Hypothesis (Score 2)

Perhaps video game therapy helps children and pilots in different ways.

For a child, the game is attractive enough to avoid distractions away from the task. Irrelevant impulses to squirm around are ignored by the brain which is too busy processing the sights, sounds, and strategies of the game. For once, the kid may be able to follow a task from beginning to end; for example, leading a mouse to the end of a maze. That may be the child's first clue about planning strategies. He learns subtle new skills as well as the rewards of patience and effort.

For a pilot, the game can alienate him from reality. Success and failure become abstract ("Health=0, Insert Token to Continue"). His reasoning is strictly analytical and without fear of consequence. He is able to focus and strategize without feeling pressure. It's a skill that he can carry over into a mission.

Video games may provide a structure capable of teaching these skills, but there is a risk: a player who is detached from reality, too busy winning to think about quitting. If video games trigger a new insight in the mind of the player, then he should quit while he's ahead (or after he's satisfied and had enough fun).

--David M. Moore