Stay Focused

During my ongoing literature review I often discover interesting facts about things I’ve never thought about. Sometimes I can connect these facts with my own observations: The result is mostly a completely new idea why things are as they are. Maybe these ideas are new to you, too. Therefore I’ll share my new science based knowledge with you!

This week: This time, I think about the way how computer games can help us to stay focused while performing activities which are requiring a multitasking skill.

Controlling vehicles demands in the most cases the ability to multitask. This can be as easy as driving a car at a constant speed while monitoring the traffic. On the other hand, it can be also as complex as performing a crosswind landing with an airplane.

All these activities require us to focus on the indications of certain instruments, to assess the current position of the vehicle and to monitor the environment. Moreover, we are required to perform certain interactions in order to successfully complete the activity. As an example, driving a car requires us to control the speed and to follow the course of the road.

Performing all these tasks at once needs a lot of practice and the ability to focus on the most critical elements of the activity. Driving at a constant speed can be achieved by monitoring the speedometer and reacting to the indications by increasing or decreasing the throttle. However, the driver has also to follow the course of the road and to monitor the traffic at the same time. This results in the demand of a multitasking ability in order to fulfill all the tasks at once. It requires an ability to constantly process the information in time, to make the right decision and to subsequently execute the decision.

Playing computer games can train such a multitasking ability. Simulation and action-based computer games often require the players to perform several tasks at once in order to successfully play the game. Especially simulation games are a great training environment for all these skills as these games require the players to monitor several indications at once. Furthermore, the players have to analyse these indications and give the right inputs based on their observations.

This can be explained with the landing of a spacecraft on a celestial body in Kerbal Space Program. This activity requires the players to monitor their altitude, their lateral and vertical velocities and the environment, so that their are not trying to land on a steep slope. Subsequently, the player has to process and analyse all these information in order to be able to make the correct decision. Finally, the player has to execute his decision by giving the right inputs.

Successful landing on Minmus

Playing these kinds of computer games on a regular basis can improve our multitasking ability. Moreover, it can help us to stay focused while performing a demanding activity as playing these games is also training our capacity to monitor several information at once.