The effects of video games on learning capabilities

Kako video igre postaju popularnije, sve se više istražuje njihov utjecaj na razne psihološke, emotivne, i kognitivne vještine i sposobnosti ljudi. Mnogo istraživača fokusira se na potencijalnu primjenu video igara u obrazovanju, te tako i na načine na koje video igre mogu utjecati na sposobnosti učenja. Glavni objektiv ovog rada bio je istražiti trenutno dostupnu aktualnu literaturu vezanu uz tu temu efekata video igara na sposobnosti učenja i povezane sposobnosti i vještine kako bi se utvrdilo trenutno znanje akademskog svijeta o toj temi. Tako se može reći da je glavni doprinos ovog rada bio stvaranje pregleda aktualne literature o toj temi te donošenje zaključaka na osnovi informacija naučenih iz analiziranih radova. Korištena metoda bila je pregled dostupne literature, odabir najrelevantnijih radova, te analiziranje tih radova i donošenje zaključka o trenutnom znanju o utjecaju video igara na sposobnosti učenja i povezane sposobnosti te o mogućim primjenama tog utjecaja. Za traženje literature korišten je Google Scholar, te je se od više od 100 pregledanih naslova i sažetaka radova odabralo njih 25 koji su najviše odgovarali kriterijima pretrage. Neki od tih kriterija bili su engleski jezik i 2022. godina objavljivanja ili kasnije, iako je se napravila iznimka za jedan rad iz 2021. godine. Nakon pregleda i analize rezultata, zaključeno je da video igre uistinu mogu imati utjecaj na razne kognitivne vještine i sposobnosti, te mogu biti odličan alat za prijenos znanja, tako da video igre mogu utjecati na sposobnosti učenja. Ti utjecaji su uobičajeno pozitivni, ali ovisno o tipu interakcije koji igrač ima sa video igrom, oni mogu biti i negativni. Kako bi se potencijal igara za učenje maksimizirao, one moraju biti specifično dizajnirane za prijenos željenih sposobnosti bez gubitka zabavnih aspekata video igara koji ih čine tako efektivnim edukacijskim alatima.As video games are getting more popular, the amount of research being done on the way that they affect various psychological, emotional, and cognitive skills and capabilities in people is increasing. A lot of researchers focus on the potential application of video games in education, and on the ways that they can influence learning capabilities. The main objective of this work was to explore the currently available literature relating to this subject of the effects that games can have on learning capabilities and other relevant capabilities and skills so that the current knowledge the academic world has on this subject can be determined. Therefore, it can be said that the main contribution this work has is creating a review of the current literature on the subject and then making conclusions based on the information learned from the analyzed literature. The used methodology consisted of reviewing the currently available literature, selecting the most relevant works, analyzing said literature, and finally making conclusions about the current knowledge of the ways games can influence learning capabilities and other related capabilities, as well as possible applications of these influences. Google Scholar was used for finding the desired literature, and over 100 works and their abstracts were reviewed, after which 25 of the most relevant works were chosen for analysis. The search was limited by certain criteria, some of which were including only works written in English, and the publishing year being 2022 or later, although an exception was made for one work which was published in 2021. After reviewing and analyzing the results, it was concluded that video games can indeed affect various cognitive skills and capabilities, and can be a great tool for the transfer of knowledge, which means that video games can influence learning capabilities as well. These effects are usually positive, but based on the type of interaction players have with the video game, they can also be negative. To maximize the potential of using video games for learning, they must be specifically designed to transfer the desired capabilities without losing the fun aspect that games possess which is what makes them such an effective educational tool