Guest article by Chris Wright from Dadding on the Road. This article is part of our Gameschooling with Video Games series.
There are many studies published about the effect of video game playing on hand-eye coordination. One of the best-known is a study by Beth Israel Medical Center in New York. Of the 33 doctors studied, 9 reported that they played at least 3 hours of video games a week. All 9 doctors had significantly better metrics than their non-gaming peers: 37% fewer surgical errors and finishing their procedures 27% faster. The correlation is only getting stronger with the advent of rhythm games. Though some of these titles require special equipment, they are all great for training not only hand-eye coordination, but some even use them as a great whole-body workout.
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Beat Saber: This is probably the most famous and successful VR game out there. Players are immersed in a world of hard-hitting music while they slash their virtual “light sabers” through color-coded blocks to the beat. The music can be frenetic or laid back; whatever suits your style.
Guitar Hero: Guitar Hero is probably the best-known “rhythm” game out there. In it, players use a guitar-shaped controller to “play” hit songs from many different eras of rock and roll. The genera got a little saturated with copycats and competitors like Rock Band, which added peripherals in drums and vocals. While there aren’t any versions currently in production, sets can be found pretty easily on resellers like thrift shops, Marketplace, or eBay. Though eBay prices do tend to be inflated.
Dance Dance Revolution, or DDR for short, is a staple of arcades! Players stand on a platform that has between 5 and 9 arrow buttons they activate with their feet. The goal is to “dance” to the music by stepping on the right arrows in time. This is another game that can quickly become a workout!
In addition to rhythm games, most other games also work to hone hand-eye coordination and don’t require special equipment.
Call of Duty and other first-person shooter (FPS) games require players to make quick, precise movements to aim their weapons at targets. Often moving targets, while the player is moving, too! All of this movement in 3D space calibrates and reinforces the neurological pathways devoted to hand-eye coordination. This is on top of the communication and cooperation benefits.
Super Mario Brothers, and similar platform-style games like the Mega Man franchise or Sonic the Hedgehog titles, derive most of their difficulty from having the player race through an obstacle course requiring perfectly timed jumps, dashes, and other moves to get through levels in time, often having to couple the jump timing with fighting enemies. Not only does this enhance hand-eye coordination, but also hones one’s reaction time.
Grand Theft Auto: The controversial Grand Theft Auto franchise is actually fairly good hand-eye coordination training. In the game, players go about the city fulfilling missions and completing goals. These goals will have the player making actions the same as in an FPS game, but others will have them racing through the city in all sorts of vehicles, requiring different inputs and thinking. Often players may have to bounce back and forth between play modes several times in a mission. However, the content means it is only appropriate for mature audiences.
At the end of the day, there’s no doubt that video games can improve hand-eye coordination as well as reaction times, rhythm, fine motor control, and even provide a full-body workout! Next up: Learning to Socialize Through Video Games!