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Can video games be part of self improvement?

On the campus the lone gunman kills a group of students and staff, is chased by the police and then kills himself. This nightmare story has been played out several times in recent years.

After the event there is much speculation in the media about the causes of these events.  People naturally need to find out what motivated the assailant,( usually a male youth). The typical profile of this man is:

• He has had a troubled childhood,
• He feels alienated from society
• His class mates thought he was  a bit weird
• He watches violent films
• He plays violent video games

There is also usually a call for violent video games to be banned.

But, are all video games bad and lead to anti-social and violent behaviour?

At the recent Games Developers Conference there was much attention paid to games that allow players to

• set their own goals
• customize their own content
• make their own fun

Do these type of games contribute towards self improvement?

Typical of these type of games is Little Big Planet which relies a great deal on its players’ willingness to use  creation tools.

A new online game Noby Noby Boy encourages players to cooperate with each other to unlock new stages of the game. Once a stage is unlocked it is then available for all the people playing the game.

Ubisoft Montreal creative director, Clint Hocking, argues for less focus on demanding players achieve “mastery” by way of overcoming abuse, and more focus on encouraging expressive improvisation by way of interlocking systems fostering creativity and confidence.

So can video games be part of your self development? This all depends on what type of game. Here are a few suggestions for games that can be part of your self improvement routine:

• Brain Age 2: More Training in Minutes a Day! This game claims to increase your brain power.
• Wii Fit - a game that combines fun and physical fitness
• Rise of Nations Gold - a strategy game that was used in recent research to show psychological benefits of some video games
• A Force More Powerful - aims to educate players by showing how non-violence is a powerful tool in fixing social, racial, religious and political problems
• The Sims 3 - Sims has life goals, wants and fears, the fulfillment of which can produce both positive or negative outcomes.
• Sid Meier’s Civilization IV: Gold Edition - While conflict in Civilization is possible if desired, it’s not required to win. Learn about and control scientific progress, political systems and foreign diplomacy
• SimCity - Build and manage cities and keep your citizens happy

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