Video Games and Education

Sydney M. Williams

Thought of the Day

“Video Games and Education”

November 21, 2011

We have an analyst, Bill Lennan, who covers the electronic interactive entertainment space and I have a son, Edward Williams, who does as well for another firm. I have avoided speaking to either of them about this piece, so as not to embroil them in this debate, nor to embarrass them into being seen as colluding in any conclusions I have drawn.

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The purpose of education is to teach young people to learn, to think, to reason and to communicate. The process begins with social interaction and to encourage the innate sense of curiosity children possess. Addressing a child’s curiosity begins the process of learning – asking questions, reading, solving math problems, exploring scientific experiments, and studying history, geography and civics. The result is a base of knowledge allowing one to have informed opinions, to consider alternatives and to reach conclusions. Above all else, learning should be fun. An educated person is one who deliberates, reasons out answers and then communicates what he or she has learned. Additionally, it allows the process to begin anew. Education is innate to our being; techniques have improved over time, but the essence is unchanged.

The imperatives to a successful learning process are first, parents who encourage the process; second, an able, empathetic, enthusiastic and creative teacher; and, third, a student willing and anxious to learn. There is nothing more important in a young person’s life than getting a good education. Whatever interferes will be a detriment to their future success and happiness. There are varied forces competing for a student’s time and attention, among which are video games. It is not fiat that brings an eager and attentive student to class; it is the attractions of the classroom and a desire to learn.

There have always been distractions to learning. Video games are but the latest. The industry is relatively new, with games like Pac-Man and Donkey Kong having been developed for home computers toward the end of the 1970s. Today, the industry is larger than either the movie industry or the music industry. It is global, with worldwide sales around $60 billion. Game Developer Research puts U.S. employment in the industry at about 45,000, with an average salary of $80,000. Drew Davidson, director of the entertainment technology center at Carnegie Mellon University, said in a NPR interview a year ago January, “I’d say game industries are sort of coming out of their adolescence.” In other words, it would be fair to say that the industry is still young and growing rapidly; games are played in about 65% of U.S. households and the industry is a significant contributor to GDP. According to the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), 46 million children between the ages of 5 and 17 have played video games. Based on 2010 census numbers, that represents an approximate 70% penetration ratio. Like them or not, video games are likely to be around for a while.

The question on the table, however, is: do video games do more harm than good? Opinions vary, depending upon who is speaking or writing. Like most controversial issues, there are people on both sides. There are a growing number of people who have self-interest in the perpetuation of the industry. On the other hand, most studies raise legitimate concerns.

According to the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), 300 American colleges, universities and technical schools offer programs and courses in video game and design. A survey released by the Scottish Centre for Games and Learning showed that brain-training games such as Dr. Kawashima’s Brain Age have a positive impact on behavior and on learning when played in school. Dr. James Paul Gee of the University of Wisconsin recently concluded that video games intermix instruction and demonstration more effectively than “memorize and regurgitate” methods generally used.

The Supreme Court, in a 7-2 decision last June that has relevance to this discussion, struck down a California law that banned the sale of violent games to children. The opinion was based on their interpretation of the First Amendment. Justice Scalia, writing for the majority pointed out that depictions of violence have never been subject to government regulation, pointing out that “Grimm’s Fairy tales are very grim indeed.” Justice Scalia added, in response to Justice Alito, “Disgust is not a valid basis for restricting expression.” Justice Stephen Breyer, who with Justice Clarence Thomas dissented, based his opinion on studies that have shown violent games were positively associated with aggressive behavior.

Douglas Gentile, an associate professor of psychology at Iowa State University who has had his research largely typecast on the “bad” side in terms of violent video games and in terms of addiction, has concluded that there are some benefits of the games. He writes of five dimensions on which video games can affect players simultaneously – amount of play, content, game context, structure of the game, and the mechanics of game play. There are games whose structure motivates teamwork and provide a sense of mastery; there are those that require the player to consider alternatives and their consequences, and others which require motor skills. “Nonetheless,” he concludes tellingly, “every hour playing games is one not spent doing homework.”

The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) in July 2007 reported on a study conducted on 1,491 10-19 year-olds during the school year 2002-2003. The youngsters reported on how they divided their time: playing video games; times spent with family and friends; doing homework, and involved in sports. Thirty-six percent played video games, 80% of whom were boys. The adolescents who played video games spent 30% less time reading and 34% less time doing home work. Another study, conducted by two psychologists from Denison University and reported in “Psychological Science”, found similar results. Families that had no video games, but did have boys between the ages of 6 and 9, were recruited for the study. Half the families were given a video machine and three age-appropriate games. The others were promised a system at the end of the four month experiment. The boys with the video games spent considerably less time in after school activities and scored “significantly” lower reading and writing scores.

The biggest problem, though, is the one of addiction. Much like substance abuse, video games are designed to be addictive; they are designed to generate excitement, anticipation, and accomplishment, all of which compels the player to continue. Studies have not concluded whether gaming addiction is a “diagnosable disorder”, but common sense suggests that youngsters who are easily bored or feel like outcasts in social situations are most at risk. Dr. Kimberly Young, author of Caught in the Net: How to Recognize the Signs of Internet Addiction – and a Winning Strategy for Recovery says that, yes, gaming can be a true addiction: “It’s an impulse control disorder, an addiction in the same sense as compulsive gambling.” Smith & Jones Addiction Consultants has created a treatment center in Amsterdam. Keith Bakker, director of the firm, created the program the more they looked at the problem, “the more we saw gaming was taking over the lives of kids.”

Like most things in life, moderation is key. There are those in the industry who will argue the merits of gaming and how it is helpful in terms of motor skills or, in some on-line games, of partnering. There are apologists who will point out that many games teach the ability to consider alternatives, to take action and then to suffer or benefit from the consequences. But one of the benefits (and joys) of reading is that it demands an imagination. Before Daniel Radcliffe became the face of Harry Potter, his image was unique in the imagination of each reader. Once the movie was made, we began to see Harry and all of his Hogwarts friends according to the imagination of the director, Chris Columbus. While the movies have generally been pretty spectacular, something has been lost. The same is true of video games.

A good education develops the mind. We question; we imagine; we debate, we argue as we learn. We explore worlds we never knew. As exhilarating as is the process of learning, it can also be intense; so demands release. Video games, like sports, can serve as that release. But they cannot substitute for learning. To the extent they dominate one’s life, the loser is the child. In moderation they are okay, but they risk doing harm. But the industry is not going away. Parents and teachers cannot ban games, nor should they; they should not so much argue the negatives of gaming, as to promote the joys and excitement of learning – that books open doors, that the relationship between numbers is fascinating and that discovery through scientific experimentation can be awesome. While learning, in my opinion, is its own reward, it has become critical in our globally competitive world. And, as important as anything, education puts us on the road toward understanding the value of personal responsibility.