A Resource Center for Dreamers

Video Game Play and the Development of Consciousness: A Preliminary Hypothesis
Jayne Gackenbach, Ph.D.

In previous research I have argued that a naturally occurring “virtual” reality, lucid dreaming, is a bridge to the experience of higher states of consciousness (Gackenbach, 1991; & Bosveld, 1989). Lucid
dreaming, awareness of dreaming while still in the dream state, is a preliminary indicate of the development of higher states of consciousness therefore understanding its nature, development, context as well as access issues is important. LaBerge (1985) and others have pointed out that based on the cognitive
science (mental model) understanding of our sense of self in the world that our perception of reality is a construction, a best guess.

Lucid dreaming is another such construction with a different set of input variables than those experienced while awake. Virtual reality (VR), and especially full immersive VR, potentially offers practice in maneuvering around in, as well as being in, “artificial” or perhaps “alternative” realities. It may well be that such practice would translate into more accurate state recognition in dreams (i.e., an increase in lucid dreams). One of the areas where we see such extensive practice is in video game playing which may be associated with an increase in lucid dreaming frequency.

There are other lines of evidence which further support this hypothesis – they include especially the increases in spatial skills and choice reaction time experienced by video game players. In a Business
Week article the author explains: “These children and millions like them get more than amusement from
intensive electronic play: They acquire new ways of learning. They’re honing special graphics and motor skills. They can process huge amounts of visual information in parallel. On a daily basis, they scope out new games, grasp the operating rules, navigate bewildering 3-D geographies, and jump through abstract mental hoops with concentration usually reserved for competitive test-taking. Perhaps most important, the kids learn to embrace technological changes with equanimity. That’s critical because, in 10 or 15
years, they will bring their attitudes and skills into a workplace filled with fast-changing technology (p. 64).”

Kids who grow up with electronic games, “develop coordination skills that let them navigate quickly in virtual worlds and carry out necessary tasks,” says Sanjiv Patel, Motorola’s manager of advanced manufacturing technology. Needless to say these games are seen as powerful educational tools.
But direct research has also been conducted on the relationship between performance on such games and intelligence. Jackson, Vernon, and Jackson (1993) explored performance of computer game-like measures of dynamic spatial ability, which assess judgments about moving visual displays. These are linked to measures of reaction time and speed of mental processing, which in turn are thought to be linked with general measures of intellectual ability. The major work in the area is being done by Greenfield and associates and is summarized in “Volume 11 of Advances in Applied Developmental Psychology: Interacting with Video.”

The conclusion is that video game play IMPROVEMENTS choice reaction time, spatial skills, scientific problem solving skills, and intelligence (Greenfield, Brannon, & Lohr, 1996;
Greenfield, Camaioni, Ercolani, & Weiss, 1996; Subrahmanyam, & Greenfield, 1996).

In research involving individuals who have developed their individual consciousness beyond what most of us experience (i.e., by the regular and long term practice of meditation), a choice reaction time task
was used to determine if these people had higher general intelligence. Other studies have shown that those who have these sophisticated spatial skills with high choice reaction time are more intelligent in a global sense (Greenfield, Brannon, & Lohr, 1996; Greenfield, Camaioni, Ercolani,& Weiss, 1996). This body of work has shown that those with developed individual consciousness show higher levels of what is called EEG coherence (Alexander et al, 1990). Such EEG coherence surges, and the associated
higher states of consciousness, have also been found associated with higher performance on spatial intelligence tests like the Raven’s Progressive Matrices test and choice reaction time correlates to such performance as well (Cranson, Orme-Johnson, Gackenbach, Dillbeck, Jones, & Alexander, 1991).

his does not imply that simply playing video games will result in an expanded consciousness in some developmentally superior way. But we must wonder if that activity will function as a cultural amplifier affecting these children’s experiences of such states of being. It may be another way that the technological matrix discussed as global brain will interact in deeply profound ways with the wet brain matrix of the wiring of neural networks to make new and unknown outcomes. There are some very specific
questions about dreams that can be asked to get some estimate of such changes as well as questions about various waking experiences.

For more information on Jayne Gackenbach’s research and methodology, visit http://www.sawka.com/spiritwatch/videogame.html.

Editor’s Note: I found this to be a very interesting concept! It reminded me of several dreams I’ve had
since I started working intensively on the internet in which the dream reality was organized visually like virtual reality – obvious perspective-type landscapes, exaggerated 3-D effects, etc. Even though I
don’t engage in video games with any regularity, it seems that exposure to the web and its contents helps to stimulate similar ways of perceiving reality and/or altering consciousness.