What do we get more from computer games: harm or benefit?

Most people who have come across computer games have a pastime either negatively or positively. Indifferent, in general, a little. And for many years now, disputes between opponents and supporters of computer games have not subsided, and the most diverse arguments are given. Sometimes you wonder what kind of logical chains are being built. And basically both sides rest on moments related to the psyche, society, and personal development. Let's try to figure out what psychologists think about video games.

In the US, 99% of boys and 94% of girls regularly play video games. Of these, 97% spend at least an hour a day on this. Five years ago, the total revenue of the gaming industry exceeded $ 25 billion a year, and games themselves have long been an integral part of pop culture.

Video games are looked askance, perhaps, from the moment they appeared. For many decades they have been credited with all kinds of harm to the organisms and minds of children and adolescents. With the release of Wolfenstein 3D , followed by the first Doom, began to gain strength unceasing to this day, people's love for three-dimensional shooters. As a result, propaganda of violence and bloodthirstiness were added to the list of sins of computer games. It is also believed that excessive enthusiasm for games can cause psychological dependence, and sometimes depression, when the player too empathizes with some not too joyful plot moves. The games are also held responsible for the fact that some mentally unbalanced teens shoot at American schools from time to time. In this country, there are even programs aimed at distracting children from video games. But, despite this, the children there play almost without exception and intoxicatedly.

So are games really harmful? And if so, but how much? Researchers have been asking this question for several decades, but the results of various tests and observations are quite contradictory. In the end, psychologists increasingly began to say that it was time to pay attention not only to the negative, but also to the positive aspects of the hobby for video games, which are usually ignored, because the researchers initially set themselves the goal of searching for negativity. But games in recent years have changed a lot, have become much more complicated, more realistic, more socially oriented. It must have some effect. And the results of some studies conducted over the past five years suggest that things are not so bad with games. Psychologists note that modern video games can contribute to the development of social and cognitive skills,

Studies in the fields of developmental and evolutionary psychology have long underestimated the positive impact of games, especially in childhood and adolescence. Playing social games, children not only try out different scenarios of interaction with other people, but also learn to solve conflict situations that may arise in real life. Games allow you to safely "rehearse" power and dominance, aggression, pain and breaks.

Some time ago, researchers found that rats develop growth factors during playful fights.in areas of the brain responsible for social activity. As a result, the medial preferential zone receives additional stimulation and develops better over time. And given the great similarity of some social games in animals and humans, it can be assumed that games can have a similar effect on the brains of our children.

But can it be considered that video games can also help the younger generation “pump skills”? According to Isabela Granik, one of the authors of the study of the benefits of video games, - yes, this kind of social interaction can give players the same advantages as offline games. Any gamer knows that video games not only provide unique opportunities for interaction with the in-game system, inaccessible with more passive forms of entertainment (cinema, television), but also allow you to compete online with hundreds and thousands of other people.



Under the banner of one of the most popular online games, WoW, more than 20 million players have gathered, exploring the world, fighting with each other and with game monsters, gathering in clans, extracting raw materials, creating items, chatting, trading with each other. Minecraft Successcan not be explained by realistic graphics and excellent physics of the world, and in fact this game millions of people spend countless man hours, creating virtual worlds and sharing them with other players. And what is the series of Sims games in which the player through his character lives a virtual life, ordinary or unusual, exclusively to the extent of his imagination. There are a huge number of popular game worlds in which representatives of almost all countries of the world spend time enthusiastically and interact with each other.

So, what did Isabela Granik and her colleagues find out? What can video games give us, what skills can be developed with their help?

Cognitive ability. Fans of action games have improved spatial imagination, the ability to mentally rotate three-dimensional objects, they can switch their attention faster and more accurately, they visualize processes with higher spatial resolution. Orientation in space improves quite quickly, and often the result is no worse than after passing special physical training. Video games contribute to a more active and effective interaction of neurons, which increases the ability to concentrate and recognize patterns. The best things are for fans of shooters, and the smallest improvements are noted for lovers of puzzles and role-playing games. Although it should be noted that modern games are often very complex, which makes it difficult to issue any verdicts regarding their impact on cognitive abilities.

Network games help children and adolescents learn to solve problem situations, forcing them to use different approaches. Interactive games can also stimulate creativity, ingenuity. Although there is still no complete clarity regarding the correlation of skills acquired in games with real life situations, the available data is still encouraging.

Motivation. When solving specific game problems, regardless of obstacles, young people can grow self-confidence, they will understand the price of perseverance and perseverance. Thanks to immediate feedback when solving problems, players get a visual representation of their abilities and level of intelligence, which they might not have suspected. Games help children realize that intelligence is an incremental thing, that is, it can increase over time, thanks to the efforts made.

In addition, immediate feedback allows players to be in the “ zone of proximal development ” (this conceptintroduced by Leo Vygotsky). With increasing complexity of the game, the skill level of the players also increases, as well as as a result of long practice. And with the help of periodic reinforcements, games are encouraged not to give up, despite newer and more complex challenges.

As in the previous section, so far there is little evidence that the motivation obtained during the games can be transferred to real life. Although many skills to solve virtual problems can be applied in everyday situations. In addition, the character of the player and his individual characteristics play a great role.

Emotions. Most people play video games for fun, to enhance their mood. In addition to escapism (this is especially important for adolescents), a successful game helps reduce irritability and relaxation. Many players note a sense of pride, and a deep immersion in the game gives a feeling of control, in which you completely forget about yourself. This mental state, described by the players, corresponds to the concept of “flow”. According to psychologists, the state of “ flow ” contributes to the growth of self-confidence and self-confidence, which, theoretically, can positively affect the state of mind.

Positive emotions resulting from regular deep immersion in the game can also increase perception and make you take a fresh look at your life. Barbara Frederickson, the author of the psychological theory of broaden-and-build, believes that positive emotions help to expand the range of desired behaviors and build social connections that help to achieve goals and cope with failures. It is not yet clear whether the emotions that arise during video games fit into this theory, however, most gamers highly value the emotional return they receive.

Social skills. Modern video games are more than ever aimed at intense social activity. Despite the stereotypical perception of gamers as unsociable introverts, over 70% of players actively interact in virtual worlds with their friends, playing with them in teams or competing. Thanks to social activity during games, young people learn to communicate with other people, which can also be projected onto real life.

Despite the aggressive plot of many games, they still teach players to work in a team, paying attention to the interaction with each of the participants. According to the results of the study, if you play a shooter in the company of friends, the level of hostility and aggressiveness decreases more than if you play the same game alone. Given the criticism from a concerned public, it makes sense to do more research in this area. But we can say with a certain degree of certainty that playing together improves social skills and reduces the level of aggression.

Other game uses

Despite the fact that video games have an exclusively entertaining status, their popularity has been put at the service of medicine, with the aim of increasing patient motivation. For example, a Re-Mission game was created for children with cancer . This is a shooter in which you need to control a nanorobot inside the human body and destroy cancer cells. Children who play this game will learn more about their illness, side effects of treatment, and the importance of following medical prescriptions. According to studies, the players (and there are already more than 200,000) in Re-Mission really strengthen their faith in their recovery.

Many other games have already participated in academic research in relation to the study of foreign languages, history, geography, mathematics, physics, etc. Some educators believe that video games can be a new tool to help learn the material. Although the influence of educational games is still poorly studied, so the question of quality control of the study of material is still open. In addition, you will always need to find a compromise between the entertainment and educational components, so it is hardly worth hoping for a wide distribution of educational games.

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As noted above, many publications reflect a one-sided negative view of video games. But to label them - “bad”, “good”, “aggressive”, “social” - means overlooking many aspects inherent in modern games. People choose games with their advantages and disadvantages depending on their intrinsic motivation.

Undoubtedly, in the future it is necessary to study both the advantages and disadvantages of video games in order to better understand their impact on young minds, including at different stages of personality formation. And the modern system of marking games by age categories, adopted in the gaming industry, is not supported by any research.