Effects Of Video Game Experience Research Articles

Video gaming, but not reliance on GPS, is associated with spatial navigation performance

Recent evidence suggests that greater reliance on GPS-assisted devices is associated with poorer navigation ability. Studies have also shown that video gaming may be associated with navigation ability. We investigated the effect of video game experience and reliance on GPS on navigation ability using the mobile app Sea Hero Quest, which has been shown to predict real-world wayfinding performance. We tested a group of US-based participants' wayfinding performance (n = 822, 367 men, 455 women, mean age = 26.3 years, range = 18–52 years) and asked them a series of questions relating to reliance on GPS and video game experience. A multiple linear regression model found no significant association between reliance on GPS and wayfinding performance. There was a significant association between weekly hours of video gaming and wayfinding performance. These findings provide a platform for future intervention-based research studies investigating whether daily activities may causally enhance or disrupt specific cognitive abilities.

Do action video games make safer drivers? The effects of video game experience on simulated driving performance

Research suggests, action video games (AVGs) can benefit cognitive performance across multiple domains including attention, visual-spatial awareness, psychomotor control, and executive functioning. Many of these domains overlap with the skills needed to safely drive a vehicle. We therefore predicted that experience playing AVGs may be associated with improved driving performance and greater spare capacity. One-hundred-and-thirty-eight participants who varied in action video game experience, completed a driving simulation under distracted and non-distracted conditions. Driving performance was measured through participants’ ability to maintain a consistent speed and lane position, and their spare cognitive capacity (via detection response task; DRT). Results showed participants with experience playing AVGs performed significantly better than non-gamers, demonstrating lower speed variability, improved lane maintenance, and better performance on the DRT. The effects of distraction were predictably observed, though distraction negated the improvements to DRT response times for AVG players. These findings indicate action video game players had better driving performance and increased spare cognitive capacity compared to individuals who did not play AVGs and highlight a potential avenue for improving driver safety through video game use.

Video game experience affects performance, cognitive load, and brain activity in laparoscopic surgery training.

Video games can be a valuable tool for surgery training. Individuals who interact or play video games tend to have a better visuospatial ability when compared to non-gamers. Numerous studies suggest that video game experience is associated with faster acquisition, greater sharpening, and longer retention of laparoscopic skills. Given the neurocognitive complexity of surgery skill, multimodal approaches are required to understand how video game playing enhances laparoscopy skill. Twenty-seven students with no laparoscopy experience and varying levels of video game experience performed standard laparoscopic training tasks. Their performance, subjective cognitive loading, and prefrontal cortical activity were recorded and analyzed. As a reference point to use in comparing the two novice groups, we also included data from 13 surgeons with varying levels of laparoscopy experience and no video game experience. Results indicated that video game experience was correlated with higher performance (R2 = 0.22, p <0.01) and lower cognitive load (R2 = 0.21, p <0.001), and the prefrontal cortical activation of students with gaming experience was relatively lower than those without gaming experience. In terms of these variables, gaming experience in novices tended to produce effects similar to those of laparoscopy experience in surgeons. Our results suggest that along the dimensions of performance, cognitive load, and brain activity, the effects of video gaming experience on novice laparoscopy trainees are similar to those of real-world laparoscopy experience on surgeons. We believe that the neural underpinnings of surgery skill and its links with gaming experience need to be investigated further using wearable functional brain imaging.

Effect of video game experience on the simulated flight task: the role of attention and spatial orientation

ABSTRACT Objective In this study, we investigated the advantages of attention allocation and spatial orientation among video game players (VGPs) and non-video game players (NVGPs) and explored the performance differences between the two groups in flight simulations. Method Thirty candidates from a Chinese university were categorised as VGPs and NVGPs before participating in all tests. Results The comparison of flight performance and eye movement indicators between the two groups showed that the flight performance of VGPs was significantly better than that of NVGPs. We then found that an attention shift task and group factors predicted flight performance during take-off, while spatial orientation and tracking tasks have direct and indirect effects on cruise task performance, respectively. Eye movement indicators can directly predict flight performance to a certain extent. Conclusion We believe that the transfer effect of game experience in simulated flight tasks assisted VGPs in using top-down processing strategies in the flight process, and in better allocating cognitive resources. KEY POINTS What is already known about this topic: The advantages of attention allocation and spatial orientation among video game players (VGPs) and non-video game players (NVGPs). This difference not only caused by gaming experience, but also comes from the interaction of gaming experience and individual differences. The VGPs perform better on simulated flight mission. We speculated that gaming practice had assisted VGPs in using top-down processing strategies in the flight process, and in better allocating cognitive resources. VGPs did not depend solely on low-level cognitive abilities to finish tasks, but rather could rapidly understand the relevant situation and task in order to choose a proper attention allocation strategy, that visual search patterns must be adapted according to different situations, as opposed to reliance on a single parallel or sequence search. What this topic adds: The promotional effects of gaming experience occurred in high-level cognitive processing, but this effect was also observed in low-level ability tests. The key to promoting and maintaining excellent long-term performance are comprehensive cognitive skills, advanced cognitive skills, the establishment of mental models, and adaptive top-down processing strategies. The aviation training system design should not stop at elemental training to improve general cognitive abilities, but should be a comprehensive ability-training game in order to improve training efficiency for pilots. In order to establish a cognitive ability video game training system for pilots in the future, further exploration is needed to understand whether the transfer effect would occur in real world flight missions.

The effects of gender, age, and videogame experience on performance and experiences with a surgical robotic arm: an exploratory study with general public.

Robotic surgery is increasing in prevalence, thanks to its potential benefits for patients (e.g., reduced blood loss) and surgeons (e.g., ergonomics). It is important to know what inherent characteristics of potential surgeons may facilitate robotic surgery training and performance. Findings from previous studies indicate videogames can be inexpensive tools that help improve hand-eye coordination, coordination of 3-D movements with 2-D images, and spatial orientation. In the context of robotic-assisted knee arthroscopy using a MAKO robotic arm, this study explored performance and subjective experiences of novices (N = 104) with a fake bone shaving task at a public event. Participants' performance was measured based on how much of the bone they successfully shaved. Findings showed that duration ofvideogame play per week was negatively related to performance with the robotic arm. Male and female participants performed similarly on the bone shaving task, and reported similar difficulty with and enjoyment of the task. However, female participants who played videogames performed better than those who did not play videogames. Participants who were younger than 11 had the worst performance and the most difficulty with the robotic arm. Overall, the findings indicate that the effect of videogame experience on the performance with the robotic arm may differ based on gender and age. This has implications on the length of training for surgeons of different gender using videogames and other emerging technologies.

Gaming experience affects the interpretation of ambiguous words.

Rodd et al. (2016) report that recreational rowers’ acquisition of sport-related terminology affected their interpretation of words that have both rowing-related and non-rowing-related meanings (e.g., crab). The extent to which the rowing- and non-rowing-related meanings were accessible to the participants depended on experiential factors, such as how long the participant had been a rower, and how long it had been since they last rowed. We present two experiments that attempt to replicate these findings with another group of hobbyists, namely video game players. Experiment 1 examined the differences in word meaning choice between gamers and non-gamers. Participation in video-gaming lead to participants generating more gaming-related word meanings in a word association task. Experiment 2 further examined the effects of video gaming experience on the lexical representation of gaming-related words. Participants who had spent more years as gamers were more likely to produce gaming-related word meanings in a word association task. The effect of time spent gaming was no longer significant when we took into account whether the participant engaged with video-game related media (such as YouTube channels or gaming-related message boards). This finding helps us to refine our understanding of the results reported by Rodd et al. (2016), suggesting that it may not be the time spent in an activity that affects the interpretation of ambiguous words, but rather the specific exposure to activity-related vocabulary.

Tu1040 VIDEO GAME EXPERIENCE IS POSITIVELY CORRELATED WITH FASTER IMPROVEMENT ON ENDOSCOPY HANDLING SKILLS

The development of strong hand-eye coordination and psychomotor skills are crucial in endoscopy. Given the limited hours and procedural opportunities for endoscopy trainees, it is important to recognize factors that may aid or enhance in the acquisition of psychomotor skills. A recent study showed that video game training improved trainee performance in advanced virtual reality endoscopic simulators. In addition, video gaming experience has been linked to higher baseline laparoscopic skills. We sought to explore the effects of video gaming experience on endoscopic skills. We hypothesize that video game experience is positively correlated with baseline endoscope handling skills. We recruited first year gastroenterology trainees to participate in a six-week simulator-based training program from October to November 2019. We provided all trainees a previously validated simulator2 to practice tip control and scope handling by hitting 28 target points throughout the simulator. We instructed trainees to complete their practice runs as quickly as possible (expert endoscopist completion rate from previous study=mean 75 seconds (95%CI, 60-100s) following specified scope handling criteria. We abstracted participant demographics (age, sex, hand length, and hand span) and whether they had significant experience in video gaming, sports, and musical instruments. Our primary outcome was the number of runs needed before being able to consistently complete a trial run under 100 seconds. Our secondary outcome was the minimum completion time or the fastest time it took a trainee to complete one trial run. We performed descriptive statistics. We received exempt status from the local IRB. We enrolled 28 first-year gastroenterology trainees. We excluded one trainee who did not meet competency or finish the program in the analysis. A detailed list of the participant demographics is shown in Table. The gaming group reached the outer limit of 95%CI of expert-level competency (100-second completion rate) at a significantly faster rate than the non-gaming group (19.6±19.6 trial runs vs 45.5±23.2 trial runs, p=0.0044) (Figure). On average, those in the gaming group had a faster minimum completion time for one trial run, although the difference was not statistically significant (48±15 seconds vs 52±12 seconds, p=0.21). There were no significant differences for the age, hand length, and hand span between the trainees with significant gaming experience (n=14) and trainees without significant gaming experience (n=13). Both groups had similar athletic and musical experience. Video game experience is positively correlated with the faster acquisition of scope handling skills. We show that a cohort of fellows with previous video-gaming experience are able to acquire competency at twice the rate of their peers without video-gaming experience.FigureOn average, the gaming group took 19.6+19.6 trial runs to achieve competency and the non-gaming group took 45.5+23.24 runs. The difference between the two is statistically significant (p=0.0044).View Large Image Figure ViewerDownload Hi-res image Download (PPT)

Intrinsic Resting-State Activity in Older Adults With Video Game Experience.

Playing video games is a prevalent leisure activity in current daily life, and studies have found that video game experience has positive effects in several cognitive domains. However, few studies have examined the effect of video game experience on the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF) among older adults. In the current study, we compared behavioral performance in the flanker task and ALFF activities of older adults, of whom 15 were video game players (VGPs) and 18 non-video game players (NVGPs). The results showed that VGPs outperformed NVGPs in the flanker task and that VGPs showed significantly increased ALFF relative to NVGPs in the left inferior occipital gyrus, left cerebellum and left lingual gyrus. Furthermore, the ALFF in the left inferior occipital gyrus and left lingual gyrus was positively correlated with cognitive performance as measured by Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores. These results revealed that playing video games might improve behavioral performance and change intrinsic brain activity in older adults. Future video game training studies in older adults are warranted to provide more evidence of the positive effects of video game experience on behavioral and brain function.

Perspective and strategy interactively modulate sex differences in a 3D navigation task

Sex differences in navigation performance have been attributed to sex differences in information processing during navigation. Perspective refers to the viewpoint of the navigator, with previous work suggesting that men tend to use an allocentric perspective, while women tend to use an egocentric perspective during navigation. Furthermore, different navigation strategies may be used when moving from point A to B, with previous work suggesting that men tend to use a Euclidian strategy, while women tend to use a landmark-based strategy. However, it has not been studied whether perspective and strategy affect sex differences in navigation interactively or independently of each other. The present study aimed to investigate the interactive effects of perspective and strategy on sex differences in a 3D navigation task. In different levels of the task, perspective and strategy were modulated in a 2 × 2 design via different instructions. Potential mediating effects of video gaming experience and sex hormone levels were addressed. We found that men outperformed women in all levels of the navigation task. However, the male advantage was more pronounced using the allocentric perspective compared to the egocentric perspective. When using the allocentric perspective, men showed better performance using a Euclidian strategy while women showed better performance using a landmark-based strategy. The strategy did not modulate performance under the egocentric perspective. Accordingly, sex differences in navigation were interactively modulated by perspective and strategy. These effects were not explained by sex differences in video gaming experience or sex hormone levels.

The effect of video game experience and the ability to handle workload and workload transitions

Dynamic and complex domains, like those found in the military and healthcare require operators to experience and cope with changes in task demands, i.e. workload transitions. The literature has shown individual differences affect a person’s ability to handle workload transitions, but the role of individual experience has not been thoroughly examined. The focus of this work aims to understand how the role of video game experience, affects an individual’s ability to handle workload transitions in the context of simulated unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) control. Twenty-one participants completed a UAV simulation under four workload scenarios: low, high, gradual shift from low to high, and sudden shift from low to high. Performance was compared across self-reported video-game players (VGPs) and non-video game players (NVGPs). Overall accuracy for VGPs was higher than NVGPs. This line of work provides the foundation to understand the effect of video game experience, which can help inform training programs and workplace design for operators in various data-rich environments.

The care and testing of video-game players: Using patterns of performance to provide insight into the effects of video-game experience and expertise.

The care and testing of video-game players: Using patterns of performance to provide insight into the effects of video-game experience and expertise.

Effects of Videogame Experience on Laparoscopic Skill Acquisition

The apprenticeship model used to teach surgical residents is no longer adequate, especially in laparoscopic surgery training. The other alternatives available, such as simulators or animal models, can be expensive and difficult to implement. This study was conducted to explore the effect of videogame experience on surgical skill acquisition. We hypothesized that a week of videogame playing would improve performance on a surgical skills trainer and that performance on the videogame would reflect performance on the trainer. Thirty participants were tested in a between-subjects mixed design. Results were inconclusive. However, the use of videogames for training may be justified given the minimal cost. The idea of training surgeons using an inexpensive technology that is familiar, and that is fun and engaging at the same time, has considerable potential for the field of training in surgery.