I didn’t read and don’t really care about video-game psych studies. My impression is based on the observation that playing—in general—is a highly useful, probably indispensable, part of growing up. And it’s not obvious to me that the mediation of a computer screen kills all the usefulness of play.
For an example, consider something like throwing a ten-year-old into an open gaming world (even if single-player, e.g. Skyrim). I have a pronounced impression that his intellectual facilities will get excellent exercise out of figuring how things work and what one can do with them. That’s not something easily measurable and not something you’d ever find in a psych study—but that doesn’t mean the effect does not exit.
I am also fairly skeptical that video games substitute perfectly for, say, TV rather than reading or other more potentially useful forms of leisure
I don’t know about perfection but many (non-obsessive) people game as relaxation, when they’re tired and not in the mood for real effort. In many cases the computer game is replacing TV time. I have a strong opinion that playing computer games is better than watching TV (subject to the usual YMMV, of course).
I didn’t read and don’t really care about video-game psych studies. My impression is based on the observation that playing—in general—is a highly useful, probably indispensable, part of growing up. And it’s not obvious to me that the mediation of a computer screen kills all the usefulness of play.
For an example, consider something like throwing a ten-year-old into an open gaming world (even if single-player, e.g. Skyrim). I have a pronounced impression that his intellectual facilities will get excellent exercise out of figuring how things work and what one can do with them. That’s not something easily measurable and not something you’d ever find in a psych study—but that doesn’t mean the effect does not exit.
I don’t know about perfection but many (non-obsessive) people game as relaxation, when they’re tired and not in the mood for real effort. In many cases the computer game is replacing TV time. I have a strong opinion that playing computer games is better than watching TV (subject to the usual YMMV, of course).