Video games help kids learn

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By Kaori Kato (544)

Summary
Researchers said that “certain types of video games” can be helpful tools that increase younger children’ “problem –solving potential to improving the suturing skills of laparoscopic surgeons.” One study showed “ the younger kids are focusing more on their planning and problem solving while they are actually playing the game” than older kids. Another study found laparoscopic surgeons “who played video games were 27 percent faster at advanced surgical procedures and made 37 percent fewer errors than” surgeons who did not. In addition, a study about people who play an online game “World of Warcraft” found that “the game encouraged scientific thinking, like using systems and models for understanding situations and using math and testing to investigate problems.” On the other hand, other researches suggest “students who played violent games tended to be more hostile, less forgiving and believed violence to be normal compared to those who played nonviolent games.”

My Opinion
I have never thought that video games, especially violent one, help children improve their “problem-solving potential”, so this article surprised me and was very interesting for me because it gave me an opposite idea to me. I had thought video games made children go bad, for example, they do not study and play outside with their friends until I read this article. I think this result is good. However, one thing I am worried about is that “students who played violent games tended to be more hostile, less forgiving and believed violence to be normal compared to those who played nonviolent games.” If this kind of doctors increases, I will not want to go to hospital. However, this research is good for parents who want their children to be doctors, and they will not tell their children to stop playing video games less than now if they know about this study.