Do gaming skills transfer to other things?

[Jayson]

I mean, if you look at math, for instance, some people say math people are better at music.  OK, well, we know gaming is all about hand-eye coordination - so what is that good for?  Any ideas?  Well, sports is also based on that!

Edited March 12, 2019 by Jayson

[StaceyPowers]

Gaming taught me how to type super fast. It's also taught me some social skills.

[The Blackangel]

Gaming helps with a variety of mental and emotional disorders. It keeps your focus and can often be really therapeutic.  For those of us with things like schizophrenia, anxiety, ADHD, and depression it helps a lot.

[UleTheVee]

In my case, it helped me learn the English language XD

It also has helped me develop some skills like reflexes and APM.

[Heatman]

On 3/12/2019 at 4:50 PM, Jayson said:

I mean, if you look at math, for instance, some people say math people are better at music.  OK, well, we know gaming is all about hand-eye coordination - so what is that good for?  Any ideas?  Well, sports is also based on that!

Playing car race video games was from where I learnt and perfected how to drive cars in real life situations. 

It's helped me become more tactical in some things which I'm involved in. 

[skyfire]

I think there are many non native english gamers who improved their english. And also learned how to use camera, how to stream, how to interview people, how to talk to people on internet. Lot of modern social skills can be learned from this. But it depends on how much success you get for those skills. 

[Reality vs Adventure]

I would think gaming helps with music and things that are timing based. Music requires tempo, and you learn a lot of proper timing and tempo in most games. I also think gaming can help in controlling unmanned mechanics in medical procedures and military technology. 

[Justin11]

Gaming no doubt, improved my driving due to my drive around racing games. I learn lots of driving skills playing different types of racing games. 

[Head_Hunter]

I think gaming at times translate down to passion. When you're passionate about the events of a video game you'll simply learn from it. I enjoy playing soccer real life, that's why I am more into playing soccer games more often. 

[Crazycrab]

On 12/4/2021 at 7:26 PM, Reality vs Adventure said:

I would think gaming helps with music and things that are timing based. Music requires tempo, and you learn a lot of proper timing and tempo in most games.

 

As someone who is beginning to learn to play an instrument, I have to disagree.  In music you are responding to a fixed auditorial tempo but is most games the the response is a reaction to what is happening on screen.  In other words you use your ears, not your eyes.

 

Even if it is a rhythm and/or music based game the reaction isn't an accurate correspondence to the physical movement and/or thinking process of playing the actual instrument.  Take guitar Hero for example, the control and gameplay are designed to somewhat mimic the experience of playing on a real guitar with a guitar shaped controller and button prompts that are in time with the genuine notes of the music.  However, it's doesn't teach you anything about playing on the real thing, in fact it's not even close.

 

On 3/12/2019 at 7:42 PM, StaceyPowers said:

Gaming taught me how to type super fast. It's also taught me some social skills.

 

On 3/14/2019 at 4:34 PM, The Blackangel said:

Gaming helps with a variety of mental and emotional disorders. It keeps your focus and can often be really therapeutic.  For those of us with things like schizophrenia, anxiety, ADHD, and depression it helps a lot.

 

On 3/15/2019 at 6:17 AM, skyfire said:

I think there are many non native english gamers who improved their english. And also learned how to use camera, how to stream, how to interview people, how to talk to people on internet. Lot of modern social skills can be learned from this. But it depends on how much success you get for those skills. 

 

These I agree with.  Gaming is definitely something that provides a safe space where people who are socially anxious or have some other social difficulties to improve their social skills and think that the biggest think it can teach you..... As well as typing!

 

2 hours ago, Justin11 said:

Gaming no doubt, improved my driving due to my drive around racing games. I learn lots of driving skills playing different types of racing games. 

 

This I'm not sure about.  My experience with driving is limited but do think driving in real life is a very different skill to driving in a games.  Epecially on a public road with speed limits, other cars, pedestrians, traffic laws and so on.  I think maybe driving simulation type games like Gran Turismo can be aid to driving on a track with the right setup but generally speaking I would have disagree here as well. 

[Reality vs Adventure]

There is bound to be a connection between music, math, and gaming. People that are good at music tend to be good at math (not the other way around), or the Mozart effect; but of course there is always debate. I was looking up that correlation and found that it's because of spatial temporal reasoning or 'the ability to think ahead several steps' and 'transformation of images in space and time.' Here is an article about neurobiology of music and math.

https://serendipstudio.org/exchange/serendipupdate/correlation-between-music-and-math-neurobiology-perspective

So I was looking into spatial temporal reasoning and gaming, and I haven't found scientific articles, but many sites do indicate that gaming also increases spatial temporal reasoning. So if that's the case, then gaming helps people become better at music. Might be something worth looking up some more. 

[Kane99]

There is definitely a case to be made that being good in video games translates to being good in some other things. I believe hand eye coordination is a big thing gamers have. I mean, who wouldn't have good hand eye coordination after playing games like Need For Speed back in the 2000s. Or the countless FPS games you may have played over the years. You also may have better control in your hands and arms. But I'm no doctor or scientist so can't say for certain. 

But I think it helps in some regards for sure. 

[Justin11]

22 hours ago, Crazycrab said:

This I'm not sure about.  My experience with driving is limited but do think driving in real life is a very different skill to driving in a games.  Epecially on a public road with speed limits, other cars, pedestrians, traffic laws and so on.  I think maybe driving simulation type games like Gran Turismo can be aid to driving on a track with the right setup but generally speaking I would have disagree here as well. 

Their is no point to disagree because that's what's happening to me. I've been with racing about 4-5 years now, my experience have grown really well driving. Not that I simply replicate the kind of reckless driving speed or pattern of racing games, No. I simply learn those amazing feints in racing games, like the amazing fast turn in MGP, and how to do fast turning, dodge pedestrians or opponents motor GP to avoid burst.