The Value of Video Games in Enhancing Learning and Creativity for College Students

Video Games and Improving Learning and Creativity. Are These Things Compatible?

When you hear about the passion for video games, you may first think of a huge amount of time spent just for fun and self-satisfaction. And we won’t deny it. After all, the theme of pleasure and entertainment is present here. Nevertheless, researching the subject of video games and their influence, more and more interesting facts emerge. And they relate to various benefits, including traits and skills for successful learning that are developed during video games.

Spatial Thinking (Better Spatial Orientation). Well-developed spatial skills help in mastering such fields as architecture, math, and engineering. By choosing video games where you need to build objects or develop certain areas, students improve their spatial skills. They also develop the ability to navigate the proportions of different shapes and sizes of objects.

Multitasking. Video game players simultaneously perform different actions. If they want to win, they must perform these actions not only simultaneously, but also very well. This includes an attentive perception of what is happening on the screen, active keystrokes on the keyboard to control the game process, chatting with other teammates, and more. All of the above develops multifunctionality. It is an important feature for academic success. As students often have to switch to different activities, including essay writing services. They write professional essays and participate in collective activities. Therefore, online help with write my essay by EduBirdie will help to cope with everything and not lose the ability to study well. Hence, multifunctionality and multitasking are the next advantages.

Better Accuracy and Faster Task Performance. The research was conducted among medical students, namely surgeons[1]. The results of students who are gamers were compared with those of students who are not. The research showed that gamer surgeons completed the task 27% faster and made 37% fewer mistakes. This data shows an excellent combination of hand-to-eye coordination, accuracy, and speed. They are very important in the field of surgery in particular.

Focus and Faster Decision-making. When playing a video game, you have to concentrate on the game process for a longer time in order not to miss a single movement and not to be quickly defeated. At the same time, to succeed in the game and win, players must quickly navigate the changes occurring on the screen at lightning speed. And, accordingly, make decisions quickly and efficiently. These traits also have a positive impact on student performance if they are well-developed. And video games can help to develop them.

Logical Thinking. When playing a video game not only for fun but also to win or reach a new higher level, players must play well and constantly improve themselves. The last is impossible if the players act chaotically and do not analyze their moves. Therefore, they need to think systematically and use logic to make their actions appropriate and correct. Logic is extremely important in mastering almost all subjects, especially the exact ones.

Teamwork. Many games are team-based. Players unite into teams of a certain size and interests to play a particular non-single-player game. Thus, a team member thinks not only about him/herself but also about how to achieve victory for the team he/she is a part of. To do this, a player coordinates his/her actions with other players. They act in a coordinated and cohesive manner. This skill and team spirit will help students to successfully participate in projects that require a group rather than just one person.

Stream of Consciousness and Creativity. You may have heard the term stream of consciousness before. It refers to a state where you seem to be immersed in nirvana. But this immersion is not to forget, but to stop reacting to anything that is different from your goal or interest in something. In this state, you don’t worry about anything, you just concentrate clearly on a particular state of consciousness. And this state helps you to think and act creatively. When playing video games, mentioned in the development of spatial skills, we should also add those games require not only accuracy in the construction of buildings or objects. They require imagination. The last one undoubtedly affects the development of creativity in students in particular.

All the above points to gaming’s extraordinary impact on student performance in various study programs. These benefits do not just describe but argue for the value of video games in improving student performance and developing their creativity. And if we look deeper, we will realize that the skills of spatial thinking, multi-tasking, long-term concentration, quick decision-making, and teamwork, combined with logic and creativity, are skills that are not only important for student success, but also for the work environment where they will later find themselves.

Cory Shilling

Content writer for publications about and for students. Researcher of student activities. Writer on the influence of atypical factors on student performance.