Minecraft is like a virtual world of Lego. The game, which has already sold more than 100 million copies globally, allows players to create their own unique worlds. Participants in the study were randomly assigned to two groups, the first of which received precise instructions on what to build in the virtual world, while the second had a choice.
"It's not just that Minecraft alone can boost creativity. The possibility of free choice also seems to be important," said Douglas Gentile, a professor of psychology at the university, in response to the study's findings.
After 40 minutes of playing, 352 participants completed several creative tasks. To measure creative performance, participants in the first group were asked to create a creature that would resemble nothing on Earth. In short: the less the creature resembled a human, the more points the participant gained in the end. Surprisingly, those who were instructed to be creative in Minecraft were the least creative in the results.
Jorge Blanco-Herrera, lead author of the study and a former master's student in psychology at the university, outlined possible reasons why the instructed Minecraft group scored lower. He concluded that the instructions could have affected the motivation of the subjects to play. The demand for creativity had, in fact, limited the possibilities of "playing", which led to a less creative experience.
Games teach creativity similar to aggression
Video games can have both harmful and beneficial effects. Gentile's previous research has shown that the amount, content and context of video games affect what players learn through repetitive experiences. While most of Gentile's research has focused on aggression or prosocial behaviour, he suggests the same applies for creativity.
Most video games encourage players to practice a certain level of creativity. For example, they can create a character and a story to play roles or be rewarded for creative strategies in competing games. Researchers say even action "shooters" can potentially inspire creativity as players think about strategy and seek advantages in combat.
"Our results are similar to other game research in that you improve in what you practice, but how you practice may matter as well," Gentile explained.
-bb-