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'StarCraft' Gameplay Boosts Mental Flexibility, Says Study

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Re: 'StarCraft' Gameplay Boosts Mental Flexibility, Says Study

#21

Post by luanfernandes »

astrobe_ wrote: post #17
kayoone wrote: post #13

Nothing new really. There have been alot of studies that show that games train reflexes and other mental abilities [1] If engaging in a very strategic game for a couple of hours each week wouldnt lead to any positive mental improvements, i would be suprised. Human ability is based upon experience, training and talent in almost any field. [1] http://www.wate.com/story/3684503/study-video-games-help-qui...

What is a far from obvious, to me, is that this specific training in a specific context improves response outside of this context and for other tasks. Really how knowing that you have to build immortals when you see roaches - or vikings when you see colossi, could possibly useful in everyday life?

It's not the information that useful but how you use them. I have no study to back me up but imo if you keep playing strategy games that tell you which thing is best than another and how one thing can be beaten, it can apply to anything in life when it comes to decisions, that's the lesson learned.

Re: 'StarCraft' Gameplay Boosts Mental Flexibility, Says Study

#23

Post by scotty79 »

UweSchmidt wrote: post #9

Consider the opportunity costs involved. The huge amount of time and energy usually 'spent' on games like this could have been used for something else, possibly boosting mental flexibility and other things equally or more than Starcraft. I would expect the purported positive effects of gaming should be way more pronounced, given the many hours many people play each day. It seems that someone who spends the same time…

> To me this seems to lead to a complete exhaustion of the player, instead of giving a challange combined with relaxation and distraction.

Isn't the point of all exercise to get tired? To bring your body and mind near the edge to push the edge little bit?

> It seems that someone who spends the same time honing a real skill (e.g. programming) would come out way ahead!

Do you know any place where you could program competitively in short amounts of time (hour or even less)?

Re: 'StarCraft' Gameplay Boosts Mental Flexibility, Says Study

#24

Post by Sagat »

UweSchmidt wrote: post #9

Consider the opportunity costs involved. The huge amount of time and energy usually 'spent' on games like this could have been used for something else, possibly boosting mental flexibility and other things equally or more than Starcraft. I would expect the purported positive effects of gaming should be way more pronounced, given the many hours many people play each day. It seems that someone who spends the same time…

Excellent post. I was about to mention the same things but you beat me to it.

However I think it's worth mentioning that games such as Starcraft offer the unique opportunity to taste glory (at least in Korea) at no personal risk. In the same way that Rome's gladiators had their whole lives defined and determined by the games, perhaps Starcraft players live and breathe the game and consider it their ultimate purpose? With such a mindset, analyzing costs and missed opportunities becomes irrelevant: you don't need to learn skills because you are already doing what you love.

Re: 'StarCraft' Gameplay Boosts Mental Flexibility, Says Study

#25

Post by Vaskivo »

UweSchmidt wrote: post #9

Consider the opportunity costs involved. The huge amount of time and energy usually 'spent' on games like this could have been used for something else, possibly boosting mental flexibility and other things equally or more than Starcraft. I would expect the purported positive effects of gaming should be way more pronounced, given the many hours many people play each day. It seems that someone who spends the same time…

As kayoone already said, people usually play games for fun. Knowing or realizing games have some benefit is a bonus. As the effort/exaustion part, people actually like that. In fact, the tiredness is mainly something people tolerate as a "cost" for all the "fun".

When I play sports with friends I'm not doing it to be fit, I'm doing it for the social intercation, the friendly competition. I'll be tired and with some bruises, and will struggle to get off bed the next morning, but I feel it was worth it.

Another example, video game related. I like Dark Souls. But I kind of suck at it. During a more frustrating sessions, after some groans and curses my girlfriend naively asked me: "If the game makes you so angry and frustrated, why do you keep playing it? Why don't you play another game?". It made me think. I guess I like being challenged. And the harder and the more times I fall, the better is the feeling when I finally win. The more I shout and swear at the game, the bigger is the smile after beating a challenge (or the sigh of relief).

Re: 'StarCraft' Gameplay Boosts Mental Flexibility, Says Study

#26

Post by eykanal »

The best analogy I've heard is that a good game of Starcraft is very similar to fencing; you have to predict what your opponent will do, and react accordingly, with speed and agility. Another good comparison is chess; see where the pieces are going and be sure to be ready when the battle comes.

Re: 'StarCraft' Gameplay Boosts Mental Flexibility, Says Study

#27

Post by Sagat »

eykanal wrote: post #26

The best analogy I've heard is that a good game of Starcraft is very similar to fencing; you have to predict what your opponent will do, and react accordingly, with speed and agility. Another good comparison is chess; see where the pieces are going and be sure to be ready when the battle comes.

Starcraft is arguably a more difficult game due to the real-time element and the fact that the pieces aren't constrained by squares on a board (meaning there is more positional variation). As Bobby Fischer complained, chess between accomplished players can seem stale when the first twenty moves are often played from memory, following opening theory and leaving no place for experimentation.

Re: 'StarCraft' Gameplay Boosts Mental Flexibility, Says Study

#28

Post by Sagat »

dmead wrote: post #22

bad study. they don't account for the mental toll induced by lack of sleep. source: myself.

I've also noticed from personal experience that playing video games for long lengths of time reduces your ability to concentrate on real world tasks or simple things such as reading.

Re: 'StarCraft' Gameplay Boosts Mental Flexibility, Says Study

#29

Post by rsheridan6 »

Sagat wrote: post #27
eykanal wrote: post #26

The best analogy I've heard is that a good game of Starcraft is very similar to fencing; you have to predict what your opponent will do, and react accordingly, with speed and agility. Another good comparison is chess; see where the pieces are going and be sure to be ready when the battle comes.

Starcraft is arguably a more difficult game due to the real-time element and the fact that the pieces aren't constrained by squares on a board (meaning there is more positional variation). As Bobby Fischer complained, chess between accomplished players can seem stale when the first twenty moves are often played from memory, following opening theory and leaving no place for experimentation.

The beginning of Starcraft can be stale too. You're probably going to follow one of the standard builds at first.

Re: 'StarCraft' Gameplay Boosts Mental Flexibility, Says Study

#30

Post by rsheridan6 »

EllaMentry wrote: post #8
chid wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sample size has nothing (not strictly true) to do with whether a result is statistically significant. I imagine they chose this sample size because it could potentially yield a statistically significant sample. A larger sample size means that a smaller average increase is required to show that it is a statistically significant deviation than a smaller sample.

True, however, I also noted the sample was not just small but narrow. 72, female, university students - I would be surprised if over 6-8 weeks their cognitive capacity didn't improve in a measurable way - university can be a very demanding environment. The study makes no mention of controlling for degree programs or a variety of other factors which would affect cognitive development, combined with the incredibly smal…

They did have a control group playing the Sims, a much easier game.
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