Adults think video games should be taught in school: poll

A new poll released Wednesday reveals that some adults believe that video games should be taught in schools as well as be a part of the normal school curriculum.

Over half of the 2,000 adults surveyed by OnePoll said that they believe that video gaming should also be taught in schools, while 53 percent say that video gaming should be an extracurricular activity.

“Just like in math, social studies and reading classes, there’s a lot that can be learned from gaming,” said Artur Plociennik, publishing director at Wargaming, which commissioned the study.

“Giving kids a place to develop real-life skills in video games is something that can give them a bright future that is as fun as it is lucrative.”

Forty-one percent of adults believe that gaming should be taught in elementary school, while 42 percent believe instruction should begin in middle school.

Several of the respondents said they would be most interested in content creation-related communications and streaming, gaming proficiency, graphic and technical arts and business management.

The poll also found that six in 10 gamers have learned fundamental skills from gaming — including critical thinking, creativity, hand-eye coordination and communication skills.

Nearly 58 percent of respondents said that they’ve also learned some more obscure but useful skills from what they play such as patience, being more alert and focused and statistics and probabilities.

“It goes without saying: the number of skills people have learned from gaming has proven invaluable,” Artur continued.

“Hand-eye coordination, teamwork, critical thinking … these are just a few examples this survey has shown can help people improve their day-to-day jobs — even if they aren’t professional gamers.”