Film and Media Studies lecturer, Dr Dieter Declercq, has been in the news this week after commenting on the recent study, which he helped develop, which showed that over half of secondary students believed that gaming should be on the school curriculum.
Overall, Dieter has appeared on nearly 200 different outlets covering the topic; speaking on BBC Radio Kent, Dieter explains how the gaming industry is a growing economy, and outlines the benefits for children.
Listen to the BBC Radio Kent coverage (2:47:30)
“There is some research about how playing games can improve certain kinds of skills like decision making, improved perceptual skills and multi-tasking”
The research commissioned by gaming accessories firm, HyperX, found that while 55 percent of secondary school pupils think that it could lead to a future career, only 25 percent of parents think it should be part of the curriculum. However, most parents in the survey did recognise the benefits of gaming.
“Indeed, our research shows that half of children consider e-sports a real sport and over 70 percent of parents think gaming is a way to improve skills like problem-solving, multi-tasking and decision making”
Listen to the coverage on The Mail’s Andrew Pierce Show (0:23:26).
Commenting on the comparison between gaming and other curriculum subjects, Dieter adds: “Children understand how vast and exciting the gaming industry is. Our children engage with drama and music at school, why not video gaming? We certainly do so in our BA Media Studies at Kent”.