It is a common assumption that all video games are bad, or violent and that the number of hours that children play games should be reduced.
However, playing video games is not all bad and they have become a normal part of a children’s life. There are many benefits to children regularly playing video games that are neglected, whether they play on gaming laptops, a Nintendo, or PlayStation, including building key skills and making new friends. Here are just some of the great things that children can benefit from by playing video games.
#1 Build social skills and connections
It is easy to see playing video games as an isolating experience, however, many children nowadays use gaming as a way to connect with friends, and meet new, like-minded people. Many games and consoles now have a built-in component that enables interaction during gameplay, whether this is to strategize about the game, or just chat to their friends. Games are also a hot topic in school, so playing games also means being able to get involved in groups and conversations with their peers.
#2 Build strategy and problem-solving skills
The majority of online video games involve a variety of different skills to be utilized to complete and progress to the next levels. Some of the most common skills built when playing games are reading and listening to understand the different storylines, quests, and/or missions they are embarking on, what the rules of the games are, searching for items, strategizing with their teammates, getting involved in negotiations, trying different approaches when their original plans fail, and facing several different challenges on their quests. These kinds of skills are utilized in most games, they don’t necessarily have to be labeled as academic.
#3 Encourage creativity and self-expression
Many games encourage creativity and/or self-expression. Games such as Minecraft or Sims, provide children with the freedom to create different characters, play different roles, build a variety of buildings, structures, and entire worlds of their own with the resources that they gather themselves and are rewarded for their creative strategies. In every game, children get to choose their character and have free reign to customize them as they choose necessary, which means they are able to express themselves through their appearance and clothes, which highlights interests and personalities, and helps them connect with others.
#4 Educational
Many video games have been inspired by a range of different historical events and cultures. While games are embedded with ancient cultures, geography, international relations, historical characters, and much more, this can help children learn about the world in a way that resonates and interests them. It also enables children to learn about a range of different complex languages and countries. You also get to connect with individuals from all around the world when playing certain games, which means you can speak to people firsthand and make new, deep connections that you wouldn’t usually get the opportunity to do so.
There are many benefits to playing video games which can educate your children, and help them excel in certain areas of life as they build on their social skills, confidence, self-expression, and problem-solving skills.
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