Social Development
Many detractors of video game playing often are clouded by their views due to the negativity that permeates media. Social skills development is an integral part of growth. Although parents and educators at times see digital games as being isolators in providing social interaction and development, games can actually promote relationships by means of interactive connections (Hatch, 2011). Social skills encompass the development of competition, negotiation, role-playing, good sportsmanship, team sports, active listening, turn taking and leadership, plus the ability to trust and connect (Piper, O’Brien, Morris, & Winograd, 2005). Examples for children are Animal Crossing, Skylanders and Infinity, which encourage trust and connectivity. Skylanders and Infinity video games also provide face-to face- connectivity and interaction with peers utilizing character models as an example of a transmedia approach that simulate all types of narratives created by the children themselves.
Massively Multi-Player Online Games (MMOs)
The loneliness that sometimes is experienced by youth may be rectified by the playing of Massively Multi-Player Online (MMOs). The individuals become meshed in a cyber world that affords the prospect to develop communities. The activity of developing the communities in cyberspace is an unrelated relationship that becomes memorable due to the conversation and participations (Elias, 2009).
MMO type games are an example of strong and weak ties (Granovetter, 1974). Many players can create small cliques that they play with, but each player will know others from different groups as well. Some parts of these games allow for large groups to work together to overcome an obstacle or information about certain events in the game will be passed through these strong ties outward to weaker ones. As in Granovetter’s (1974) network the linking or networking occurs and interrelates from a “small-scale into large patterns,” then back into the micro level (p.1360).
Video games encourage social interaction and provide a rationale for “hanging out” and a means to focus on conversation (Olsen, 2010). This is important, especially for adolescent boys, who may find it difficult to interact in different social situations where they may not have common interests with their peers. Also, the chance of competition in a video game platform may afford them the chance to compete in a non-sport environment or may utilize video game sports, such as Madden’s NFL series to enact playing in sports that they may not be geared to play in a real life world. This motivates the player to play for the joy of competition in a virtual world that provides them with a sense of accomplishment and pride in their video game skill (Funk, Chan, Brouwer, & Curtis, 2006). This develops confidence that can carry over to real life social situations.
Massively Multiplayer Online Role Play Games (MMORPGs)
Social skills are further developed in video games by role-playing, known as Massively Multiplayer Online Role Play Games (MMORPGs). Game developers have recognized that importance of the social aspect of games as a means of engaging players. In MMORPG, games are built around the player collaboration, along with competition such as World of Warcraft, which also offers cognitive skills of creativity and problem solving (Barnett, & Coulson, 2010). In conjunction with the collaboration and competition, it encourages the players to form groups, complementing each other as teams but also affording the opportunity to work separately within the group fostering the best abilities of each player (Milton, 2013). As players progress in the game levels, challenges are encountered and emphasize the importance of working with a group for efficiency and success (Milton, 2013). In MMORPG play, “a large group of players that usually share some common in game goal” are called guilds (Milton, 2013, p.4). These guilds or teams cause interaction by forming relationships that collaboratively resolve missions in video games (Melchor, 2012). The skills develop by team work are basic skills that children will need to address situations in their everyday environment.
The Skill of Negotiation
Utilizing role playing in a simulated environment can enhance the skill of negotiation. The virtual simulation acts as the platform. Miglino, De Ferdinando, Rega, and Benincasa (2007) in their research found that the use of avatars (a virtual character created by the player that possess self-designed traits) in online video simulations provides a platform for MMORPG to train players in negotiation skills by allowing the player to control the avatars’ movements, gestures and facial expressions in order to communicate and interact in the community. According to research by Lin, Oshsrat and Krause (2009), results indicate that negotiation skills can be improved by the use of automated, such as video game playing scenarios, rather than actual role playing, where a person is placed in a classical role playing scenario. The virtual simulation provides the player with greater flexibility and freedom of expression.
An example of automated training scenarios is centered in a game called BiLAT, a prototype game developed in collaboration with the U.S. Army Research Institute for Behavioral Social Sciences for training negotiation skills in an Iraqi cultural setting for soldiers (Durlach, Wansbury, & Wilkinson, 2007). The game’s purpose was to train behaviors of trust and relationship-building in a cultural setting. The findings of the research indicated that as little as three hours of training with BiLAT was all that was necessary to increase negotiations skills and to understand the underlying cultural nuances in negotiation. The game design was pedagogically structured, based on relevant narratives that provided the necessary platform for social interaction and an enhanced learning experience (Hill, et al., 2006).
Commercial games such as the Civilization Series utilize the principle of automated negotiation skills training, similar to BiLat, by having the player interact against a simulated negotiator, while World of Warcraft takes negotiation to the next level of interaction. In World of Warcraft the player interacts within a guild or community of players. As the player, whether in Civilization. World of Warcraft or Final Fantasy which stresses collaboration along with negotiations strategies, is presented with challenges and decisions to act, the scenarios become life-like in a virtual world. The player learns how the interaction of negotiation impacts the outcome by his or her skill development. The simulations afford the player to have immediate feedback, thus enabling the player to furtherimprove his or her skills’ level.
Sportsmanship and Video Games
Learning to play games, especially video games with grace and good sportsmanship requires practice. Cooperative games (games that are played in a group or are team dependent) promote collaborative or good sportsmanship skills, also known as etiquette of sportsmanship. Competitive games in a virtual world perfect the techniques of cooperation that can be transferred to real life scenarios. Learning from digital game play provides the player the opportunity to learn and practice moral reasoning, decision making, self-knowledge and a value system based on moral and social interaction. Teaching moral reasoning is perhaps the most difficult social issue (Stoll, & Beller, 2000). Coaches and teachers are faced with the challenge, which is difficult but found relying on video type scenarios to promote cooperation has been the best approach (Hansen, Stoll & Beller, 1999; Hansen, Stoll, & Beller, 2000). The reasoning is that their students can identify with a more digital presentation compared to a dry lecture that the students may or may not even hear.
Developing the Skill of Leadership
MMORPGs offer a means to develop leadership skills. This is important for the future of children in the workplace (Kelly, 2013). The leadership skills that are learned in games like World of Warcraft mirror features that are desirable in a business world of tomorrow, according to the Harvard Business Review (Kelly 2013). The game also provides the player with risk-taking and how to work quickly and efficiently, as well as effectively (Marinho, 2012; Steinberg, 2008). Research by Yee (2006) found that many adolescent players of multiplayer online games when questioned stated that they had learned leadership skills, such as mediation, persuasion and motivation due to the interaction and collaboration with a group that achieved shared goals. Also, games of this type afford the opportunity to exercise multiple roles, including the role of leader (Yee, 2006). This genre also brings together millions of players through the avatars, further honing leadership skills on a global scale (Kelly 2013).
Players of video games who have participated in video game tournaments, according to research by Thirunarayanan and Vilchez (2012) found that the players ability to lead groups had improved over those who never participated in such tournaments. Plus it encourages the functioning as a team member but also as a leader enabling the player’s ability to increase in giving directions to others (Thirunarayanan, & Vilchez, 2012).
Behavioral Theory
The Behavioral Theory as seen by B.F. Skinner, centers on learning by conditioning reinforcement and punishment. His introduction of Operant Conditioning espouses the idea that behavior needs to be reinforced, otherwise it tends to die out. This theory has been the traditional approach to the education process. Reinforcement can be both positive (reward) and negative (removing painful or negative stimulus). The theory can be complex in its execution, but has become the standard in the education process for traditional learning. Gameplay has centered on this theory with the reward and punishment during gameplay. Caregivers and Parents should realize and recognize in video game apps, when the punishment borders on violence, which even though it is a game may have far reaching effects on child development.
Social Development Theory-Constructivism vs. Piaget’s Cognitive Theory
Lev Vygotsky (1978) founded the Social Development Theory, also known as Constructivism , which is the idea that social learning happens first in the learning process, preceding development, a different view than Jean Piaget, who argues that development occurs first.. He states, in the traditional educational process, the teacher is thought to be the person with the higher level of ability and understanding, therefore, is capable of imparting knowledge and motivating the learner to succeed in the performance of a task. Skinner’s Constructivist view is that there is a role reversal, with the child becoming his own instructor, or an “active learner.” This is when the child learns by the developing of the necessary tools to accomplish the task. This is applicable in technology driven app type of games.
This social develop theory is a different approach to cognitive development. Vygotsky places more emphasis on culture shaping cognitive development, contradicting Piaget’s stage theory of development. He also views social factors as contributing to cognitive development, which he termed as the “zone of proximal development” as children and their parents or caregivers co-construct knowledge. In other words, he sees the environment as impacting how children think and what they think about. The Zone of Proximal Development is considered the most sensitive area where instruction and guidance should be given by allowing the child to develop their skills on their own or with minimal guidance as necessary. The interaction with parents or peers he found to be a way of honing skills and strategies as an active learner (McLeod, 2014). The role of language in cognitive development is emphasized, as Piaget (1959) did not acknowledge this as primary but is the result of the thought process in development. Vygotsky sees adults as an important source of cognitive development because they transmit culture and tools of intellectual adaptation, while Piaget’s view is that peers were more important in their interaction than adults ( McLeod, 2014).
The process of scaffolding is integral to Vygotsky’s theoretical approach to learning. The concept offers teacher or caregiver help initially but gradually as the child’s ability increases, the help becomes less and the child develops into an active learner and the teacher or the caregiver have less of a prominent role.
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