Are computer games just for fun? Not only because the game is one of the oldest and most effective forms of learning. An important task of education is to prepare people for the future, albeit hypothetical. And here games can be very useful. In this article, the authors of Cheappaperwriting.com will tell you what life skills can be boosted by playing video games.
There are different views on what kind of knowledge and skills will be useful for the person of the future. The 4C model suggests that it is necessary to develop creativity, critical thinking, cooperation and communication. This is close to what Howard Gardner writes about in his book “Future Thinking. Five Types of Intelligence Leading to Success for Life.” His “five” include the disciplinary type of thinking, the synthesizing type, the creative type, the respectful type, and the ethical type.
Philosopher Ken Wilber believes that the future belongs to yellow and turquoise (the color designations used in Spiral Dynamics) communities in which hierarchy and uniformity will yield to creativity and horizontal connections.
To summarize, the future is for those who are willing to create new things, who know how to interact with others, and who are grounded in concrete values (rather than simply seeking personal gain). At least, that’s the version of the future we’d like to be in. How do games prepare us for it?
#1. They teach us to cooperate
Computer games are sometimes blamed for the growth of withdrawal and even aggression among children and adolescents. But many projects are precisely about having fun together. Multiplayer has become much more accessible and widespread. The same schoolchildren play not only MOBA on computers, but also, battle royale on smartphones.
#2. Help develop creative thinking
Almost any game teaches us to solve problems and to approach it creatively. Perhaps this is more pronounced in strategies or puzzles, but it is true for most other genres as well. If there is no problem to solve, there is no game to play. Sandboxes are basically built on the need to create.
#3. Make us think about the environment
There are debates about humanity’s impact on the climate, but the fact that homo sapiens has already caused a lot of damage to the planet is obvious. Just look at the Great Pacific Garbage Patch or the list of endangered species. The time for mindless attitudes toward nature is passing. Before We Leave, Frostpunk, and Flotsam provide an opportunity to see the fragility of civilization and limited resources.
#4. Introduce us to other cultures
Globalization is often criticized for the blurring of cultural differences. But, on the other hand it has also given new opportunities to learn about life in other countries. Today you can easily play African (Aurion: Legacy of the Kori-Odan) or, say, Mexican (Mulaka) games that feature traditional culture.
#5. Increase technological literacy
Or, simply put, they teach us how to use new technologies. Media, platforms, peripherals, and more are changing. For example, more and more VR games are appearing, and VR technology itself is being used in many areas – education, health care, industry, etc. By playing, a person acquires skills that can be useful to them in their professional life.
#6. Failure is the key to success
All successful people have faced many obstacles on the road to their happiness. Most of us have probably heard of Thomas Edison, who created several thousand designs before he could get an electric light bulb. But many are unaware of these famous failures:
- Joan Rowling’s first Harry Potter book was rejected by 12 publishers;
- Einstein couldn’t speak until he was 4 and didn’t learn to read until he was 7;
- Van Gogh managed to sell only one painting during his lifetime.
In many computer games, the user has multiple lives, which tells him right away that it’s okay to make mistakes. And some quests are knowingly losing, but they encourage persistence and patience in players. They are able to realistically assess the scale of the problem, see ways to solve it, and go to the end to win. These are pretty important life skills.
#7. Video games help people solve problems better
RPGs have been proven to be great for brain training. For example, Call of Duty actually increases players’ knowledge of the world better than specifically designed software.
Famous game designer Jane McGonigal suggests playing 3 times a week for just 20-30 minutes to not only have fun, but to stimulate your brain.
The fact is that almost all popular games have problems that can be solved only with the help of critical thinking player. They contribute to the development of cognitive flexibility, which allows people to better solve several problems at once.
Of course, don’t discount the psychology of the individual gamer. Most play for fun, not to prepare for life in the future. On the other hand, games teach indirectly. That’s their strength. It is no coincidence that one of the trends in modern education is gamification.
