Note: this article is one part of a two part series offering differing perspectives on gaming and its effect on kids. Check out the article “Video games are destroying young minds” here.
Remember that one time where you were on the final level of Mario but your mom came into the room with a stick in her hand yelling: “Little Timmy! Stop playing your game and come downstairs for dinner!”. Just like Timmy’s mom, many parents think that playing video games is bad for their kid, but they’re wrong, and here’s why.
Video games promote problem-solving and creativity
Playing games can develop skills like being creative and using creativity to solve the puzzles in-game.
For example, when kids are stuck on a certain level in a game, they have to develop creative ways to get past it and get to the next level.
One good example is Angry Birds. In this game, the concept is simple – players slingshot birds and knock down buildings to kill pigs. But when players get stuck on a level and don’t know how to kill all the pigs, this is when using creativity to solve the puzzles comes in handy.
Another example is Super Mario: players have to try again and again to find a way to beat the levels by creatively using the surroundings.
Playing games that require players to solve puzzles can help train kids’ brains and give them better problem-solving abilities.
Video games give kids faster decision-making skills
Decision making is very important in our everyday lives. Fast decision making is even harder than normal decision making, but kids can learn this skill by playing many games.
Action games like Call of Duty, Counter-strike: Global Offensive, and Fortnite are all games that require fast decision making to come out on top of other players. Kids that play these games require the skill of fast decision making but without losing the main objective: win.
Fast decision-making skills can be applied to real-life and are extremely useful. An example is playing the stock market and knowing when to sell and when to buy. If kids can master this skill by playing video games, it would be great.
Video games teach new language and vocabulary
Many parents want their children to learn a second language because it can be really helpful when they grow up.
Many games only have a few selections of languages they can choose from, which may force kids from different countries to learn the language as they play the game. Even if they already know the language, they can still learn new words that they hadn’t heard before by playing games.
For example, kids can learn many new words or even new languages while they play games. A platform called Roblox is perfect for learning new languages. With a limited selection of languages on many games, I myself learned a lot of new words while playing Roblox.
Modern gaming demands teamwork
Most games today are online and multiplayer. Kids meet strangers online and have to work together to win. Kids learn to communicate with people online that they never meet.
Working as a team with strangers is very important in our lives, a good example is doing a group project.
For example, say a new student came to your class, and you’re assigned to the same group as him. You have to learn to communicate with him even though you guys have never met before.
This skill can be learned through playing games, especially the ones with voice chat in it. In Fortnite, voice chat allows you to talk to people you have never met before. Communicating with a stranger is hard, and this why kids should learn to have confidence and be clear when they speak to a stranger.
“But video games are bad!”
To this day, even though video games are very common, many people still say video games are bad. Some of the most common complaints are: the games are too violent, spending money on games is a waste of money, and games are too addictive.
But these are not true. According to research, violent games can help kids go around their violent behaviors. Research also shows that playing violent games can also decrease the chance of real-life violence.
Spending money on games can also be profitable sometimes. Gamers can sell rare skins in games like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and make thousands of in-game dollars by selling gun skins.
Lastly, video games aren’t addictive. Playing video games doesn’t damage people’s lives and health like alcohol or cigarettes do. Even though the feeling of wanting to play video games and wanting to smoke uses the same part of the brain, that doesn’t mean video games are addictive. This area of the brain is associated with any form of desire, like eating food, being thirsty, and having a conversation.
Conclusion
In conclusion, gaming provides many benefits for children and can teach them a lot of things while they have fun playing. This is why parents should let their kids play games as long as they are organized and have the ability to balance school work and fun.
The article may talk things why the games are good but video games are bad too but if a children talk to a stranger how do you know their safe. strangers can ask personal information like whats your name or where do you live. And lastly there’s lots of kids i see in videos about spending money on their parents’credit card and breaking things.