Gaming Insights

Wisdom and personal growth are gained through life experiences (e.g., Glück et al., 2019). But do we really need to have an experience in real life to gain valuable lessons and insights? Video games are a source of both immediate enjoyment (Elson et al., 2014) and eudaimonic gratification (Oliver et al., 2016). Researchers have proposed and tested a variety of positive effects of video games on cognition, emotional regulation, motivation, social behavior (Granic et al., 2014), and well-being (Halbrook et al., 2019). But what do gamers themselves report to have learned from video games? Is it possible to gain wisdom-related insights from video games?

In an online study via Prolific, 168 American participants (20-85 years old, M = 34.1, SD = 9.8) reporting to have gained insights from video games were asked which game they had gained the most important insight(s) from and what those insights were. In addition, characteristics of the respective games and gaming habits, preferences and motivations, personality characteristics, and wisdom of the players were assessed.

Results of a qualitative content analysis of the reported insights revealed a complex array of possible influences of video games. Participants reported a wide range of different insights about (1) themselves, (2) other people, (3) life in general, and (4) the respective video games. These insights manifested themselves both in self-insights and in changes in views, behaviours, and skills. The findings have implications for wisdom research, suggesting that it may be possible to gain wisdom from “virtual” experiences.