Video Games Can Increase Creativity, but with Caveats

Although many studies have focused on aggression or visual-spatial cognition effects of video games, the problem-solving aspects have been largely ignored. This study sought to expand the existing literature on video game effects by focusing on a rarely-tested outcome: creative production. As a game with few rules and a high amount of player freedom, "Minecraft" exemplifies a game that fosters players' abilities for creative expression. This experimental study included 352 undergraduates and it compared the effect of playing "Minecraft" on creativity measures compared to watching a TV show (passive control), a driving game (game control), and playing "Minecraft" with specific instructions (an instructional control). A within-subjects analysis found a significant correlation between trait creativity and game play habits. Between-groups experimental analyses showed that players randomly assigned to play "Minecraft" without instruction demonstrated significantly higher scores on post-game creativity measures compared to those who played "Minecraft" with instructions to "be creative," those who played a driving game, or those who watched a television show. Results indicate that effects are not solely predicted by game mechanics, but also by the way the player plays.