What develop computer games. Children and computer games: harm and benefit

The real-time strategy Starcraft is a game in which, in order to win, you need to manage an army, evaluate resources, balance forces, and in general, think strategically. Two groups of users played two versions of Starcraft, and the third entertained themselves with The Sims, which, as you remember, imitates everyday life, and therefore does not need complex tactics and strategies. The games lasted from 6 to 8 weeks, with each participant spending 40 hours on them.

Important: only women played, because, according to the authors of the work, they needed people who "in life" are not very fond of computer and video games, and among men to find a sufficient number of those who spend less than two hours a week on games , very, very difficult.

In general, Starcraft appeared to stimulate cognitive plasticity: Starcraft players completed tests faster and more accurately than their counterparts playing with "Sims". Which, perhaps, should not be surprising if you compare both games with each other. (However, if we take into account some prejudice against any computer games that still exists in the minds of people, such results will amaze the respectable public for a long time to come.)

Psychologists long ago abandoned the idea of ​​cognitive abilities as something immutable and immovable: depending on the circumstances, our thinking can become more or less plastic. It becomes less plastic with age, and it would, of course, be interesting to know whether computer games help older people keep their minds agile.

It should also not be forgotten that the stimulation of cognitive abilities also occurred in those who are not very keen on games at all, so that gaming experience, it turns out, is not needed. A computer strategy can be likened to a drug that is taken when needed and stopped when the need is gone.

The game is one of the most important types of human developmental activity, used since childhood, since from the moment of birth, the child better absorbs the information received during various games. The abilities acquired and improved in the game process help to better navigate life situations, find the right solutions easier and faster, and adapt to environmental changes.

What qualities do games develop in children:

• Physical - a set of socially determined mental and biological properties of a person that determine the level of physical fitness necessary for the implementation of active and expedient motor activity;
• Intellectual - specific properties of the work of the intellect for the assimilation and processing of the information flow with subsequent analysis;
• Social - abilities that characterize a person's actions in a social environment, his behavior among others and in relation to them.

Physical qualities that develop games

In the process of developing physical qualities, the work of the body as a whole is improved. Certain motor skills are mastered and improved, the work of internal systems and organs is activated, brain function improves due to the improvement of peripheral blood supply.

The main physical qualities that develop games:

• Strength - the degree of muscle development that allows a person to counteract external forces or act on them with the help of muscle tension;
• Agility - quick and correct mastering of new movements, rational restructuring of motor activity in accordance with changing circumstances;
• Flexibility is a morphological and functional feature of the human musculoskeletal system, which determines the degree of mobility of individual parts of the body, contributing to the performance of movements with maximum amplitude;
• Speed ​​is the movement of a person or the movement of individual parts of the body with maximum speed in the shortest amount of time;
• Endurance - the ability to counteract fatigue when performing any action, to withstand muscle load for a long time without significant loss of power.

Intellectual qualities that develop games

The best way to develop thinking is to regularly train mental activity by solving complex problems. Ideally, intellectual games provide such a load.

What qualities develop games and what are their benefits:

• Analytical thinking - the ability to analyze the information received, dividing it into logical and semantic blocks, comparing and contrasting individual fragments with each other, determining their relationships;
• Logic - the ability to think, reason and analyze within the framework of formal logic, making correct and consistent conclusions;
• Deduction - the ability to extract the central idea from voluminous information arrays, the ability to correctly formulate it, to combine disparate information blocks according to common features, the ability to generalize and highlight patterns;
• An important quality that the game develops is critical thinking. This is the ability to counteract suggestion and influence, excluding erroneous ideas and false conclusions through critical analysis and evaluation of information;
• Forecasting is the formation, on the basis of available information, of models for the future development of events, taking into account possible alternative options, allowing you to plan further actions;
• Abstract thinking - the ability to keep in mind complex systems, concepts and combinations in the form of appropriate symbols, manipulating these symbols until finding the right solution with the ability to put it into practice;
• Figurative thinking - the ability to compare various objects and concepts, finding a conventional common denominator, to formulate metaphors and comparisons, simplifying the perception of complex ideas, to perceive artistic images well;
• Concentration - the ability to keep attention for a long time on solving specific problems, increasing the efficiency of mental activity.

The social qualities that games develop

Social qualities are the concentration of human experience as a result of individual and group activities in various combinations. Forming the abilities, needs, knowledge, skills, behavior and interaction in society, the social qualities of the individual are both the basis and the consequence of social processes.

The social qualities that games develop must be nurtured in a person from the moment of birth, which is why the socialization of children in the game is important. The child receives the first skills of social behavior in communication and games with parents. As he grows up and enters the society, participating in games with other children, the baby learns to work in a team, sociability and tolerance for the mistakes of others, solving common tasks and problems, distributing responsibilities and sharing responsibility. Game tasks assigned to the group contribute to better socialization of children. In the game, due to the emerging need to compromise, give in, listening to the opinions of other participants and taking it into account, the foundations of correct social behavior are formed. It is in preschool education that children should be taught to curb their own emotions, to think practically in a subject and figurative direction, to control their behavior and actions within society, to clearly understand their place and significance in society. The best way to do this is through play.

The main social qualities that develop games in children:

Thanks to the socialization of children in games, they take an active part in the life of the family, group kindergarten, in the company of friends, willingly come to the rescue, play and play with pleasure, participate in discussions and disputes, drawing the right conclusions and relevant comments. This indicates that children are properly versed in the structure of the world around them.

In essence, games depict real life in an imaginary conditional setting, and what qualities games develop depends on their type. Active, intellectual, logical, computer, role-playing - different games are important at different stages of growth as an indispensable element in the development of qualities necessary for life.

Video from YouTube on the topic of the article:

Today, parents and doctors are sounding the alarm about the fact that young people are abusing computer games. At the same time, scientists have proven that there are benefits from computer games. In any case, when it comes to everyday and vital skills. Of course, this does not mean at all that you need to sit at the computer all day long. But knowing about the benefits of such games is very useful.

1. Concentration and control

Call of Duty
Everyone knows that the best games are hard ones. Defeating a seemingly "impossible" boss or earning a "super tricky" achievement is rewarding. This dopamine rush really teaches people perseverance and personal responsibility.

The “reward” that the brain receives teaches a person to concentrate while doing something and helps him control the situation around him. These skills are easily applied in the real world.

2. Therapy

"SPARX"
In 2012, a research group in New Zealand used a game called "SPARX" to treat depressed teenagers. It is worth noting that this game was specially designed to provide therapy to children. The study involved 168 adolescents with an average age of 15 who suffered from depression.

Half of them were used as a control group and were regularly interviewed by psychologists, while the other played SPARX. The SPARX user group showed encouraging results, with 44% of players fully recovering from their depression, compared to 26% in the control group.

3. Marriage

"Pokemon Go"
Games that have a big following or social aspect can really help make new friends. Some games even require a person to walk more in the fresh air (for example, "Pokemon-Go"). The real benefit in this case lies in the community that is formed for the shared experience.

Game conventions, online multiplayer sessions, and competitions help players meet new people and make friendships of interest. What's more, some happy married couples met through online gaming.

4. Everyday reading skills

"Rayman Raving Rabbids"
In February 2013, Italian researchers presented evidence that computer games can help everyday skills such as reading. Were taken two groups of children aged 7 to 13 years.

One group played "Rayman Raving Rabbids" and the other a slower game. When the reading skills of the two groups were tested after some time, it was found that those who played the action game could read faster and more accurately.

5. Multitasking

Call of Duty
The intense situational awareness and control required when playing shoot-em-up games such as Call of Duty appear to improve gamers' ability to engage in visual and auditory tasks simultaneously.

It may seem obvious, but this really helps in real life. Multitasking development is a great skill to master for everyday life. It helps performance in general.

6. Memory, motor skills, navigation

"Super Mario 64"
In 2013, German researchers studied how old PC games like Super Mario 64 affected the brains of gamers. They asked 23 adults aged 25 to play Super Mario 64 for 30 minutes a day for two months. The researchers also had a control group that didn't play the games at all.

The results were just amazing. After scanning the brains of gamers and controls using an MRI machine, gamers were found to have a marked increase in gray matter in their right hippocampus, right prefrontal cortex, and cerebellum. These are areas responsible for memory, strategy, fine motor skills, and spatial navigation.

7. Better vision

series "Wolfenstein"
A 2009 study from the University of Rochester found that shooting bad guys can improve eyesight. Players who enjoyed shooting pixelated enemies in games such as Unreal Tournament 2004 or Call of Duty benefited from enhanced contrast sensitivity.

This is the ability to distinguish subtle changes in the brightness of an image. What's more, it's one of the first visual skills children develop, and it gets weaker over time. The researchers also believe that computer games may be used in the future to correct poor vision.

8. Intelligence level

Call of Duty
While it is not clear whether computer games improve general intelligence, it seems that they help teach a person new skills and strengthen them. This does not necessarily mean that a person will become smarter.

There are several games that have been developed to improve problem solving ability, critical thinking and reading comprehension. Of course, there are also a large number of educational apps and games for kids of all ages.

9. General quality of life

"Unreal Tournament"
Whether a person is a hardcore gamer or not, a PC game can improve their overall quality of life. She can, for example, improve his physical fitness or help him achieve his goal. If you think of yourself as a level 1 character, you can identify areas that need improvement.

After that, you need to work on these abilities and monitor your progress. So you can "work through" almost all aspects of life. You can use strategies that have been developed in games and apply them in real life to achieve your goals.

BONUS

Those who are completely against computer games should learn about.

Copies on this topic have already been broken quite a lot. There are parents who believe that games develop, there are those who uncompromisingly fight with computer toys. How does it work anyway?

What do computer games develop?
There are many genres of games. The most popular games for boys are action games: shooting games, fighting, monster destruction. Such games can develop reaction speed, attention. Simulators that allow you to feel in the pilot's seat or behind the wheel of a racing car also develop these psychophysical parameters. Strategies teach you how to think, role-playing multiplayer games teach you how to interact with people. Many experts in education warn that development should concern not only the physical qualities of the child, but also the internal ones. For example, mental maturity, goal setting will not help develop computer games.

Danger to life?
It can also be said that in some cases computer games can be deadly. In 2005, after many hours of non-stop playing World of Warcraft, a Chinese girl died, and this is not the only case, although, fortunately, they are rare. American experts who watched three thousand children, keen on computer games, argue that the level of anxiety, depression, social phobia increases in children, and the level of academic performance decreases. Psychologists say that gambling is comparable to drug addiction and alcoholism, a person does not notice his addiction, giving more and more time to the game. Games with a cruel plot, where scenes of violence are shown, cause irreparable emotional harm, have a very negative impact on the fragile psyche of a child or teenager.

What to do?
Scolding a child for his hobby is useless. In addition, if you think about it, in most cases it is the parents who are to blame for the fact that this addiction has formed. Many parents do not see anything wrong with giving a very small child a tablet with a game, so it can be occupied for a long time, it will not distract the mother. That is, they themselves teach the child to play from a young age.
If you set out to wean a child from games, remember that you can’t abruptly select a game, you need to gradually limit the time, reducing it to the optimal one. Children 6-7 years old should not play computer games for more than 10 minutes a day, children 8-11 years old can devote 15-20 minutes a day to the game, high school students - up to half an hour.
Try to keep your child busy, get him interested in sports, interesting hobbies, so that he simply does not have time to play. And remember that the best method of education is a personal example. It’s impossible to force a son or daughter to play sports while sitting on the couch, it’s also impossible to wean them off the computer, looking at the TV.

It has long been known that preschool education of children plays an important role. All babies have a mobile nature, an increased sense of curiosity and a low awareness of responsibility. And it will be very difficult for a child who is devoted only to games and entertainment before school to adjust and get used to a new role for him - a student who must behave diligently and calmly in class, listen to the teacher, memorize new material and regularly prepare homework.

Therefore, such attention is paid to preparing the child for school. But during this time, it is necessary not only to instill discipline in the child, to explain to him new rules and responsibilities, and to teach at least elementary counting and reading. It is necessary to develop his motor skills, memory, imagination, reactions and logic. And specialized computer games can become the best assistant in this.

And do not rush to contemptuously grimace and snort indignantly!
These classes will not at all be like entertainment and a waste of time. Child psychologists took part in the development of these programs, and they were created precisely to help you properly and successfully prepare your baby for school, to correct omissions or mistakes made during its development. And the colorfulness and visibility will turn a real lesson into a kind of game and make it easier for the child to perceive new material. Take a closer look, because in order to go to the next level, you need to add the name of the princess from the cubes, to get the sword - to place the pieces correctly, and to find a clue - to solve the puzzle.

And do not worry - modern computer technology is completely safe for your baby and will not bring him any harm if you follow some rules and explain their importance to your child. First, of course, the baby should not spend too much time at the computer. For children from 3 to 5 years old, twenty minutes a day will be enough, and for older children, 6-10 years old, you can practice from half an hour to forty-five minutes.

Explain to the child that he should:
- do not touch the wires and parts of the machine that are not related to the lesson;
- do not touch sockets;
- be careful with the keyboard and mouse;
- do not sit too close to the monitor screen - it should be no closer than the outstretched arm from the child's eyes;
- in case of a computer malfunction or program malfunction, call your parents and do not touch anything yourself.

What are computer games and how can they help your child get ready for school?
Specialists divide them into several types, according to their purpose:
- developing logical thinking and memory of the child;
- improving coordination of movements (fine motor skills of hands);
- developing counting and reading skills;
- developing fantasy and three-dimensional perception;
- developing the artistic taste and ear for music of the child.

Consider, for example, the development of memory.
Psychologists say that the problem with children is that they do not know how to remember things and events as needed. The memory of babies works spontaneously, remembering only the most vivid and emotionally strong impressions that cannot but “burn into memory”. And, going to school, a first grader simply needs to be able to memorize new knowledge "as needed", and not spontaneously.
How does the game work? She simply puts the baby in front of the need to remember something in order to use it during the game, and the colorfulness and unusualness of impressions facilitate this process, contribute to memorization.
The most popular games of this class are, for example, games where you need to assemble a picture from small pieces, for which the whole picture is shown for some time. Or find and remove all paired pictures from the group, while all the pictures are closed, and you can open no more than two at the same time. Or remember the location of a group of objects, and then, when they are mixed, arrange them in their places or indicate the missing ones.

Very useful games that develop the thinking of the child. Have you noticed how difficult it is for a baby to adjust to counting "in his mind" without using his own fingers, or to learn to read "to himself" and not aloud? This happens because the child needs to rely on some external means that are symbols for him (fingers when counting). Games help the baby gradually abstract from things that really exist in the world. So, starting with objects that are well known to the child, for example, apples or dolls, letting the child understand that these are just signs, and not real things, the program gradually changes them, transforming them into unreal objects that do not exist in reality, thus developing the sign function of consciousness. , that is, the understanding that there are several levels of reality of the world around us - these are real objects, and pictures with their image, and words, and our thoughts ... So the child learns to operate not only with real things that he can touch, but also with images . Here, games are good for finding a logical pair or distributing objects according to some principle.

There are also programs that contribute to the formation of the so-called sensory standards in the child, which, in turn, ensure the formation of important mental qualities. In such programs, color or size standards are often hidden in some object, and the task of the child is to find the desired standard.

Well, there is no need to talk about the importance of developing the child's motor reactions! After all, even in primary school some children have difficulty with the concepts of "right" and "left", difficulties with recording "by ear" - psychologists call this the coordination of the joint activity of the visual (or auditory) and motor analyzers). A computer game, on the other hand, can easily help in overcoming these problems. Indeed, in any game, the child must simultaneously press certain keys (which develops the small muscles of the hands and prepares the child for writing) and follow what is happening on the screen. And on how quickly the child can change the position of the hero of the game by pressing the desired key, its final depends.

An important role is played by the selection of a program that is suitable for your baby by age. Of course, if you plant a five-year-old kid for a colorful and uncomplicated quest, there will be little benefit.

For the youngest children, games for the development of perception are recommended. For example, to assemble a picture from several parts, put the figures in their places, for example, collect a doctor's bag or settle animals in their habitats. Also, games are suitable where you need to find a "hidden" figure or object, or compare two drawings.

For children 5-7 years old, games that require the child to use his creative qualities will be good. For example, create a character (if everything is done correctly, he comes to life), draw a picture of a certain content. At the same time, in addition, it is also recommended to ask the child to come up with a name for the hero, tell who he is, compose some kind of story with his participation, which, moreover, can be illustrated on a computer. Your help will be indispensable here - if your child is experiencing some difficulties, start the story yourself and let him continue it.

From the age of 8, the so-called design games will be useful, in which it is necessary to assemble a certain geometric figure from several data, or, conversely, break it into given parts. Games with labyrinths or simple and colorful adventure quests with logical riddles and tasks for quick wit and reaction are also suitable.

But there is no need to think that a computer is a magician that will easily prepare your kid for school, develop the necessary abilities and skills in him. A lot will depend on you. Interest the child, support this interest, unobtrusively suggest, push to the right decision.

And, of course, your praise and smile are very important! Do not forget that your classes are still studies. And it is you who are the teacher, and the computer with all its capabilities is nothing more than a tool designed to help you cope with the responsible and difficult task of preschool education of a child.