Video games to develop social skills

Little by little, the value of the video game, in its serious version, as a learning medium is being recognized. But if we now admit that it is possible to acquire knowledge in mathematics or physics with a game, what about more transversal skills, such as social and emotional skills? Well, video games are proving to be excellent allies here too.

A look at yourself...

A blog post by Jackie Gerstein does a good job of showing how video games build social and emotional skills. But first, what are they? CASEL (Collaboration for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning) provides a short list:

• Self-awareness
• Self-control
• Awareness of others
• Relational skills
• The ability to make responsible decisions

But aren't video games lonely, violent pastimes? Let's destroy that myth again: the answer is no. On the contrary, there is potential in games to develop each of the skills listed by CASEL.

For example, self-awareness develops naturally in video games. The player perceives in his avatar a mirror of himself. It is, of course, idealized, but it allows him to value the aspects that he would like to transpose into reality. A way for players to improve their self-image, and to increase their confidence in real life. In fact, for psychologists, this aspect of the game is very interesting, as it is a motivating factor and a way for more shy personalities to reveal themselves more easily, without inhibition.

The control of emotions is remarkable in players. They can go from frustration to elation in a matter of minutes. They must quickly learn to manage the different emotions they experience in order to make it through the obstacle, the puzzle, or that terrible "boss" who systematically eliminates them. Jane McGonigal, a strong advocate for the use of play in education and elsewhere, discussed the various positive emotions that games provoke. She noted that gaming can sublimate all the negative emotions the gamer experiences in real life. Already a few years ago, research showed that video gaming in hospitals has a very positive effect on patients. The wonder felt from the world of a game makes them forget some of the stress of an upcoming surgery or the pain they feel.

...and on his relationship with others

Of course, there are the emotions in solitude, but there are also all those experienced in groups. Moreover, with consoles and PCs continuously connected to the Internet, the gamer is no longer really the solitary being long portrayed in the mainstream media and has a strong awareness of others in large networked games. Researchers and psychologists have noted that gamers may experience empathy for the other and compassion. For example, in cooperative horror or shooter games, players will feel the fear that their partner will get caught or killed. Therefore, they will develop strategies together and rush to each other's aid if they are in danger.

Relational skills are employed by players when they give each other advice on how to succeed in a level, share codes, etc. In MMORPGs, they form guilds and develop a social structure, create strategies, and manage conflicts.

They are used by players to help each other succeed in a level, share codes, etc.

As for the ability to make responsible decisions, scholars have observed it in particular from the perspective of morality. A recent study showed that gamers were far more moral than is often asserted by video game critics. In Fallout 3, a role-playing game set in a post-apocalyptic world, players can create any character they want and have them act as they wish. To their surprise, the researchers noticed that the percentage of players committing morally reprehensible actions (stealing, attacking someone without having been attacked themselves, etc.) was not high. More interestingly, players opting for reprehensible actions felt more guilty about their choice at the end of their game than their colleagues who acted correctly.

So it would seem that gamers acquire a lot of social skills with video games. Obviously, the predominance of violent games might lead us to believe that they provoke more aggression in players. But this would be forgetting the plethora of cooperative or creative games (e.g. Minecraft) that can have an interesting impact on the acquisition of social knowledge. The balanced gamer will therefore be able to make infidelities to violent games in favor of games that leverage other play experiences.

What if school was the place where they came into contact with these titles that fostered social relationships and the development of emotional skills? Wouldn't that be another valid reason to integrate video games into the classroom?

They are a great way to get kids to play.

REFERENCES:

Gerstein, Jackie. "Video Games and Social Emotional Learning." User Generated Education. Last updated February 11, 2013. http://usergeneratededucation.wordpress.com/2013/02/11/games-and-social-emotional-learning/.

Rutledge, Pamela. "Video Games, Problem-Solving and Self-Efficacy - Part 2." Psychology Today. 27 August 2012. http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/positively-media/201208/video-games-problem-solving-and-self-efficacy-part-2#_ENREF_12.

McGonigal, Jane. "How Might Video Games Be Good for Us?" Big Questions Online. 15 October 2012. https://www.bigquestionsonline.com/content/how-might-video-games-be-good-us.

Krauss Whitbourne, Susan. "How Videogames Can Promote Empathy." Psychology Today. 27 September 2011. http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/fulfillment-any-age/201109/how-videogames-can-promote-empathy.

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