Different studies, such as The Power of Play (ESA, October 2023) Link: https://www.theesa.com/global-report-reveals-positive-benefits-of-video-gameplay/ have shown that video games, through moderate consumption, are good for personal development. Video games can improve people’s social life, motor skills, cognitive development and imagination. It is even possible for a video game to stimulate gamers’ interest in learning. This assumption seems very clear when it is a purely educational game, either with a strong narrative or a cooperative component. However, what we may wonder is whether platform games are also good for the brain.
First of all, what is a platform game? Although nowadays the development of video games alternates different mechanics, a game of this genre is one in which the main objective is to perform a series of precise jumps to reach a part of the stage. Usually, platforming is combined with additional mechanics, such as collecting objects, fighting against enemies or, as in the case of Exographer, solving puzzles. But the main element is jumping.
And precisely for this reason, platform games are based on hand-eye coordination, reflexes and timing with the player moves. Not only do we have to pre-calculate the distance we cover with each jump, but we must also take into account the inertia of the character or anticipate the movement on moving platforms.
With this in mind, not only are we practicing our coordination in a more or less realistic simulation, but platform games are testing our brains with anticipatory calculations that we are not aware of before pressing the button. In fact, platform games establish a learning and difficulty curve based on acquired knowledge. Again, using the example of Exographer, we go from simple jumping in the early stages of the game to jumps that require the use of skills such as the gluon boots or the photon sphere, once the player has mastered the basic movement. At the end of the game, it is necessary to combine the four available skills with the jump, but that does not multiply the difficulty by four, since our brain has completely assimilated the simplest moves, and these do not pose a challenge.
Platform games as a form of discovery.
There is a second natural element to platform games that stimulates players’ brains. Progressing through the stages is a constant experience of exploration and discovery. The stages may be designed as a puzzle themselves, requiring the player to retrace their steps to advance along different paths until the entire map is revealed (a metroidvania mechanic), but in a more basic sense, the player is constantly being stimulated by new stages, new secret areas and new obstacles. One of the main motivations for progress lies in discovering what is found next. Curiosity, typical of human beings, is what moves us to continue playing.
In the case of Exographer, and regardless of the puzzles that are part of the gameplay, an additional element has been introduced, which stimulates the player’s curiosity. Everything in the video game is based on particle physics, from the powers to the locations visited or even the alien characters, the Natitans, that we meet. However, this reference is not something obvious, nor is it necessary for the player to know it to enjoy the adventure. The game is designed so that after a certain point, anyone with basic physical knowledge can find a familiar reference. From that point on, they can continue to unravel what each aspect of the game represents.
That moment of discovery is especially satisfying for the player; it’s an achievement that doesn’t seem obvious, and it’s an additional way to get your brain stimulated by a platformer – in this case an exploration, puzzle and platform game.
