Using movement and non-movement-based video games to train professional athletes

I created my digital artefact to explore the possibility of using video games as a form of training in the professional environment. Sport-related video games, such as Madden NFL, NBS and MVP Basketball – to name a few – are increasingly popular in the community. Virtual Reality (VR) has additionally become more accessible, and with proper research conducted by STRIVR, we can determine the future possibility of using gaming as a form of professional training. I additionally wanted to break the couch-potato stereotype that video games are tied to, especially now that more research is being made on this topic.

My digital artefact is presented as two short podcasts. The first one explores movement-based video games focusing on Virtual Reality as a training tool for professional athletes. The second podcast notes the skills that can be obtained through non-movement based sport-related video games and how these skills can be transferred into the real-life games.

My structuralist approach allows me to look at the material elements such as the gameplay which in turn allows me the look into how gameplay can have an impact on game skill and therefore skill in the real-life environment.

I implemented an analytical framework into my digital artefact, focusing on 3 critical frames:

Spatiality

As I focused on both non-movement based and movement-based video games in my podcasts, I explored multiple platforms that players can use to access these games e.g. PlayStation, Xbox and Virtual Reality modes. However, these sport-based games (depending on when released and who released them) can be accessed on multiple platforms from PC’s to mobile devices.

Modality

Sport-related video games are their own genre in the Esports gaming list. The games that I have explored such as Madden are team-based games – just like their real-life inspirations. Therefore, these games can be used in either single-player or multiplayer modes. Either way; it is the individuals themselves that are obtaining the skills that come with playing video games. Multiplayer mode may be more useful in the fact that you are opposing a real-life gamer rather than a computer.

Technical Strata – Development Context

I delve quite deep into how new technology is being implemented into athletes professional training, including new media such as virtual reality which has only been developed quite recently. I also note how realism in our gaming (which has improved over time with new technology) can lead to a better understanding of the game when played professionally in the real athletic environment.

I obtained my research through both academic journals and blog posts as more research is now coming to light regarding video games and their positive benefits. I wanted to make sure that these journals were relevant in breaking the couch potato stereotype by notice the scientifically proven benefits behind playing these games e.g. benefits in reaction time, memory and coordination etc. I also researched companies that were invested in using gaming equipment e.g. virtual reality to prep professional athletes for competition. An example of this is STRIVR – which I mention in podcast 1.

My podcasts are the equivalent of 1024 words. I chose to use an audio format (short podcast) because I wanted to explore a different media format that I had never used before. This was also an idea based on my feedback from my peers in the pitch and the beta as originally I was going to create two blog posts. I also believe that podcasts are easier to process at times and can be used while multitasking. These podcasts are suitable for individuals who are interested in the benefits of video games on their athletic capacities. Professional or not – individuals play certain sports because that is what they enjoy to do, so incorporating another ‘hobby’ that they enjoy into their training schedules will not only add more job but allow the individuals to reap the benefits e.g. strengthening their skill set.

Overall, I believe that my project was successful in concluding that video games do have a significant benefit in training for sport, and have already been implemented to some degree in the professional world already. As much as I wanted to include more information and more example, I had a word count limitation and therefore did not delve as deep as I would have liked.

You can access my two podcasts by clicking here

Blog Post 1: Anh Thi

Link: https://mokxii.wordpress.com/2019/09/20/exploring-communicating-affect-of-lovers-in-a-dangerous-spacetime/

I contributed to this post by giving constructive feedback as well as an additional source that they could possibly use for their research. I actively engaged by watching her video, reading about her analytical framework and providing further research. My suggestion to consider reviews as a form of secondary research will hopefully offer her the change to obtain different perspectives by users who play the game. I also offered her the possibility of focusing more on the relevant fractions of the analytical framework in order to properly answer her thesis question – which I hope is a useful suggestion. I could have provided more feedback if I was an active gamer of ‘Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime’, however, I had never heard of the game till now. At least I learnt something new, which is what I got out of this experience!

Blog Post 2: Isaac

Link: https://fuze.design/blog/sound-or-emotion-an-update/

Isaac has a very interesting topic involving the research of sounds in gaming, which I found very interesting! I contributed by providing a couple of sources that I thought would be helpful to understand the different kinds of sounds that can be edited to make gaming more realistic (or unrealistic/futuristic). I noted his change of approaches and made sure to check that he isn’t giving himself too heavy of a load in terms of research and application. However, I did note that adding a post-structuralist approach may even make it easier for him in terms of research and information that can back up his previous research. These approaches engage with our lecture material. I suggested for him to explore different types of sounds and techniques such as “Kinetic Gestural Interaction” by providing two links which delve into this. I learnt from Isaac that podcasts and other audio media types are a good way to approach our topics, and I may consider this for my own digital artefact.

Blog Post 3: Isabella

Link: https://isabellaambrosii.wordpress.com/2019/09/21/women-in-video-games-beta-bcm215/

With Isabella, I took a different approach to provide feedback as I had less information on the topic itself and more on her engagement that she has tried to obtain for her digital artefact. I engaged with her post by acknowledging her struggle to find engagement, and offered her the option to change the media format that she is using to reach a wider audience. Additionally, I provided a couple of Youtube channels that explore a similar topic that she intends to research. I wanted to provide her videos rather than blog posts or articles to provide different media formats that could be used – and hopefully, she gains inspiration from this. I hope my suggestions were useful, however, I should have provided feedback that is relevant to our lecture materials – as she did not mention any of it. I learnt a lot from Isabella by hearing her experience on reaching out for engagement, which I will be able to take into consideration when I do this for my own digital artefact.

Further self-reflection:

What did I learn? What did I get out of the experience? How did I improve over the previous round of comments?

Through my comments, I have been able to identify some possible changes that I could make in my own digital artefact e.g. changing my media format and using a different research approach. Each blog was unique and took a different twist on a digital artefact, and it was interesting to see how our lecture material and readings were being applied. This experience has allowed me to think more deeply about my own digital artefact and I like how it has allowed me to think differently in terms of research methods and the possible structural or even analytical approaches that I could take. I believe I improved over the previous round of comments by being able to identify when lecture materials were being used, and as a result, I could more easily refer my own research materials to the student.

 

Can video games make you a better athlete?

An important requirement for athletes in any sport is practice. Endurance, stamina and reaction times are just some examples of what individuals who play sports need to build in order to excel in what they do. You wouldn’t normally think of video games and athleticism in the same category of sport-based learning, however, skills such as problem-solving, speed, hand-eye coordination and spatial awareness can be developed through playing video-games. Additionally, these are all important traits that athletes need to excel in their sports.

In my digital artefact, I want to research the correlations between sports training and video games that have a positive impact on athletes. I want to know, do video games help athletes to think in abstract ways? Does it strengthen their skills and their ability to play well?

I want to explore the research of sports-scientists, who have now been using analytics of video games to “test what some say is the next frontier in sports — the mind” (Estefanell, 2017).

An example of a game that is being used by athletes to test and improve their skills for games is a program called IntelliGym. IntelliGym was developed initially for Israeli fighter pilots, which tests cognitive performances such as spatial awareness. This program is currently being used by top European soccer clubs (Estefanell, 2017).

My intention for this digital artefact is to recognise the promise of the use of video games as sport-related training for professional athletes. I want to know if it is a useful test for cognitive performance and even physical benefits in both movement-based video games and non-movement-based video games.

Check out my Project Pitch on Youtube below:

References:

Videogames.org.au. (2019). Skills development as a benefit of playing video games. [online] Available at: https://www.videogames.org.au/skills-development/ [Accessed 14 Aug. 2019].

Estefanell, I. (2017). Could video games be the key to athletic success? | CBC Sports. [online] CBC. Available at: https://www.cbc.ca/sports/brain-gaming-industry-athletic-success-1.4114268 [Accessed 14 Aug. 2019].