New Scientific Studies Support Playing of Video Games
Today, it can be said that video games and video gaming have gained favorable recognition as new scientific studies support rather than condemn video gaming.
Whereas before, critics of the gaming industry put the blame on video games as the primary cause of aggressive and violent behaviors among youths. Yet recent scientific studies have proven that when everything in a real life situation is taken into consideration, playing games does not necessarily result in aggressive behavior.
Rather than focus on popular beliefs projecting video games as evil, several universities are instead offering esport courses and programmes. All of which aim to provide the esports industries with the next generation of people who will work for the industry. Currently the list of educational institutions include but are not limited to the following;
- The Staffordshire University in UK – BA Esports (Hons) programme and MA Esports
- The University of Chichester in UK- BA Esports (Hons) programme
- The Becker College in the U.S. – BSc in Esports Management
- The Lambton College in Canada – Esports Entrepreneurship and Administration
Scientific Studies Conclude that Playing Violent Video Games Do Not Have a Measurable Effect on Aggressive Behaviors
In February 2019, a study conducted by researchers of the University of Oxford’s Internet Institute debunked popular beliefs about the negative effect of video games on young gamers. The study, which was published in the Royal Society Journal: Open Science, reported that there was no measurable effect that links aggressive behavior to video games and to the length of time spent by teenagers in playing violent games.
The Oxford Internet Institute (OII) study involved sampling more than 1,000 teenagers, including their parents and/or caregivers. Andrew Przybylski, PhD, the lead researcher, who is also the Director of Research at the OII had commented during press release that
“Despite parents and policymakers’ interest in the topic, the results of our our research did not demonstrate there is cause for concern.”
In June of the same year, Harvard University researchers examined three meta-analyses that produced conflicting results about the association of aggressive behavior to video games. The result of the HU’s independent examination of the data, upheld the conclusion that even if video games are in some ways linked to aggression among gamers, the effects are potentially negligible.
The resulting effects do not constitute sufficient basis in concluding them as causes of the increase in aggressive behaviors among the youth.
New Study on Video Games Showed Proof of Positive Effects in Developing Employment Skills
DARETOBEDIGITAL (https://www.daretobedigital.com/hardware/best-gaming-modems/), the sponsor of this guest post, points out that video games are designed to be immersive, and not addictive as critics would prefer to describe them. Yet the long hours that gamers spend on some video games can also be productive in relation to skills development. Game immersion though, can be affected by the quality of gaming hardware, particularly the gaming modem in use, due to the importance of Internet connectivity.
Another recent study had sought to measure the effects of playing video games, specifically in the development of skills and competencies that will be useful in future employment. Dr. Matthew Barr, the Vice Chair and a lecturer at the University of Glasgow’s Digital Games Research Association, made a study on the effects of eight video games on 100 Art and Humanities freshmen and sophomore students.
The results of his study showed that the group of students assigned to play for eight weeks with games like Borderland 2, Gone Home, Guardians of Light, Lara Croft, Minecraft, Papers Please, Portal 2, Reign of Chaos, Team Fortress 2 and Warcraft, had scored significantly higher than the non-gaming group, in terms of adaptability, communication and resourcefulness.
