Video Games and Creativity

I wrote about this on my other blog but since it's about video games it also belongs here.

There was something I couldn't help not to notice the other day. Something I've noticed for a while now but I wasn't really sure about the connection until now. I noticed there was a slight change in my behavior after I've been playing video games. Especially when I play for longer sessions at a time. Playing video games seemed to boost my creativity.

This is just a simple observation and not based on some fact or study (although there is a study that has linked playing video games to boosts in creativity) but it is very interesting indeed. I'm a musician, I play the guitar, bass and piano and I also make a lot of music in my home studio. I also like to write and draw. I noticed that whenever I've play video games, I get this extra boost and urge to create things. I just want to write, draw or make music or anything that helps me express myself, really. It also provided the kind of focus and concentration I needed for doing that. I've noticed the connection so many times now, that it doesn't seem like a mere coincidence. I am actually more productive and creative after playing video games. It could of course also be that it's the total concentration and flow that I get from video games that is somehow transferred into other activities and that it is not the actual game but how that activity affects me.

The point I'm trying to make is that while video games might look like a mindless activity that just leads to passivity, that is not always the case. If you for example make a comparison between watching TV or watching a movie vs. playing video games, which is a more passive activity? You can fall asleep while watching a movie but it is highly unlikely that would ever happen while playing video games. You're brain is just too active. So while there can be negative effects (addiction for example) coming from playing too much video games we can't forget that there are actually many positive ones too. One that might be, a boost in creativity.