Games linked to academic achievement

Playing video games could help young people develop the communications and mental adaptability skills required to succeed at university.‌ A trial, by the University of Glasgow, to assess the effects of playing video games on young people concludes gaming can help young people develop the desired higher education skills sometimes referred to as 'graduate attributes'. Research by Matthew Barr, a lecturer in Information Studies, shows that playing video games actually improved student communication skills, resourcefulness and adaptability and may have a role to play in higher education. Over an eight-week period, undergraduate students in the Arts and Humanities were randomly assigned to either an intervention or a control group. Previously validated, self-report instruments to measure adaptability, resourcefulness and communication skills were administered to both groups. The intervention group played specified video games under controlled conditions over an eight-week period and they showed improvements in communication, adaptability, and resourcefulness scales compared to the control group. This supported the hypothesis that playing video games can improve self-reported graduate skills. Commenting on his research Mr Barr said: "The findings suggest that such game-based learning interventions have a role to play in higher education.