No longer just a game

There was a time when you’d think of gaming and imagine a bunch of socially-apathetic kids spending hours gawking at a bright, big screen. Well, that image may not hold true for much longer – gaming today has travelled a long way from being pure entertainment to be seen as a more productive exercise.

Many uses for gaming have been found – the fact that there are different games requiring either a sense of competition, discipline, or a creative/ analytical ability among the players, is a medium ideal for training any individual. Many sectors are today finding a strong use for these in their operations.

Defence details

Among the first to adopt gaming technology has been the defence services. Interestingly though, this is a reversal from yesteryear when military technology was usually only later adapted for civilian use. There are many reasons for why commercial technology is now increasingly being used by the military – defence budgets have become tighter over the years so developing proprietary technology is expensive, and the commercial market offers a much bigger scale to make profits.

Also, gaming computers and consoles such as Microsoft’s Xbox 360, Sony Playstation 3 and Nintendo Wii now offer much more processing power and hi-end graphics technology at a very competitive price as compared to the available military-grade technology. In fact, both the US Army and Navy have experimented with separate projects where hundreds of Playstation consoles have been linked up to build a supercomputer based on Linux.

Meanwhile, strategy games such as World of Warcraft, Age of Empires/Mythology and Starcraft help the officers/commanders build critical decision-making skills. Today’s high quality graphics also help soldiers create an almost life-like environment for training.

“Games are much more realistic today in terms of design and content. Games, such as Battlefield, can be used to create a real-time war environment and help in devising strategies. It keeps a person sharp,” says Mr John Klepper, Creative Director and Founder of Imagination Studios. The Swedish firm specialises in animation and motion capture work for major studios.

The various flight simulators available in the market help air force pilots train with much less costs. In fact, operating remotely-controlled weapons and spy equipment, such as drones, is not really much more than sitting in front of a screen with an Xbox 360 joystick in the hand. While tank simulators can also be used to train the army’s operators/engineers, drivers in motorsports can also use the gamut of racing games available, such as Electronic Arts’ Need For Speed series, for practice.

Other uses

The corporate sector is also increasingly using games as an exercise for strategy development, team building or just to keep an employee focussed. Delivered in a packaged labelled ‘fun’, this has been seen to work like magic. Many IT/tech firms use gaming as a stress reliever as well, something that also keeps an employee active.

Schools have also discovered the benefits. With kids becoming increasingly tech-savvy, games have found their way into classrooms. “If the kids don’t use such platforms, they will lose interest. The medium of education is changing fast,” said Mr Karl-Magnus Troedsson, CEO of Dice, an EA-owned major Swedish gaming studio. He added that a school in Finland just bought over 200 Apple iPads to teach children various skills.

Many shooter and battle games today have a storyline based on major events in history – such as World War II. These can be used to impart a history lesson to young kids in a more engaging fashion.

“Games also help create professional interest in young kids towards IT and engineering. It helps in building concentration and hand-eye coordination”, added Mr Magnus Jonsson from the Swedish e-Sports Association.

Games like Minecraft also teach the basics of architecture by encouraging building structure from basic blocks. So if a structure is not supported by proper design, it is likely to collapse.

The medical professional is also harnessing the power of gaming. It helps surgeons improve dexterity in their fingers and build concentration.

In physiotherapy and psychiatry, games have also found a fan. Games that require movement, such as tennis, golf and other sport simulation played through motion-sensing technology in the Nintendo Wii, Microsoft Xbox Kinect and Sony Playstation Move, have been found to be an ideal system for exercise. In the West, old age homes and physiotherapy centres are using these to retain interest.

They are also being used to treat autistic children and others with slow learning capabilities. While some studies have shown that games reduce the need of painkillers for terminally-ill patients, adults with certain mental disabilities are also being exposed to games to improve motor functions.

As always, there is a flip side to every story. In this case, there are certain research-based studied that indicate medical conditions in children attached to a gaming addiction. It can start from bed sores, deteriorating eyesight, rheumatism for excessive fixed movements over the remotes, and even progress to social and psychological disorders. There is also a fear of lack of physical development among youngsters who chose computer games over playing a sport outside. One would assume that the answer lies, as with everything else, in moderation in gaming and not excessive abuse.

roudra.b@thehindu.co.in

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