Do video games improve spatial abilities of engineering students?

Abstract

This paper analyses the relations between the spatial abilities of first year engineering students and the use of certain types of video games. The study was carried out with Mechanical, Electronic and Civil Engineering students at the University of La Laguna (Spain) during the 2007/2008 academic year. An intensive training course on spatial abilities was conducted, using only video games as a learning tool. The video games were used on two different platforms: personal computers (PC) and handheld video games consoles (Nintendo DS). This console was chosen as it was the only one that offered the possibility of playing interactively with the screen, using an electronic pencil. The game chosen was Tetris because there is a PC and a Nintendo version, and it requires spatial abilities to play. Spatial abilities were measured by two tests: the MRT and the DAT: SR. From the results obtained, we can conclude that video games are a good strategy for improving spatial abilities. © 2009 TEMPUS Publications.