New Studies Show Positive Impact of Games

Key insights

5 takeaways

01
Research from Brown University indicates that video games sharpen visual processing skills and improve a student's ability to continue developing skills after initial learning.
02
A study by the University of Georgia found that tutoring software utilizing a 'learning-by-teaching' approach improves the academic performance of low-achieving students by fostering deeper engagement and analysis.
03
The OECD's Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) reports that moderate video game play is associated with improved performance in core subjects like math and science.
04
Video games are consistently identified as effective cognitive training tools that significantly enhance spatial reasoning and problem-solving capabilities.
05
Current findings build upon existing research that has established a positive correlation between gaming and various learning, health, and social benefits.

Summary

Several recent studies reinforce the view that video games improve visual skills and cognitive ability, according to a May 2015 news item from the Flemish Games Association (FLEGA). The piece positions these findings as an extension of earlier research linking game play to learning, health, and social benefits, and it serves as an advocacy-oriented roundup for the Flemish and wider games sector rather than original research.

Three sources anchor the argument. Researchers at Brown University found that game play sharpens visual processing, suggesting gamers become better at hardwiring visual tasks through years of visual training, and that playing games also helps students continue improving skills after initially learning them. A University of Georgia study found that video-game-like tutoring software improved the performance of low-achieving students on reading assignments. Its learning-by-teaching design requires students to teach the material through the software after reading, which fosters greater enjoyment and deeper processing, including reflection and analysis.

The third source is the OECD's Programme for International Student Assessment, a worldwide study of high school students' scholastic performance. The OECD, an organisation of 34 countries, reaffirmed cognitive benefits, with moderate video game play associated with better performance in math and science.

The article concludes that these results corroborate earlier work showing games are effective cognitive training tools that significantly boost problem solving and spatial skills in students. Coverage is international in its sources, focused on students and educational outcomes, and limited to a brief summary without sample sizes, effect sizes, or detailed methodology. The emphasis on moderation in the OECD finding is the main qualifier offered.