Jane McGonigal, a world-renowned game designer with a PhD in Performance Studies, wants to change the popular conception of video games as motivators of addictions and escapes from reality.
“My number one goal in life is to see a game designer, nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize,” he says.
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For McGonigal, games can be “powerful tools to improve our attention, our mood, our cognitive abilities and our relationships.” And the latest research supports this idea. Studies suggest that popular games like “Call of Duty” can improve cognitive skills more than games designed by designers specifically to do so as Luminosity.
To help spread the truth about common misconceptions, seven neuroscientists from around the world signed the document “A Consensus on the Brain Training Industry from the Scientific Community” in 2014 to argue that many games that stimulate the brain can improve cognitive skills.
Research from State University of North Carolina and State University of Florida also suggests that entertainment-oriented “mainstream” games can help improve attention, spatial orientation and problem-solving skills.
In the book “Super Better” McGonigal writes that the researchers he spoke to offered a simple explanation for this question: “traditional video games are more complex and more difficult to master, they require the player to learn a wide and challenging range of skills and skills. “
To stimulate the mind the designer recommends that six games that can be played three times a week for about 20 minutes.
Call of duty
McGonigal believes that fast-paced games like “Call of Duty” help improve visual attention and spatial intelligence skills, leading to better performance in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Forza
Another fast-paced game, “Forza”, in which motor racing is highlighted, can help improve your ability to make decisions under pressure.
Grand Theft Auto
Taking on the role of a criminal in a large city can help to train information processing more quickly in stressful situations.
Starcraft
Strategic games like “StarCraft”, a sci-fi-military game, can improve the ability to solve imaginary and real problems, because it teaches users both to formulate and execute strategic plans.
Mass effect
Games that require strategic thinking test and refine information gathering skills.
Final fantasy
Finally, “thinking games” like “Final Fantasy”, can help train you to evaluate your options faster and more accurately.
