The influence of the gaming environment on the effectiveness of achieving goals

In computer games, the importance of secondary goals is overestimated. An attentive player gets used to starting with minor tasks, so as to move on to the next chapter, not to feel the bitterness of “missed opportunities.” Due to the discrepancies between the laws of the real and gaming (virtual) worlds, a person has to change the behavior pattern of his virtual projection. The psychological defense of the player during the game is relaxed, therefore the game is capable of inculcating in the player ineffective patterns of behavior.

Major and minor goals in real and virtual environments

In the process of life activity in setting and realizing goals, it seems reasonable and obvious that they are divided into main and minor ones. The main goals need to be realized, the achievement of minor ones is not critical - most likely, such a formulation is beyond doubt. Reflecting on this, I was caught in an internal contradiction: why in real life do I often begin with the realization of secondary goals, fully realizing the ineffectiveness of such a model?



An analogy with goal logs in game quests (from Warcraft III to Deus Ex: Human Revolution). I note that WC3 is generally my first game on the PC, and in DX: HR I play today. In these games there is a specificity: the gameplay is divided into chapters, each of which has its main and secondary objectives. The main goals contribute to the transition to the next chapters (eco-coincidence of the roots), the secondary ones - to obtain additional benefits or complete disclosure of the plot and dive into the world. When changing heads, unfinished minor goals usually disappear into oblivion, taking with them all the “missed opportunities”. From here begins a fatal divergence with real life.

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In real life, it almost does not happen that the implementation of the main objectives closes access to secondary ones. The implementation of the main goals in the first place develops the personality, and secondary ones with time may simply lose their relevance, effectiveness or interest in themselves. From this comparison, it turns out that in games the value of secondary goals is often overvalued. To obtain a reward or to avoid a penalty (psychology), a player must first of all pay attention to secondary objectives.

Impact on the psyche

A game is a model of a situation; in the case of a PC, it is also a role-playing experience. The personality of a person is projected into the game world in the form of game actions and decisions. The border (protection) between the inner world of a person and what is happening in the game space weakens, largely due to trust in the game, without which it is difficult to immerse yourself in the game world and identify with your character. But unlike real life, there are formalized rules of interaction with the game world in the game, that is, the game to some extent dictates its own rules, a certain style of interaction, a style of problem solving.



The difference in models of life can be issued as follows:

The real world: first we realize the main goal, it provides an opportunity for growth; secondary is not critical, you can return to them later.

Game worlds: first we realize the secondary goal; when implementing the main goal, the opportunities provided by the secondary are missing.



Most of the behaviors that games give to exercise are well understood. Therefore, it is possible to diagnose their influence on the psyche and to separate their behavior from the behavior of the character on the screen according to certain signs. For example, in the case of Road Rash, Postal, Grand Theft Auto, Need For Speed, etc. can be divided into the following features: cruelty, careless driving, irresponsible attitude to health. However, there are unobvious, unconscious elements of behavior that are likely to influence the psyche. This influence can be positive (development of abilities to solve complex tasks, find ways to solve them, development of intuitive skills) and negative (sluggishness, impatience, development of object perception to the detriment of aesthetic, formalization of patterns of behavior, speech and reflection). As they say, solving a large number of sudoku develops the ability to solve sudoku.



Conclusion:

If a person is placed in a virtual environment with behavioral conditions different from real life, then it is quite possible to expect certain changes in behavioral patterns and psyche due to the formality of gaming processes.



If we want to talk about raising a healthy generation, about self-education, and even more so about following humanistic values ​​when creating artificial intelligence or loading human consciousness into the virtual space, first of all, you need to pay attention to the following points:

1. The development of volitional qualities of the individual. Mastering the methods of self-diagnosis and diagnostic reflection. Together, these abilities expand freedom of choice.

2. The logical and harmonious world in which the individual is to be found, the conformity of this world to a humanistic environment. Compliance of the created conditions with the norms of human mental processes.

3. The presence or absence of elements or details that have a hidden effect on the psyche and behavior. Methods for identifying these elements and the nature of their influence.



After analyzing my success in personal effectiveness, in solving problems, assessing my attitude to GTD and similar techniques, I came to conclusions, some of which are formulated in this article. My gaming experience really influenced the style of achieving the goals, I began to pay more attention to minor tasks after a close acquaintance with some games in which there was a role element with tasks of different priorities. The problem area is indicated.