You’re staring down the muzzle of a 60-foot dragon. Fire is leaking from its nostrils as it prepares to make a light snack out of you. Your health is diminished from the zombie horde you had to defeat to make it here. You can barely stand, your health potions long gone. Your eyes dart frantically left and right, searching for a way out. You spot a pillar, and dive behind it as the dragon’s fire misses you by inches. You scan the room and see a huge chandelier hanging above the dragon, a truly massive piece of iron, held only by a single rope. You feel the heat from the dragon’s breath, as the fire gets closer. You pull out your trusty bow, and nock your last arrow. The pillar is preventing a straight shot to the rope, but you’ve got to make it happen. You spot a slanted section of rock, and an idea hits you. You aim and fire, the arrow careening off the rock and into the rope, slicing it into two as the chandelier falls directly onto the dragon, pinning it underneath. You waltz out and collect your prize as the victory music plays.
Your creativity and imagination had enabled you to overcome the obstacle you were faced with. All the best games challenge gamers in this way, forcing you to create, to improvise, and to think on the fly. And studies are showing more and more frequently that even while they challenge your creativity, games are also helping you develop those traits.
Studies Suggest Video Games Improve Creativity
One Michigan State study of nearly 500 gamers found that a group of students who played games were vastly more likely to score well on a creativity test than a group of non-gamers of the same age. And there are several more studies that back this way of thinking up. The thinking behind these results makes sense. Any video game worth its salt is going to be a mentally stimulating, challenging adventure. Video games can stimulate creativity by immersing the user deep into a world they may have otherwise never even thought of, then asking the user to complete that game in whichever way it may be structured. Creativity is key to accomplishing most video game milestones. I don’t know how many times I’ve been deep into a level, seemingly stuck. Just as I’m about to give up and search the internet for cheats, something catches my eye that completely changes my way of thinking, and before I know it, the puzzle is solved and I’m on to the next level.
Children especially can benefit from using video games to improve their creativity and expand their imagination. It can be difficult to get a child excited about learning, and certain video games provide a natural teacher for any child, regardless of their desire to learn. Video games are inherently interesting for children, so getting them to play is not difficult. With the right game, they are developing critical thinking skills, expanding their imaginations and piquing their creativity without considering it learning.
The Best Games to Stimulate Imagination
So which games are the best for nurturing your creative side? Well, that can be a complex debate. Most experts agree, however, that sandbox games are the clear choice when it comes to stimulating your imagination. Games like Minecraft and Little Big Planet come to mind. These are examples of games that provide an excellent platform for creativity, as they give gamers both the necessary tools and a framework to solve puzzles. You can walk around all day in Minecraft, creating nothing, and the game will let you. But when a gamer digs a few blocks and starts building, their creative juices are forced to the surface. A few blocks becomes a hut, becomes a house, a boat, a football stadium, a gigantic lighted statue of the gamer. Nothing is off limits, and that’s the best way to stimulate creativity and imagination. Many games are following this script, and allowing gamers to maximize their potential in the game, and by doing so, may just help them maximize their potential in real life.
What’s a video game moment where you had to get really creative to advance? Do you think RPGs or toolbox games are a better measure of creativity?
