The subject of the scientific study is to identify if there is a correlation between playing video games and learning ability. The observation that spurred research in this area was that video games required a learning process in order to be played effectively. Video games often involve teaching players its systems and mechanics through tutorials and the introduction of fail states, such as the player-character failing a task and being given a Game Over screen. Playing the game well often involves knowing what to do in any given situation in order to proceed with the game. The learning process that is involved with playing a game is designed to be fun for the player, but a learning process is still involved. Based on this observation of how video games work, the researchers sought to conduct a study that tested whether video game players who played more than fifteen hours a week were able to learn and process new information more quickly than people who did not play video games.
The hypothesis the scientists were testing was that video game players were essentially being trained by the games to improve their learning capabilities, as video games offer an an incentive through game rewards for successful learning. The scientists therefore assume that the experience of playing video games and the frequency of learning the game’s systems would increase learning skills in areas outside of video games as well.
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"Scientific Research Study: Video Gamers Have An Advantage In Learning".
In order to test the hypothesis, the experiment involved two groups of seventeen individuals: one group involved participants who played action based games over fifteen hours per week, while the control group included participants who did not play games regularly. Each group was given the weather prediction task, which is a test involving cue cards with varying symbols. The goal of the weather prediction task is to correctly associate a given symbol with either sun or rain, with the answers being given after each prediction so the participant knows if he or she was right or wrong. The participants were then able to use the feedback to help them make better future predictions during the task. During the task, their brain activity was monitored to see if there were perceptible differences between the group that played video games, and those that did not. Following the weather prediction task, the participants answered a questionnaire that evaluated how they assessed their knowledge in regard to the cues given during the task.
The results identified that the group that played video games was more successful than the control group at correctly associating the visual cues with the correct response. Essentially, they found that video game players were indeed able to more rapidly assess and learn the system provided in the weather prediction task than those that did not play video games. As a result, there was a clear correlation between playing video games and higher scores on the weather prediction task.
The scientists therefore concluded that due to this correlation, video games influence one’s ability to learn in a positive way. The study found that playing video games essentially trains the hippocampus, and therefore that video games are conducive toward learning. The implication is that video games can be used to improve learning abilities and memory performance.
Questions that arise from the study would be related to whether certain types of games are more or less effective; although the study cites action-based games, there are still many different types of action-based games that test different skills. Another question that emerges is whether there is a possibility that those with high learning capabilities are more naturally drawn to video games, and therefore whether playing video games is actually the cause of the improved learning skills over the control group.
