Want To Boost Creativity?

Iowa State University research has shown that video games that encourage creativity can enhance creativity in certain circumstances. The study tested the effect of playing Minecraft in a manner that included or without instruction, to watching a TV show or playing racing car video games. The players who were allowed to play Minecraft without instruction were most innovative.

"It''s not just that Minecraft can encourage creativity. There seems to be something in the choice to play it that is important," said Douglas Gentile who is a professor of psychology.

If you are not familiar with the game, Gentile says Minecraft is similar to a virtual Lego world. The game that has sold more than 100 million copies, lets players to explore different worlds and create whatever they can think of. Participants randomly assigned to play Minecraft were divided into two groups. The instructions were given to the participant who was playing Minecraft.

After 40 minutes of watching or playing games, the 352 participants completed several creative tasks. To assess GAMEAFF were challenged to draw a creature from a universe that was different from Earth. The creatures that were more human-like scored lower for creativity and those less human-like got high scores. Surprisingly enough, those who were instructed to be creative while playing Minecraft were the least creative.

Gentile claims that there is no reason for this conclusion. In the article published by Creativity Research Journal, he, Jorge Blanco-Herrera, co-author and former master''s student in psychology and Jeffrey Rokkum, former Ph.D. student in psychology, discussed possible reasons for why the instructed Minecraft group scored lower. Blanco-Herrera believes that the instruction might have affected subjects their motivation to play.

"Being instructed to be creative could have actually limited their options during play, which could have led to having a less enjoyable experience," Blanco-Herrera said. It''s possible they used all of their creative juices while playing and didn''t have enough when it came time to finish the test.

Games can help develop creativity in a way that is similar to aggression

Video games can have negative and positive impacts. Gentile''s previous research has shown the content, quantity, and the context of video games affect what players learn through repeated experiences. While the majority of his research has been focused on aggression or prosocial behavior, he states that the same is the case with creativity.

Many video games encourage creativity. For instance, players could create a character and story for role-playing games or be rewarded for creative strategies in competitive games. Researchers say that even first-person shooter games could be a source of inspiration for players as they think about strategies and seek out advantages in combat.

"The research is starting to tell a more interesting, nuanced picture. Gentile stated that although gaming research has proven that you are more adept at what you do, it''s also more important to how you do it.