Video games for a positive change

Why are people so attracted to video games? Some say that video games offer escapism from the real world, with both negative and positive effects on a person. Many research papers have been done to study the effect of video games and why it attracts people, but in my opinion video games are widespread simply because it’s fun. During the early years of my children I would play games that stimulate their brains like peekaboo, and other similar games, and now I understand that video games do just the same. 

What are video games

First off I want to define what a video game is. Merriam Webster offers the definition “an electronic game in which players control images on a video screen”. So as far as I’m concerned, video games have been around for a long time, from games like Pong which was developed in 1958, even before I was born.

Why are Video Games positive

Video games offer stimulants to keep our brains working and healthy, gaming can be a boon for people in moderate amounts. Some studies say that video games can be an extension for self-expression, and in a world that is full of self-expression gaming is a great avenue of pursuing this. But gaming doesn’t just end there for me, gaming can become inspiration for children, Sims could inspire a child to become an architect, engineer, or interior designer, and likewise another game Ace Attorney at Law could also inspire someone to pursue a career in law. Many argue that gaming is bad for a child, but from my own experience with raising kids, gaming with moderation allows them to rest and relax better, something I learned to experience as well. 

I highly advocate video games for a couple of reasons, video games can give you an opportunity to bond with others, in my case I have played a couple rounds of an FPS game based on mobile devices with my son, I have always had trouble finding a connection with him but when I was introduced to the world of gaming I was able to relate to him better, and PS to all the other parents out there, not all games can be paused. Another reason why I think the positive aspects of gaming outweighs the negatives is that video games are able to stimulate attention, there are known studies that explain how gamers can develop parts of their brain that handle attention, specifically sustained attention and selective attention.

Visual Aid

Video games are also great as a visual aid when it comes to learning, many developers have taken advantage of the popularity of video games to create games meant for education. There are games that help in learning mathematics, and even as far as basic coding all the while making it fun and enjoyable for your kids.

Self-expression

As I mentioned above video games are able to foster a person’s ability for self-expression, but why is this important for a person?, especially for children. Self-expression is associated with concepts such as freedom, creativity, and even courage. As a parent, these are things I definitely want to instill in my child, and so should you as well. I found that there are many categories of games like dress-up games, art games, and even drawing games, that would be a great avenue for self-expression. 

For years I have always been opposed to the idea of video games, it always made me feel like my children were being absorbed and taken away by these games. However, I recognized this as a way to actually connect and bond with them instead. I learned how to play games so I could spend more time with them, and through learning how to play I also understood how video games bring positive change to a person. Recently, my spells of lapses in memory due to my age have lowered a bit and I think it’s safe to say that this is due to my new found appreciation of video games. Some might worry that getting into video games might be daunting and intimidating, expensive to some even, but there are many sites out there that offer video games that won’t be hard to get into. There are sites like Y8.com, armorgames.com, as well as plays.org, these sites offer a range of simple to complex games that you can enjoy without any worry of cost or skill.