The study deduced that students who played online video games nearly every day scored 15 more points than average in math and reading tests and 17 points above average in science tests. Use of “online games”, both single and multiplayer, was one area of the questionnaire, though individual games were not named. It concludes that the more frequent the social networking usage, the bigger the difference.
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The research, published in the most recent issue of the International Journal of Communication, finds that students who play online games almost every day scored 15 points above average in math and 17 points above average in science.
Professor Alberto Posso, the report’s author, said: “When you play online games you’re solving puzzles to move to the next level and that involves using some of the general knowledge and skills in maths, reading and science that you’ve been taught during the day”.
RMIT University’s school of economics, finance and marketing associate professor Alberto Posso says the results of a study conducted by the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) suggests teenagers who played video games nearly every day scored above average results in maths and science.
A study was conducted on 12,000 15-year-old students across the country and discovered gaming allowed the teens to perform 20 points about the average in maths, reading and science. The study looked at the correlation between academic scores and the children’s personal interests and activities outside of school, including internet usage. It is highly possible that students who are gifted with math and science tend to play video games in their spare time. The study doesn’t detail which specific games could benefit or harm students, so it’s unclear whether hunting Pikachu could lead to better grades.
The students also filled out forms highlighting their socio-economic backgrounds as well as their personal lifestyle choices.
The institution found that playing games could help students in sharpening skills learned at school, and then applying them elsewhere.
Repeating an academic year or skipping classes could be as bad or worse for scores than high use of social media.
In results that will surprise few, the study found that the same academic advantage was not enjoyed by those who spent a greater amount of time on social media.
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However, not all researchers believe that the study is conclusive.
