Learning by Playing: Taking the Low Road and Coming out on Top

Abstract

This critical review discusses the expanding body of research showing the cognitive benefits of playing video games and seeks to establish a neurological understanding of how skill-transfer perceptual-motor skills learned in video games can occur in relation to the Perceptual-Motor Skill Transfer Model proposed by Rosalie and Muller (2012). Using this model as a framework, studies examining the neural changes induced by video games are examined and their results are extrapolated to determine the extent to which skill transfer can occur between video game environments and real-world tasks. Overall, research into the effects of video games on cortical areas indicates that significant changes in numerous areas related to perceptual learning and motor efficiency occur, suggesting an improvement in cognitive abilities related to these areas. Opposing viewpoints are discussed and inconsistencies in research are addressed by pointing to the conditions indicated throughout the research by which video game training regimens can be best suited to initiate the most improvement in cognition overall.