Video games and board games: Effects of playing practice on cognition

A critical hit: Dungeons and Dragons as a buff for autistic people

LAY ABSTRACT

Tabletop role-playing games (TTRPGs) are popular hobbies that may offer specific social benefits for autistic people. This study investigated the ability of TTRPGs to provide a safe space where autistic adults could develop relationships with other autistic adults while engaging in character and world-building. A group of eight autistic adults were split into two groups and taken through a short-form online Dungeons and Dragons campaign over 6 weeks run by one of the researchers. The researcher then led a series of individual semi-structured interviews discussing how participants felt interacting in and out of the TTRPG. Several key themes were identified as important aspects of why autistic people could benefit from such an environment. Analysis showed that while real-life interactions could be challenging, in TTRPG play, they felt they experienced significantly fewer struggles. Results suggested that TTRPGs can provide a safe space environment where autistic adults can engage in productive social interactions with like-minded individuals. It also may allow autistic participants to experience 'bleed' or the ability to take on a new character that changes the way they feel about themselves outside of the game. Future directions for this work are discussed.

Serious games to assess students

This paper describes experiments where students were assessed using the Serious Games (SGs) they created. The first experiment is with students attending our "Business Games" module for the master's degree in "Innovation" at the Tunis Engineering School. The second experiment involved students enrolled in our "Introduction to Data Science" module of the master's degree in "Data Sciences" at the High Institute of Management of Tunis. We requested each section's students to design a game related to the covered module. Through innovative assessment practices, we hope to motivate students. We aimed to confirm that creating games reinforced students' mastery of the module content. At the end of the semester, students presented their games, and some of them are described here. The results of the questionnaire filled out by the students at the end of these experiments revealed that, despite their different profiles, they appreciated these experiments and their influence on mastering the modules' contents. This article introduces the SG and its use in assessment. It also discusses the importance of creating serious games by the learner and how it affects learning. Even though some students mentioned that creating their games took more time than studying for a traditional exam, they believed the experiment as a whole was positive and enjoyed the innovation. Therefore, to construct the game, students reviewed the content of the module more than once. Additionally, students asked for the experiment to continue and expand to additional modules the following year.

Tackling cognitive decline in late adulthood: Cognitive interventions

Affordable and easy-to-administer interventions such as cognitive training, cognitively stimulating everyday leisure activities, and non-invasive brain stimulation techniques, are promising avenues to counteract age-related cognitive decline and support people in maintaining cognitive health into late adulthood. However, the same pattern of findings emerges across all three fields of cognitive intervention research: whereas improvements within the intervention context are large and often reliable, generalisation to other cognitive abilities and contexts are severely limited. These findings suggest that while cognitive interventions can enhance the efficiency with which people use their existing cognitive capacity, these interventions are unlikely to expand existing capacity limits. Therefore, future research investigating generalisation of enhanced efficiency constitutes a promising avenue for developing reliably effective cognitive interventions.

Gamification in the classroom: Kahoot! As a tool for university teaching innovation

Objectives

The purpose of this study has been to evaluate the use of gamification in the classroom, in terms of its effects on attention, concentration, creativity, and generic capabilities, for university students enrolled in a Bachelor's degree program in Physiotherapy.

Methods

An experimental design was implemented, using three groups differentiated by their time of exposure to the game (0 min, 30 min, or 60 min per week). The sample consisted of 73 s-year students from a Bachelor's degree program in Physiotherapy. The theoretical content for each class was taught during a period of 4 months, reinforced by use of the Kahoot! Online platform. Selective attention and concentration were evaluated using the d2 Test of Attention; creative intelligence using the Creative Intelligence Test (CREA); and generic capabilities using the capabilities subscale of the Student Engagement Questionnaire (SEQ).

Results

The study's participants had a mean age of 19.51 ± 0.9 years, and it has demonstrated that use of Kahoot! For longer periods of time, i.e., more than 60 min per day, can improve essential skills in university students, such as attention, creativity, critical thinking, self-managed learning, adaptability, problem solving, and computer literacy. This study's results show that integrating Kahoot! Into the educational environment, especially with longer sessions that allow for deeper immersion in the game, produces benefits by stimulating various cognitive aspects and enhancing complex skills.

Conclusion

This study has demonstrated that use of Kahoot! Improves key skills such as attention, creativity, and critical thinking, especially when longer sessions are used. It is also suggested that its use should be balanced with other educational activities, in order to achieve comprehensive development for the students.

Practical psychiatry: Taking gaming seriously - a primer for psychiatrists on gamers and gaming culture

OBJECTIVE

Up to three billion, of the eight billion people in the world, play videogames. Gaming is a significant global sociocultural influence. This primer will aid psychiatrists in understanding sociocultural milieux of gamers, who include patients and their communities.

METHOD

A rapid narrative review.

RESULTS

Benefits include expression of personality, identity and culture through social aspects of gaming. Improved physical health, neurocognition, self-efficacy and quality of life are associated with gaming in those with certain mental health disorders including schizophrenia. Harms may include in-game discrimination, disordered gaming, as well as encouragement of online gambling. There is no longitudinal association between violent games and youth aggression.

CONCLUSIONS

Psychiatrists should enquire about gaming as part of the sociocultural milieux of patients' lives, and the perceived mental health benefits and harms of gaming.