Computer games improve cognitive skills

First-person-shooter computer games have come under fire in the past for their perceived effects, but research by a Unitec New Zealand academic shows that these games can actually improve players' cognitive ability.

Unitec computing lecturer Paul Kearney conducted the research and found that people showed significant improvements in their multitasking abilities after playing popular first-person-shooter Counter Strike.

Paul says that he used software developed by the US military to test multitasking skills for the research, which involved 40 people aged over 16. Results showed that those who played the computer games for eight hours a week increased their test scores by up to two-and-a-half times.

"It appears that the improvements are due to Counter Strike's immersive environment. We also tested people after playing Quake, which is more of a fantasy-type first-person-shooter, and there weren't the same increases in the test scores. It seems that the realistic scenarios and higher stakes in Counter Strike meant players concentrated harder and as a result the improvements in their cognitive abilities were more marked."

The study was among the most comprehensive carried out on the topic and gained top marks from an Australian university that assessed Paul's thesis for his Master of Computing, which he completed at Unitec this year.

The research could have real-world applications, he says, and he is planning more work on the topic at gaming research lab Unicave - the only research centre of its kind in New Zealand - which he established at Unitec.

"Given these results, could immersive, 3D educational online environment help students learn more effectively than the current software we use for online courses? And would international students relate better to their lecturers in a virtual environment where there aren't the same language and cultural barriers?"
 
Violence in computer games has been a hot-button issue in recent years, Paul says, but his research deliberately steered clear of that.

"Whether or not computer games have any impact on violence has been studied and I have seen inconclusive research used to support both sides of the argument, but I wasn't interested in getting involved in that argument. I was interested in finding out if there were any benefits that could be gained from playing these games.

"Gaming is a huge industry now - it's bigger than the film industry - and people are going to play these games regardless. We have labels on computer games for violence, but maybe there could also be another label on games that have been tested and show positive benefits for cognitive skills, so that people have a guide when choosing what to play."

Research into gaming is now a recognised field, he says - a study at Rochester University in the US showing that video games can improve peripheral vision was published in the top scientific journal, Nature Magazine. "There's a lot of ignorance about gaming, but overseas research in the area is now gaining recognition at the highest level. In the US, Harvard and MIT are doing similar studies to ours."

Kearney has visited game labs at universities in South Africa, Scotland and the US before setting up Unicave last year and he says gaming is being used as a research tool in a variety of ways.

"Some of the labs at the universities are doing pure research, such as at Caledonia University in Glasgow, which is carrying out tests to see how video games elicit emotions.

"A South African lab, on the other hand, is developing games that can be used as educational tools, such as a study aid for medical students that is based on a puzzle-solving game sold commercially."

Other labs are revenue generating, with students developing games for commercial companies, and Kearney says the Unitec lab is combining the different approaches.