GRAND Magazine - Fall 2020 - 12

ask dr. gramma karen

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BY KAREN L. RANCOURT

O

f late, many parents and grandparents have
expressed their concern that kids are spending
ng
too much time playing video games, especially
ly
during this coronavirus pandemic when many kids'
school programs are online. "Too much screen time!""
is a common lament. Of course, concern is warranted
d
when kids play video games to the exclusion of other
er
activities, but I think it is important to point out that
there are upsides to kids playing video games.
For example, Peter Gray, Ph.D., research professor in educational psychology at Boston College, hass
identified several cognitive benefits of kids' playing
video games, including:
* Improves coordination
* Improves problem-solving skills
* Enhances memory
* Improves attention and concentration
* Is a great source of learning
* Improves the brain's speed
* Enhances multitasking skills
* Improves social skills
Dr. Gray has published several articles about the
educational value of gaming, including: The Many
Benefits, for Kids, of Playing Video Games, Video Game
me
Addiction: Does It Occur? If So, Why?, Cognitive Benefits
fits
of Playing Games, and Benefits of Play Revealed in
Research on Gaming.
Here are some thought-provoking quotes from
these articles:
12 GRAND

FALL 2020

* "I ask you to consider the possibility that
the kid is learning more valuable lessons at
the computer than at school, in part because
the computer activity is self-chosen and the
school activity is not."
* "The most common complaints about
video games are that they (1) are socially isolating, (2) reduce opportunities for outdoor
activities and thereby lead to obesity and poor
physical health... these claims should be truer
of book reading than of video
gaming."
* "...video games
are games of
skill. They are
like chess or
any other
game in
which success
depends on perseverance, intelligence, practice,
and learning, not chance.
The rewards are not
random; they are earned.
To move up to the next
level you have to work
hard."
* "...[Gamers]
are bombarded by

messages from the larger culture
cultu
suggesting that gaming is a ssign of
laziness, is 'addictive,' and leads
lea to
all sorts of ill effects, and so tthey
become concerned about th
their
gaming ... There is no reason
reaso why
a dedicated video gamer sh
should
feel any worse about his or her
hobby than a dedicated ch
chess
player or skier."
* "Many studies indicat
indicate
that video games improv
improve
job
especially
job performance, espec
for jobs that require g
good
eye-hand coordinatio
coordination,
attention, excellent working memory, and q
quick
decision-making."
* "By now, many
man
dozens of studies have
examined psycho
psychological correlates of a
and
consequences of video
gaming, and, tak
taken as a
whole, the results overwhelmingly suppo
support the
idea that video gam
gaming
produces many of the same kin
kinds of
benefits as other forms of play.
play."
Continued on nex
next page

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0994809700/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=grandmagazi0d-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=0994809700&linkId=c0cf2342749a51234e00421ef2df453e https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003B6QYSW/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=grandmagazi0d-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B003B6QYSW&linkId=74a78ba0a510c9871c2e38f745d59213 https://www.bc.edu/content/bc-web/schools/mcas/departments/psychology/people/affiliated-and-emeritus/peter-gray.html https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/freedom-learn/201201/the-many-benefits-kids-playing-video-games https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/freedom-learn/201201/the-many-benefits-kids-playing-video-games https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/freedom-learn/201502/cognitive-benefits-playing-video-games https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/freedom-learn/201502/cognitive-benefits-playing-video-games https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/freedom-learn/201803/benefits-play-revealed-in-research-video-gaming https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/freedom-learn/201803/benefits-play-revealed-in-research-video-gaming

GRAND Magazine - Fall 2020

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