Do video games make kids smarter ?

    Recently I and my classmates were discussing an article related to video games in our Analytical Writing class, where the author, Kris Sage, speaks about the educational benefits of video games. He tells that while enjoying the excitement of playing he has acquired different skills: reading, writing, analytical and communicative. As Sage (2009) interprets, playing video games is a process of thinking, judgments and analysis, when one should be cautious, flexible, and able to quickly orientate and respond to challenges. Nevertheless he is not pursuing; he only offers to have a thought before prohibiting the child to go near to the joystick. 

There are many contradicting opinions about the subject; therefore I searched for other points of view trying to strengthen my opinion that negative impacts of video games offset the positive impacts. I found a podcast on TEDTalk.com about how video games make kids smarter. Gabe Zicherman is an author, leader, well-known public speaker and eventually an entrepreneur; he is a board member of StartOut organization dedicated to facilitate and develop entrepreneurship. He is the author of two books on the subject of gamification - “the process of using game-thinking and game-mechanics to engage audiences and solve problems”, is the chair of gamification summit and the creator of gamification blog. Zicherman (2011) shows how video games develop the multi-tasking and problem-solving skills among the players (children). He presents himself as a vital example of turning the lifestyle of playing video games into a career that pays money. It is predictive that 10 000 hours of his life he spent playing Civilization. I remember how my elder brother for 5 years was playing a similar type of game – Age of Mythology. I played it as well and can assure that it is really a very interesting and sometimes difficult strategic game, which is based on speed and logic. He introduces articles that he read in newspapers about the effects of video games on kids and with persuasive examples assures you that video games are what children need. His experience is really substantive, which is revealed in the cogency of his speech.  However taking video games as the best way to develop those skills is not right; there are many other ways to do that without all the negative effects: finding the real world uninteresting, cutting back from simple face-to-face communication, distraction of attention from other important knowledge that can be acquired only in schools, health effects of sitting long hours in front of computers, etc.

Small (2009), Director of the ULCA Center on Aging, made a similar finding that multi-tasking and problem solving skills are developed and brain is activated when doing internet searching, in this way our brains adapt to new technology.

Another example presented by the Zicherman is how a successful business-person, educator Ananth Pai, placed a standard curriculum in one of the schools of Minnesota, where children were given computer games that taught them math and language.  Within eighteen weeks of game-based learning Ananth’s class went from 3^rd grade level in reading a math to a 4^th grade level. When interviewed children said that learning was fun.

The truth of Zicherman’s statements is that video games may help kids to interpret text and voice, operate characters, manage objectives and more importantly manage interruptions by parents while playing. By no doubt today kids are smarter than before; they are independent and self confident, they have different interests and expectations. The technology, innovative products, surroundings, people, communication, all of these has their effect on today’s ever smarter children. The era of reading old books is over and it is time of digital world. Nevertheless the findings are not conclusive and there is a need for further examination.

My conclusion is that the only prescription is as follows: get into the game with your kids, try to understand the context of the game, what they feel, why they play, do not just fight against them, listen to your kids, play with them and give directions. By communicating with children you will be able to give them advice, set them in the right direction, rather than just prohibit.