FRIDAY, July 13, 2007 (HealthDay News) -- Fantasy baseball leagues could bring scientists a better understanding of how people learn.
Erica and Rich Halverson, assistant professors at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, are conducting a study of the organization and rules of play of three different fantasy baseball leagues, as well as participants' strategies, degree of competitiveness, and what they get out of the game.
"We're trying to figure out how can we cast a net over something like fantasy baseball to figure out what kind of learning goes on here," Rich Halverson said in a prepared statement. "What are the structures that orchestrate the learning? What are the outcomes?"
Erica Halverson is an assistant professor in the department of educational psychology, and Rich Halverson is assistant professor in educational leadership and policy analysis. Both are avid fans of fantasy baseball leagues and belong to the Games, Learning & Society Research group in the university's School of Education.
About 16 million adults played fantasy sports in 2006, according to the Fantasy Sports Industry Trade Association.
"Not only is it something we love, but this is a huge market of gaming that's going on where people are spending thousands and thousands of hours playing," Erica Halverson said in a prepared statement. "As a research group, we're fundamentally interested in what people learn from gaming and what gaming has to offer education. This is sort of a subset of gaming that's a new avenue to explore."
Fantasy baseball leagues -- and other fantasy sports games -- require a great amount of research and learning on the part of participants, the researchers noted.
One initial finding: A woman who knew little about baseball said her participation in a fantasy baseball league has led her to become more of a fan of the game, and she now listens to games on the radio.
"If you're thinking about this as a game structure that gives people the opportunity to become more invested in a given set of content, it's kind of a nice insight," Erica Halverson said. "You've hooked people in a way that maybe they're not hooked before."
The researchers were expected to discuss their study Friday at the 3rd annual Games, Learning & Society Conference, in Madison, Wis.
More information
There are tips on healthy video game use at the Nemours Foundation.
