LEVEL UP: IMPROVING YOUR SKILLS THOUGH VIDEO GAMES 1

Level Up: Improving Your Skills Through Video Games

Kara M. Barstead

Ball State University

Author Note

This paper was composed for Professor Larry Rileys English 104, Research in Writing

course section 89. This has not been peer reviewed, and is solely a record of the findings of Kara

Barstead based on sources cited at the end of the paper.

LEVEL UP: IMPROVING YOUR SKILLS THOUGH VIDEO GAMES 2

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to review literature examining the benefits of playing video games of

varying types. Current media is oft flooded with negative views of video games concerning their

potential correlation to violent tendencies, yet all research noted in this paper presents benefits to

be reaped from video games, such as social benefits, cognitive benefits, educational benefits,

physical health benefits, employment benefits, and mental health benefits. This paper reviews the

findings of multiple researchers in regards to the aforementioned benefits. Each benefit is explored

in a designated subsection within the discussion.

The author of this paper hopes that popular media and researchers will look more into the potential

benefits of video games in multiple aspects of life.

Keywords: Video Games, Cognitive Skills, Education, Physical Health, Mental Health

LEVEL UP: IMPROVING YOUR SKILLS THOUGH VIDEO GAMES 3

Level Up: Improving Your Skills Through the Playing of Games

I have been playing video games, to some extent, for almost as long as I can remember. In

times of stress, or just times of relaxation, I fondly recall sitting in my bedroom adventuring

through the Kanto region (of the Pokmon universe, not of Japan) or saving the galaxy in some

installment of the Metroid franchise. I distinctly remember the elated feeling upon my first

realization that the Varia-Suited bounty hunter I had been playing as in Metroid: Zero Mission was

a female, just like me, after having only ever played games where I was forced to play as a male

for my adventure, just in general or to save some helpless princess. In a sense, video games have

always been around for me in my time of need.

That being the case, of course I found myself upset any time video games were brought up

in a negative light the most common argument being something like video games cause violence

in youth. I frequently asked myself how that could be the case. After all, I have been playing

video games since a very young age even the ones that I kept seeing associated with these

negative statements, like Grand Theft Auto and have never had any violent outbursts like the

teens I would see on the news.

All of this negativity led me to question whether video games could possibly be a negative

as media portrayed them to be, which in turn led to my asking what are the benefits that lie with

gaming? I was certain some existed, and I just needed to find them.

Discussion

Social Benefits

In 2013, Whitbourne, Ellenberg, and Akimoto found that in the context of casual gaming,

different age groups not only played casual games (games designed to appeal to those with minimal

interest in gaming) for different reasons, but also experienced different perceived benefits from

LEVEL UP: IMPROVING YOUR SKILLS THOUGH VIDEO GAMES 4

participating in games such as those found on Facebook and mobile devices. Additionally, Boot et

al. (2013) noted that older generations preferred games that provide mental challenges over action

games.

The researchers recorded that younger age groups reported more social benefits while older

groups reported benefits in mental challenges (Whitbourne et al.). This could be related to Boot et

al.s findings in regards to game preference. Boot et al. found that, fitting their hypothesis about

game preference, participants who received [an] Action Video Game played for significantly

fewer hours than participants that received a brain training game (p. 4).

According to Kiuchi (2009), the social benefits are present during traditional play as well

as computer gaming. In Japan, children learned social values from playing with their parents and

grandparents, and workplace relationships were developed through bars and other places that

adults play (Kiuchi). While initially game consoles were kept in isolated areas such as bedrooms

for frequent individual use, the use of computer games and game consoles, such as the Nintendo

Wii, shifted play to a means of cross-generational family interactions, rather than a more

individualized environment (Kiuchi, p. 338).

Whether by traditional or computer/video games, play allows children and adults to bond

and discuss varying factors of life (Kiuchi).

In terms of the cognitive benefits, game interventions have the potential to induce higher

rates of intervention compliance compared to other cognitive interventions (Boot et al., p. 1).

Cognitive Benefits

Whitbourne et al. wrote that larger percentages of adults in the 30-59 year old age groups,

inclusively, cited stress relief than did the respondents in the 18-29 or 60 and over age groups (p.

894). They also noted that in older age groups, people performed better at timed tasks and spotted

LEVEL UP: IMPROVING YOUR SKILLS THOUGH VIDEO GAMES 5

patterns more quickly. In addition, older age groups gained better visuospatial skills and younger

age groups reported the cognitive benefits of feeling sharper and having better memory

(Whitbourne et al., p.894).

The researchers conducted a survey of approximately 10,000 individuals from varying age

groups online that actively played the PopCap game Bejeweled Blitz (Whitbourne et al.). The

survey Whitbourne et al. conducted received responses from individuals spanning ages 18 through

80 years old. They found that casual gamers that compete with friends through social media have

gained friendship and connection via games such as Bejeweled Blitz.

Another benefit of video game experience noted by Whitbourne et al. is the potential

influence gaming may have on cognitive skill. The researchers wrote age-related losses of

neurons in the central nervous system can be compensated by increased activity of the remaining

neurons (p.892), which is something that is accomplishable by means of gaming, both casual and

non-casual (Whitbourne et al.).

Chisholm and Kingstone (2015) did further research on cognitive benefits of action-based

(non-casual) video games, and stated that action video games could benefit those with deficits in

either selection based or response based processes (p.1435). Boot et al. found that short

interventions using action video games could improve cognitive abilities. However, how effective

that would be on older adults is questionable considering their recorded preference (Boot et al.).

Participants in Boot et al.s study rated action games as significantly less enjoyable compared to

[brain fitness games] (p. 8).

Chisholm and Kingstone found that individuals that did not play video games could

accurately locate a target just as well as action-based gamers when a distraction was not involved,

however, once a distraction was introduced, action-based gamers could direct their eyes to a set

LEVEL UP: IMPROVING YOUR SKILLS THOUGH VIDEO GAMES 6

target with greater speed and accuracy. The researchers recorded that, action-based gamers

produced, overall, faster manual responses than non-video game players, without any significant

additional cost to accuracy (Chisholm & Kingstone, p. 1434). They also noted action based

gamers as being able to more efficiently select a target and, after selecting said target, being able

to input manual responses with more speed and accuracy (Chisholm & Kingstone).

Chisholm and Kingstone also pointed out that the faster responses on button presses could

have been due to gamers being used to rapidly pressing buttons, however the evidence they studied

pointed more to gamers being able to analyze visual information at a faster pace than non-gamers.

According to their findings, Chisholm and Kingstone concluded that action games can be

beneficial to attention span as well as selection and response patterns. They also concluded that

action gamers were less likely to be distracted by an outside force than non-gamers, thus having

more control of or more efficient control of where their attention is directed. However, Boot et al.

found that many unknowns as to why action games are so useful exist, and believe that research

needs to be done to isolate what makes action games so beneficial to cognitive improvement.

Educational Benefits

In contrast to Chisholm and Kingstone and Whitbourne et al.s findings of cognitive

benefits in gaming, Young et al. (2012) found that when applying the uses of gaming to standard

education, cognitive overload can be disadvantageous to the progress of learning. When studying

the benefits of video games in relation to language learning, the researchers noted that university

undergraduates who only observed gameplay learned significantly more than the students who

were actually playing the games (p. 75). They also wrote that application of language use in

multiplayer games can lead to better learning of said language, a claim supported by their finding

that foreign gamers learning English grammar and vocabulary by interacting with native English

LEVEL UP: IMPROVING YOUR SKILLS THOUGH VIDEO GAMES 7

speaking gamers. Native speakers would critique, correct, and otherwise provide feedback on

foreign gamers English this made possible through the interaction within games (Young et al.).

Outside of language learning, Young et al. also documented benefits in the fields of

mathematics, physical education, and history.

Within the field of mathematics, the researchers found that standardized testing revealed

varying increases in achievement in classrooms that integrated video games, however motivation

did not seem to see any improvements (Young et al.). However, when students participated in

cooperative games, they seemed to better learn how to apply mathematical skills (Young et al.).

In another subject, Young et al. noted that video games centered around history could

engage students in the learning of the subject. The research found that students who learned

material via traditional PowerPoint presentations and students who learned the same material using

history-based video games gained the same knowledge (Young et al.). However, the researchers

recorded that the students who learned via video game remembered the materials for up to one

week longer than the students who learned from the PowerPoints.

Due to these results, Young et al. suggest:

A partnership among teachers and schools experimenting with games in their

classrooms, alongside educational researchers familiar with contemporary learning
theory, game players willing to endure sometimes invasive data collection
procedures, and educational stakeholders interested in exploring games for
improving how learning and instruction take place in school (p.84).

Gaming can also have positive effects on literacy skills. Alire (2009) found that learning,

understanding, and playing games demands fine-tuned, high-tech literacy skills (p.6). In order to

properly play a video game and follow the storyline and instructions, strong literary skills are a

necessity (Alire). In addition, video games can also increase computer literacy in older generations

(Alire).

LEVEL UP: IMPROVING YOUR SKILLS THOUGH VIDEO GAMES 8

Physical Education and Health

When examining the use of video games in a physical education setting, Young et al. found

that exercise games (exergames) were capable of equaling levels of physical activity with ordinary

exercise. Additionally, exergames were found to have the potential to increase physical activity in

youths, namely cardio, and even in some cases to have encouraged participation in real-life sports

(Young et al.). Alongside these physical benefits, social benefits were also recorded, such as

participants being more willing to try new activities and invite friends over to play, and [being]

more confident in participating in physical education classes (Young et al., p. 77).

One example of an exergame would be a game developed by Nintendo, known as Wii Fit,

according to Brusco (2014). Wii Fit utilizes a board that requires player movement to carry out in-

game actions, incorporating both exercise and entertainment (Brusco).

In addition to these benefits in physical health, Video Games: Good for Your Health?

(2008) found that video games can be used for rehabilitative purposes. Some exergames (such as

Wii Fit) have the potential to aid balance and mobility in Parkinsons patients and other kinds

of games could be used as a distraction device designed to control pain and stress among patients

undergoing burn and orthopedic medical procedures (Video Games, p. 22). According to

Brusco, Wii Fit could be used to rehabilitate balance control in patients suffering the effects of a

stroke or of multiple sclerosis. Despite the effects of multiple sclerosis being irreversible, using

the Wii Fit board, the video game regimen [presented] a unique benefit compared to more

conventional rehabilitation treatments for the elderly, stroke patients, and those with MS (Brusco,

p.2).

LEVEL UP: IMPROVING YOUR SKILLS THOUGH VIDEO GAMES 9

Video games could also present opportunities to simulate healthcare environments for

professionals to interact with and learn, and co-operative experiences could help train healthcare

professionals to communicate properly with each other (Video Games).

In the Job Market

Outside of healthcare practices, video games could help train graduate students to get jobs

in todays job market (Yan, 2014). According to Yan, Video gaming can play a productive role

in training recent graduates in the skills necessary for the modern workplace (p. V). Yan noted

that video games can improve interpersonal skills that are valued by employers, such as problem

solving. These benefits could be particularly useful in increasing employment of graduates, as

recently finding jobs has been difficult for them (Yan).

Yan found that playing video games could help people (of which sixty percent play video

games already) build skills valuable to the job market.

Mental and Emotional Health

Further, Granic, Lobel, and Engels (2014) found that perceived emotional and social

benefits can be gained from gaming. The researchers note that experiences within video games

have the potential to improve mental health in youths. Granic et al. wrote that many families dont

have the funding for therapy, and that games are less costly, though they did also note that games

are not a replacement for a professional therapist. The researchers suggested that combining

current therapeutic techniques with video games could be useful.

Granic et al. also drew attention to gaming as being among the most efficient and effective

means by which children and youth generate positive feelings (p. 71). Completing tasks in video

games can have effects such as decreasing self-consciousness, raising self-esteem, and decreasing

anxiety (Granic et al.). The researchers described the importance of play in emotional development,

LEVEL UP: IMPROVING YOUR SKILLS THOUGH VIDEO GAMES 10

and how the same emotional themes identified in childrens play are also explored in video

games (p. 67). Further, through multiplayer gaming experiences, gamers acquire social skills and

behaviors that can be useful outside of a gaming environment, such as helpfulness and cooperation

(Granic et al.).

In addition to research done by Granic et al. (as well as Whitbourne et al.), Fish (2014)

found that when combined with pre-existing prescription medication, casual video games can

provide similar anxiety relieving results to combining psychotherapy with prescription medication.

Fish prescribed casual video gaming to individuals diagnosed with depression alongside their pre-

existing medications. As a result, participants prescribed to play games experienced less anxiety

after one month than participants who were only prescribed medications (Fish). Fish concluded,

from this finding, that prescribed [casual video game] play added to participants medication

performed significantly better than medication for state anxiety (p. 2).

Current treatments for anxiety can be expensive, and so cheaper alternatives need to be

explored (Fish). Fish found that recreational activities are beneficial to the health of individuals,

and that recreational activities can lower stress. He noted that participants in his study who played

casual video games were more positive than control participants, as well as less stressed. When

looking at this knowledge alongside the cost of traditional methods of relieving anxiety and stress,

Fish found that casual video games are a cheaper alternative that is more accessible to people with

lower socioeconomic status.

Because of these findings, Fish believes that:

Clinicians should consider these non-stigmatizing and low cost [casual video
games] as a viable alternative intervention for individuals who are in need of a
second medication to address symptoms associated with anxiety (p. 2).

LEVEL UP: IMPROVING YOUR SKILLS THOUGH VIDEO GAMES 11

Fish noted that no known negative effects of playing casual video games exist, and that

prescribed play of casual video games could decrease symptoms found in depression and anxiety

in the short-term as well as the long-term.

Conclusion

This research found many benefits to playing video games or even watching

someone else play video games, such as benefits in cognitive skill, subject-based learning,

social interaction, job searching and training, and mental wellness. All of these benefits

linked to video games directly contrast existing literature that focuses only on the potential

negative effects of video games on youth.

More notable findings include that prescription video games could be considered

as a cheaper alternative to some methods of therapy often used in tandem with medication

and that video games have uses in multiple subjects of education, including physical

education (Fish; Young et al.). All of the benefits found in video games hold relevance in

not only American culture, but cultures around the world as video games are released in

various countries. Video games often receive releases outside of their countries of

development, and as such have a wide reach. Thus, the benefits of video games can span

the globe and hold relevance no matter where the games are being played.

Considering that much of the existing literature and media coverage of video games

relates only to the potential negatives, American society should have a more open mind to

the benefits of video games, and should have a deeper appreciation for video games as a

means to convey messages and teach necessary skills. More research should be done on

benefits of video games for people of all age groups, particularly not as much information

was available on the benefits of video games in language learning, and more research could

LEVEL UP: IMPROVING YOUR SKILLS THOUGH VIDEO GAMES 12

be done on that particular field, as well as on the use of video games to help alleviate

symptoms of anxiety. While Fish conducted useful research on the topic of anxiety relief,

more research could stand to be done to further verify this as a potential option for lower

income individuals as a replacement for expensive therapy.

LEVEL UP: IMPROVING YOUR SKILLS THOUGH VIDEO GAMES 13

References
Alire, C. (2009). Gaming and literacy. American Libraries, 40(12), 6. Retrieved from

https://search.proquest.com/docview/197192028?accountid=8483

Boot, W., Champion, M., Blakely, D., Wright, T., Souders, D., & Charness, N. (2013). Video

Games as a Means to Reduce Age-Related Cognitive Decline: Attitudes, Compliance,

and Effectiveness. Frontiers in Psychology, 4, 1-9. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00031

Brusco, S. (2014). Gaming and good health. Medical Design Technology, Retrieved from

https://search.proquest.com/docview/1611132271?accountid=8483

Chisholm, J., & Kingstone, A. (2015). Action video games and improved attentional control:

Disentangling selection- and response-based processes. Psychonomic Bulletin &

Review, 22(5), 1430-1436. doi:10.3758/s13423-015-0818-3

Fish, M. T. (2014). Casual video game play as an augmentation intervention for anxiety: A

controlled study (Order No. 3682153). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses

A&I. (1657425666). Retrieved from

https://search.proquest.com/docview/1657425666?accountid=8483

Granic, I., Lobel, A., & M. E. Engels, R. C. (2014). The Benefits of Playing Video Games.

American Psychologist, 69(1), 66-78. doi:10.1037/a0034857

Kiuchi, Y. Japan. (2009). In R. P. Carlisle (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Play in Today's Society (Vol. 1,

pp. 335-338). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications. Retrieved from

http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=GVRL&sw=w&u=munc80314&v=2.1&it=r&id=GA

LE%7CCX3207800209&asid=d7f890249e5110044338a4495323c471

Video Games: Good for Your Health?. (2008). HFM (Healthcare Financial Management),

62(6), 22.

LEVEL UP: IMPROVING YOUR SKILLS THOUGH VIDEO GAMES 14

Whitbourne, S. K., Ellenberg, S., & Akimoto, K. (2013). Reasons for Playing Casual Video

Games and Perceived Benefits Among Adults 18 to 80 Years Old. Cyberpsychology,

Behavior & Social Networking, 16(12), 892-897. doi:10.1089/cyber.2012.0705

Yan, Y. (2014). The role of video gaming in training for job skills in the modern workplace

(Order No. 1561118). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses A&I.

(1561341601). Retrieved from

https://search.proquest.com/docview/1561341601?accountid=8483

Young, M., Slota, S., Cutter, A., Jalette, G., Mullin, G., Lai, B., . . . Yukhymenko, M. (2012).

Our Princess Is in Another Castle: A Review of Trends in Serious Gaming for Education.

Review of Educational Research, 82(1), 61-89. Retrieved from

http://www.jstor.org/stable/41408678