Gaming’s Real Prizes

Videogames carry a lot of stereotypes, but the truth is very different. No, violent games don’t cause school shootings, and gamers aren’t depressed loners. In fact, gaming can take credit for a host of positive effects.

Gaming has suffered a bad rap over the years. Thanks in part to media-driven panic, the perception arose that games made kids lazy, antisocial and aggressive. But none of these clichés hold up. In fact, research has shown exactly the opposite effect.

Far from encouraging intellectual laziness, many studies have shown that games can enhance various cognitive skills, including spatial awareness, mental flexibility, logical thinking, decision making, memory, and awareness. Even tricky problems such as dyslexia, executive dysfunction and age-related mental decline can be mitigated through gaming.

This is true for kids as well as adults (which may come as a relief to concerned parents). A 2013 meta-analysis of the effects of gaming on children and adolescents showed that playing shooting games enhanced spatial thinking, as much as academic courses that aim to improve the same abilities. Any kind of game improved creativity, while role-playing games improved problem-solving skills, and even school grades.

And on the social side? Far from creating depressed loners, games can improve both emotional and social well-being.

Beyond instant gratification

Gamers have a simple explanation for why they play: it’s fun. Playing feels good and improves their mood. Of course, that’s true in the short term of many unhealthy behaviors, but gaming actually provides lasting emotional benefits. Research has found that games can improve resilience and perseverance: they teach players to keep going despite failure, motivating players to cope better with real-life challenges.

This is because of the tangible effects of tenacity in gaming. When a person believes that their intelligence or ability is a set quantity that cannot be changed, failure leaves them feeling worthless. However, if knowledge or talent is thought to be a sign of effortful engagement, failure just shows the need to stay committed to the task at hand. Video games provide an ideal training ground for this learning mindset. They motivate players through setbacks, affording only limited opportunities for enormous success.

As behavioral scientists have reported for decades, the best way to teach different behaviors is through intermittent reinforcements. That is what games provide, making them a delivery mechanism for motivational training that can produce lasting results.

It gets even more interesting when we consider the trend in modern games toward social complexity. The most popular games today all provide an opportunity for online play, connecting with other players to compete or collaborate. In lockdown, titles such as Among Us and Animal Crossing became massive hits as people around the world discovered how they could be used to hang out with friends. To long-time gamers, this wasn’t news; many of them had been nurturing online friendships forged in huge online games such as World of Warcraft over decades.

How gamers feel more connected

Video games today are highly social spaces that promote bonding – whether played online, or at home with a friend. And this is especially important for people who may otherwise struggle with social connection: whether as a result of social anxiety, neurotypical disorders, or disabilities that may limit their ability to meet people.

UK researchers have found that deeper engagement in these massively multiplayer online games (MMOs), and stronger “gamer identity” (the degree to which gaming forms part of a player’s sense of self), are associated with a stronger sense of social identity, greater self-esteem and social skills. That is, contrary to the stereotype, gamers were less lonely and more confident.

Given that this effect was strongly correlated with deeper engagement in the game, Web3 games could have even more power for positive impact. Blockchain gaming by its nature is community-driven and NFT assets support stronger engagement and immersion in the game world. That makes the potential social benefit that much stronger.

Guilt-free fun

With all the judgment around video games that has dominated over many years, gaming has become something of a guilty pleasure. Parents in particular have often felt conflicted about how much game time they should allow their kids. And the dark side of gaming must be acknowledged: yes, it is possible to get addicted to a game, and yes, some online game communities can be toxic. But on balance, it’s clear that the effects are far more positive than was previously thought.

Gaming is a hobby that can make you smarter, happier, more adaptable and better connected. And the stronger your gaming friendships, the better the effects. So really, the only question is: who wouldn’t want to be a gamer?!