5 ms·

exactly right. the only thing you get better at by playing a game is that game.

karmakaze 5y ago
I think this is true at the highest levels, but my experience with Go has been anything but. I've matured both on and off the board through playing it.
Jtsummers 5y ago
That seems like an overly strong claim. It's probably true for many games, where skill in the game leads to no meaningful skill or knowledge outside the game short other games with the same or similar mechanic. But that doesn't mean that games, universally, cannot have some value in imparting either knowledge or skill applicable beyond the game itself. Take Factorio, as a for-instance. Intended or not (I've never read what the creators themselves thought about when making the game), it does, if someone pays attention, end up teaching the player both how to apply logic and some understanding of systems theory and basic operations research (optimizations). In particular, trying to manage the flow of objects (much like a real factory) through various points and the assembly/processing time. Now, are people sitting down and ending up with a basic understanding of operations research in a technical sense? Probably not, but in an intuitive sense, I'd wager that most come away with something. Kerbal Space Program is another game that actually does end up forcing players, short absolute brute force like I've seen some people pull off, to consider the rocket equation and orbital dynamics (even if simplified). It spawned multiple series of YouTube videos teaching people higher level math and physics topics. Human Resource Machine and 7 Billion Humans (second a sequel to the first), can't really be brute forced. You have to learn some semblance of programming skills in order to complete all the challenges, short of cheating and finding solutions online. I suppose someone could try every program permutation and never learn anything, but they'd probably not have finished level 2 or 3 even if they started with the games when they were released.
- fnord77 5y ago
  no reasonable trial has found any video game to increase intelligence, which I believe is what the OP was asking about.
marttt 5y ago
While not (directly) a thinking game, I have always thought that playing basketball and handball in my youth taught me how to lose in dignity. Lose without blaming the referee or the other team. It's probably somewhat easier to accept others being objectively better than you in casual adult life situations (e.g. job interviews) when you had to cope with losing in ball games as a kid.

I think this is true at the highest levels, but my experience with Go has been anything but. I've matured both on and off the board through playing it.

Jtsummers 5y ago

That seems like an overly strong claim. It's probably true for many games, where skill in the game leads to no meaningful skill or knowledge outside the game short other games with the same or similar mechanic. But that doesn't mean that games, universally, cannot have some value in imparting either knowledge or skill applicable beyond the game itself. Take Factorio, as a for-instance. Intended or not (I've never read what the creators themselves thought about when making the game), it does, if someone pays attention, end up teaching the player both how to apply logic and some understanding of systems theory and basic operations research (optimizations). In particular, trying to manage the flow of objects (much like a real factory) through various points and the assembly/processing time. Now, are people sitting down and ending up with a basic understanding of operations research in a technical sense? Probably not, but in an intuitive sense, I'd wager that most come away with something. Kerbal Space Program is another game that actually does end up forcing players, short absolute brute force like I've seen some people pull off, to consider the rocket equation and orbital dynamics (even if simplified). It spawned multiple series of YouTube videos teaching people higher level math and physics topics. Human Resource Machine and 7 Billion Humans (second a sequel to the first), can't really be brute forced. You have to learn some semblance of programming skills in order to complete all the challenges, short of cheating and finding solutions online. I suppose someone could try every program permutation and never learn anything, but they'd probably not have finished level 2 or 3 even if they started with the games when they were released.

fnord77 5y ago
no reasonable trial has found any video game to increase intelligence, which I believe is what the OP was asking about.

marttt 5y ago

While not (directly) a thinking game, I have always thought that playing basketball and handball in my youth taught me how to lose in dignity. Lose without blaming the referee or the other team. It's probably somewhat easier to accept others being objectively better than you in casual adult life situations (e.g. job interviews) when you had to cope with losing in ball games as a kid.