Many people claim that video games are a waste of time, but are they really though?
According to Psychology Today, in a recent study by the NPD group, around 73% over the age of 2 play video games of some kind.
Photo via Mundo Conectado
Let’s put aside the very small percentage of people who become “obsessed” or “addicted” to video games... The vast majority of people who play video games actually lead healthy and productive lives.
But, what do video games teach you?
Sometimes, video games can be similar to jobs, especially when it comes to skills learned from them.
There have been many misconceptions concerning the word “gamer”. Whenever people think about gamers, they might think about teenagers with acne, sitting in their parents’ basement in their chair all day, eating chips and drinking soda from dawn ‘till dusk.
But that’s not the case! Here are all the ways playing video games has helped people develop the critical, social and cognitive skills needed to be successful, according to medium.com.
#1 How to talk to people
Video games are actually a very social activity
Although some video games can be played by a single person, most people enjoy video games with other people. According to MIT professor Henry Jenkins, 60% of frequent gamers play with friends, 33% play with siblings and 25% play with spouses or parents.
Whether it’s talking to other gamers via chat or microphone, multiplayer video games could help them develop the social skills they needed to engage with and collaborate with others.
#2 How to solve problems
An American Psychologist Association study found that “while one widely held view maintains that playing video games is intellectually lazy, such play actually strengthens a range of cognitive skills.”
Playing video games may also help children develop problem-solving skills.
Video games usually present challenges to the player in a variety of different ways to prevent them from completing the objective. Gamers are forced to employ critical thinking skills to figure out how to overcome the obstacles and win. The critical thinking skills learned from playing video games can be translated into real-world skills.
#3 How to lead
Video games offer ample opportunities for gamers to develop leadership skills.
Games such as World of Warcraft will need large numbers of gamers to band together in guilds to help each other with tasks, complete objectives and socially interact with each other. Like any other organized group, guilds require leaders to ensure order, fairness and progress.
It takes good management skills to wrangle together different gamers of different backgrounds, ages, schedules, and experiences to work together cohesively.
#4 How to deal with failures
Just like real life, not everything goes as we want it to be.
Playing and losing at video games inevitably brings about frequent bouts of mistakes, failures and frustrations. But what is helpful for gamers who fail is the opportunity to learn from their mistakes. Video games offer a chance for the players who fail the opportunity to learn from their mistakes, and a chance for the players to figure out new ways to persevere.
#5 Ability to learn effectively
Gamers are constantly learning how to do new stuff, whether it be picking up new games or trying out new things in their current games.
They are frequently put into positions where they have to adapt to new environments, react to the unpredicted and demonstrate on-the-fly decision making.
Video games have long endured scrutiny and criticism from society due to its negative impacts, especially on children. Understandably the depiction of violence, addiction and increased chances of obesity while playing video games.
But like everything else, moderation is key when it comes to video game consumption.
And let’s be honest, video games are a lot of fun, and fun is never a waste of time!
By: Aishah Akashah Ahadiat
