In our ongoing studies on the relationship between video games and the development of soft skills, we are now focusing on the genres of video games. The main hypothesis is that there is a relationship between the kinds of interactions that players have in these games, for example, real casino online games, and the various kinds of soft skills they develop.
It seems logical to assume that the relationship between the development of soft skills and the genres of video games is related to the types of interactions that players have in these games. For instance, if a person plays Counter-Strike while playing a game in the same genre, they might not be able to develop the same soft skills that they would have developed in Candy Crush.
The actions that players perform during a game are different from those that they perform in a different game. For instance, it is not the same to coordinate a group of playmates while aiming and solving puzzles while collecting multiple candies of the same color.
Research reveals the soft skills that players can develop in commercial video games and the correlation between the skills that players train in these games and the genres they play.
The hypothesis about the potential of video games to teach players various soft skills has been supported by previous studies. For instance, in a study conducted by Barr (2017), it was shown that playing commercial games can improve a person’s ability to communicate and adapt to situations.
The goal of this research project is to identify and train the various soft skills that players can develop in video games. It has been argued that in order to play a game, players must perform certain actions and rules. This is why it is important that they also develop a variety of skills related to these rules and actions.
A good achievement is a record of the success of a set of actions. For instance, if a person performs the correct actions in a certain sequence of actions, then an Achievement will be generated.
Through a prototype platform known as Skilling Games, we can now translate Achievements into soft skills by analyzing the weight values of these achievements. This method was previously used by members of the team that specialize in education, psychology, and video games.
The data collected by the platform helps people identify how they are training their soft skills at the same time they are playing commercial games. It also shows the amount of time that they are spending training these skills. Through this method, the platform can then analyze the achievements of the player in a visual manner to determine the exact amount of training that they are doing.
Relationships between achievements and skills
Via the xBadges project a method has been created that allows us to directly link the relationship between the training values of video game achievements and the soft skills that players are learning.
In order to achieve certain achievements, players must perform various actions that require the use of Soft Skills. For instance, in CS:GO, they need to kill the entire team of the opposing team without any casualties. Besides performing these actions, they also need to develop good communication skills with their teammates.