationandaggressionbyplayingvideogamesandshoweda
notedimprovementhencethemostimportanteffectofthestudyisvideogamesreduce
stressanddepressionisnoted.Thestudyhypothesizedthatgameshavegivencertain
TYPEApersonalitiesmuchneededtimetorelaxinastateofrelativemindlessness
thatallowedthemtoavoidreachingacertainlevelofstressfulstate.
PsychologistatuniversityofWashingtoncitedthat"manyvideogameshelpprovide
painrelief"videogamesdontjustproviderelieffromemotionalpain,theycanalsohelp
thosewhoaresufferingfromphysicalpainDRDAPHNEMAURERofthevisual
developmentlabofOntarioMCMASTERUNIVERSITYmadeasurprisingdiscoverythat
videogamescanimprovevision.Peoplesufferingfromcataractscanimprovetheir
visionbyplayinggames.Itisbelievedthatgamesaresofastpacedthattheyrequirean
extremeamountofattention,trainingthevisuallyimpairedtoviewthingsmore
sharply.Theyprovidehigherlevelsofdopamineandadrenalinethat.

CognitiveNeuroscientistsattheUniversityofRochesterinNewYorkFoundthatvideo
gamesimproveyourdecisionmakingskills.Foundthatgamesgiveplayersplentyof
practiceformakingdecisioninrealworld.Researcherssuggestthatorientedgamesact
asasimulatorfordecisionmakingprocessbygivingplayersseveralchancestoinfer
informationfromtheirsurroundingandforcingthemtoactaccordingly.

20

5|Hypothesis
Nowweallknowthatvideogameshaveeffectonourmindinbothpositiveand
negativeways.HerearebasicquestionsIhaveformyhypothesis.
Howvideogamesimprovephysicalabilitiesofayoungadult?
Canthisbetested?
Ifachildwasplayingracinggamesoftenheismorelikelytodevelopbetterdriving
skillsthanchildrenwhodoesnotplayracinggameseveryday.Thiscanbetestedby
conductingcontrolledexperimentsonyoungchildrenofprimaryschools.
InthesamewaypeoplewhoplayFPSgameshavebettervisionthanotherpeople
becausetheylookatasinglepointonthescreenandtraintheireyestofocusonsmall
details.
Peopleplayingpuzzlegamesandmindgameshavebetterunderstandingandproblem
solvingskills.
Theindependentvariableofmyhypothesisisthetypeplayingvideogameandthe
dependentvariableistheimprovedskillsetintheplayers

21

6|Conclusion

Thereasonbehindchoosingthistopicis,whenIwasplayingaracinggamesIrealised
thatIamplayingthegameforalongtimeandwithoutnoticingmydrivingskillshave
developed.Aswecannowseethatvideogamesplayamajorrolethedevelopmentof
youngchildrenandtheirbehaviourtowardsthesocietyandtheirfuture.Videogame
shouldbeimplementedincollegesandschoolstoimprovetheskillsofyoungadultsand
children.Itisalreadyaprovenfactthatvideogamesdevelopedmentalandphysical
abilitiesinchildren,alsopeoplesufferingfromvisiondisordershavebetterchanceof
recovering.HenceIwanttoconcludemydissertationbysayingthatvideogames
shouldbeimplementedineducationalmediumsAndnotbedismissedasacauseof
violence.

22

7|BIBLIOGRAPHY

Articles
DaphneBavalier,ThePositiveandNegativeEffectsofVideoGames,
MarkGriffiths2014,Positiveplay:Thebenefitsofvideogaming,gamasutra.com,
120914
Dr.MarkGriffiths2014,VideoGamesAreGoodForYourBrainHere'sWhy
DrewGuarini,2013,9waysVideogamescanactuallybegoodforyou,
huffingtonpost.com,7Nov2013
JaneMcGonigal2012,HowMightVideoGamesBeGoodforUs?,
TaraLong2014,CanVideoGamesImproveYourVision?
NicFleming26August2013,Whyvideogamesmaybegoodforyou.
KaraLooCOO2014,WaysVideoGamesWillHelpYourKidsinSchool,PixelberryStudios
PeterGrayPh.DFeb202015,CognitiveBenefitsofPlayingVideoGames,
PeterGrayPh.DJan72012,TheManyBenefits,forKids,ofPlayingVideoGames,
PeterGrayPh.DFwb022012,VideoGameAddiction:DoesItOccur?IfSo,Why?

Books
23

BrookeStricklandAug2012,HookedonGames:TheLureandCostofVideoGameand
InternetAddiction
VideoGamesandLearning:TeachingParticipatoryCultureintheDigitalAgeKurt
Squire

Reports
MarkGriffiths2014,Positiveplay:Thebenefitsofvideogaming,gamasutra.com,
120914
Lehart:Skillsachievedbygaming
KarniEtAl2003,Gaminghasbeenfoundinimprovingarangeofvisualization,attention
skillsandcognitiveskills.
BowmanandRotter2014,creativeandprosocialgameshelptoreleasestressand
aggression.
JohnEricson2013,Videogamesimproveyourdecisionmakingskills,Cognitive
NeuroscientistsattheUniversityofRochester,NewYork

24