I am making my digital artefact to investigate the idea of using video games as a means of vocational training. Video games related to sport, such as Madden NFL, NBS and MVP Basketball – to name a few – are becoming increasingly common in the culture. Covid-19 has prevented many athletes from training as many of us have been through weeks of lockdown. Additionally, Virtual Reality ( VR) has become more available, and with proper research carried out by STRIVR, we can evaluate the future possibility of using gaming as a form of vocational training. I also wanted to break the couch-potato stereotype to which video games are bound, particularly now that more work is being done on this subject.
With the sports world at a standstill during the COVID-19 pandemic, one platform may change how fans take in sports for years to come. Virtual reality could serve as a way to provide fans with experiences previously thought only possible at in-person events. During the first session of a two-part virtual conference called World Comes to Congress, sports media executives spoke about the spread of the new coronavirus and how it continues to shape our media landscape (Anguera & Gazzaley, 2015).
Training is an essential requirement for athletes in every sport. Stamina, stamina, and response times are only a few examples of what people who play sports need to put up to succeed at what they do. You wouldn’t necessarily think of video games and athletics in the same sport-based learning, but through playing video games, skills such as problem-solving, speed, hand-eye coordination and space awareness can be created. They are all essential traits, in fact, that athletes need to compete in their sports.
The aim of my Digital Artefact is to analyse the connexions between sports training and video games which have a positive effect on athletes. Will video games, I want to know, help athletes think abstractly? Will it affirm their strengths and their ability to play well? I aspire to find games that help cognitive and movement skills for people who may be in lockdown or just want to give virtual reality games a go with proven benefits if played correctly.
I would like to discuss the work of sports scientists who have already used video games analytics to check what others say is the next sports frontier (Estefanell, 2017).
An exemplar of a game that athletes use to concentrate on improving their gaming abilities is a software called IntelliGym. IntelliGym was originally designed for Israeli fighter pilots, who are measuring cognitive abilities such as spatial perception. Top European football clubs are actually using this system (Estefanell, 2017).
To find out more, watch the video below:
My aim for this digital artefact is to identify the opportunity for professional athletes to use video games as sport-related training. I want to know if this is a useful cognitive skill measure and also physical advantages in both movement-based video games and non-motion-based video games.
References:
Anguera, J.A. and Gazzaley, A., 2015. Video games, cognitive exercises, and the enhancement of cognitive abilities. Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences, 4, pp.160-165.
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 25 Aug. 2020].
Game Cultures 
Hi Laura, I loved listening to your DA, it was informative, backed by evidence and research, and well presented. I think you have a clear goal and utility for your DA which is important. In terms of how you are going to present your DA, blog posts are a good idea! You could consider joining some related Facebook groups and sharing your blog posts there for more feedback and engagement.
Your future plans for a podcast would certainly fit this DA well. You could consider interviewing guests e.g, sports players who have turned to video games in light of COVID-19 and ask their thoughts on if video games have improved their skills or not.
Another angle you could explore in your blog posts could be how gaming and streaming has connected pro athletes and fans? This Washington Post article explores the links between pro athletes and gaming, and how COVID-19 has impacted this. It states, “Even before the pandemic, streaming was becoming an increasingly popular way for athletes to connect with fans. Leonard, Fox and Hart have long been regular presences on Twitch, where the conversation in the chat rooms feels intimate and the players are less guarded.”
I also stumbled across this article from GameQuitters, It looks at the correlation between professional athletes and video game addiction. This could be another avenue you could explore. Overall, your DA is promising and I’m excited to keep updated with it throughout the semester!
References:
Strauss B, 2020, From courts to consoles: With live sports canceled, pro athletes join the streaming surge, The Washington Post, viewed 10 September 2020, https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/esports/2020/03/30/athletes-streaming-twitch-video-games-coronavirus/
Good J, 2020, Are Professional Athletes Addicted to Video Games?, GameQuitters, viewed 9 September 2020, https://gamequitters.com/are-professional-athletes-addicted-to-video-games/
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Hi Laura, I loved listening to your DA, it was informative, backed by evidence and research, and well presented. I think you have a clear goal and utility for your DA which is important. In terms of how you are going to present your DA, blog posts are a good idea! You could consider joining some related Facebook groups and sharing your blog posts there for more feedback and engagement.
Your future plans for a podcast would certainly fit this DA well. You could consider interviewing guests e.g, sports players who have turned to video games in light of COVID-19 and ask their thoughts on if video games have improved their skills or not.
Another angle you could explore in your blog posts could be how gaming and streaming has connected pro athletes and fans? This Washington Post article (https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/esports/2020/03/30/athletes-streaming-twitch-video-games-coronavirus/) explores the links between pro athletes and gaming, and how COVID-19 has impacted this. It states, “Even before the pandemic, streaming was becoming an increasingly popular way for athletes to connect with fans. Leonard, Fox and Hart have long been regular presences on Twitch, where the conversation in the chat rooms feels intimate and the players are less guarded.”
I also stumbled across this article from GameQuitters (https://gamequitters.com/are-professional-athletes-addicted-to-video-games/) It looks at the correlation between professional athletes and video game addiction. This could be another avenue you could explore. Overall, your DA is promising and I’m excited to keep updated with it throughout the semester!
References:
Strauss B, 2020, From courts to consoles: With live sports canceled, pro athletes join the streaming surge, The Washington Post, viewed 10 September 2020, https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/esports/2020/03/30/athletes-streaming-twitch-video-games-coronavirus/
Good J, 2020, Are Professional Athletes Addicted to Video Games?, GameQuitters, viewed 9 September 2020, https://gamequitters.com/are-professional-athletes-addicted-to-video-games/
LikeLike