On December 14, 2012, a 20-year-old shot dead 26 people at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
Twenty of them were children. Minutes later, he committed suicide.
Public figures were quick to draw attention to the fact that this disturbed young individual was an avid gamer.
He played violent video games that shaped his young mind; names like Call of Duty and Grand Theft Auto were mentioned.
Thousands of parents asked themselves, are video games making our kids violent then?
Well, stay awhile and listen.
99% of boys and 94% of girls in the United States play video games
according to the Entertainment Software Association (ESA).
It’s not just kids playing either
no less than 58% of the entire American population play video games
while at least half the population over 50 do so as well.
Confused about these numbers?
Love it or hate it-- you definitely can’t ignore it!
I’m talking about video games.
There’s no denying the fact that, growing up, video games have been a part of many of our lives.
And for a lot of us, myself included, games continue to be a source of delightful, harmless entertainment.
Be it catching up with your friends over a session of Call of Duty,
saving the world in Legend of Zelda,
or just hanging around and having fun in Animal Crossing,
games continue to be a source of escape from our rather mundane existence.
However, over the years, the world of gaming has had its fair share of negative claims and controversies.
The most impactful being related to the effects of video games on children.
From allegations of causing short-term memory loss to making kids violent and everything in between,
the harmful effects of modern gaming have come under the limelight time and again.
While there’s no denying the fact that playing too much can have adverse effects on anyone-- not just children
a claim like “video games cause violence” is unfounded and has no scientific research backing it up.
Study says that playing age-appropriate video games can be very helpful for children to develop their social and cognitive skills!
In this video, you’re going to learn about 5 ways video games can help your child. So, keep watching!
1. Boost problem-solving skills
Every video game comes with its own set of rules,
and as a player, you need to follow these rules to accomplish a specific objective.
If a player wishes to progress or finish the game,
they have to make many decisions and plan the next move.
Sometimes, these split-second decisions are the only things standing between success and failure.
By playing games, children can develop better thinking, planning, and organizing skills.
Games like Minecraft and Overcooked require an exceptional level of planning and coordination,
while Mario will require a child to think on their feet and learn by failing.
2. Develop multitasking abilities
If you think about it, there’s probably no game in this world that doesn’t require the player to multitask to some extent.
Most action and adventure games ask players to perform many tasks while being vigilant of their surroundings.
One wrong move, and it’s game over.
Multitasking is one of the elements that make a game fun and rewarding.
Learning how to multitask early on can give kids a head start and help them do better in school and sports.
3. Improve social skills
According to a study published in Psychology Today,
playing video games is said to boost social skills in children.
Since some of the most popular games today are competitive multiplayer or co-operative,
players have to interact with one another to achieve a certain goal.
Be it beating the opposing team or clearing a level by teaming up.
Playing-- be it indoors or outdoors--
has always provided a significant context through which kids made new friends and interacted with them.
Video games serve that purpose today to a large extent.
When they’re not gaming, kids also talk about games and strategies with their friends in real life.
If deprived of such opportunities, a child might be left out of conversations,
make fewer friends, feel lonely, and in turn develop lesser social competence.
When it comes to leadership and team building, video games can help children excel as well.
For instance, the game World of Warcraft
was mentioned in the Harvard Business review as a fantastic tool to build virtual leadership skills.
The very popular Minecraft is also being used to teach math!
4. Enhance imagination and creativity
One of the greatest gifts we receive as young ones that slowly fade over time is our ability to imagine.
Without boundaries and hesitations.
As kids, we grew up playing with LEGO sets and many other toys and make-belief.
But as time passed and responsibilities started piling up,
our sense of wonder and imagination faded away into a distant background.
For kids and adults alike, video games allow everyone to continue such imaginative play and foster creative thinking.
In fact, research done by Michigan State University Scholars found that kids who played video games
were more creative in tasks such as writing and drawing.
In contrast, children who used cellphones and computers for purposes other than playing video games
didn’t show any signs of increased creativity.
5. Get better career opportunities
Now, this is something that’ll make every parent happy!
If your child plays video games, they could likely grow up aspiring to be a professional gamer
or work in the video game industry.
Did you know that a 16-year old boy won 3 million dollars in the world’s first Fortnite World Cup?
Yep! Competitive gaming is now bigger than ever before,
and there’s a chance it could be in the Olympics too in the future.
After Hollywood, the video game industry is the second biggest entertainment industry in the world
and generates yearly revenue of over 90 billion US dollars!
Career opportunities are growing in leaps and bounds as well.
If your child is talented enough, they could make a career being an animator,
illustrator, programmer, storyboard artist, sound designer, and so much more!
There’s no doubt that the pros of being a gamer outshine the cons,
and if there’s one thing games teach us better than any other medium of entertainment
is that persistence pays off.
Gaming teaches us that when levels get difficult and the boss fights get harder,
we are definitely on the right path.
Learning how to be persistent is one of the key traits of successful people
because it teaches us to learn from our mistakes and keep trying.
So, I bet you’re now convinced that video games can be good for everyone.
If not, I encourage you to join your little one in a gaming session
and try to see things from their point of view.
After all, nothing makes children more happy and confident than seeing their parents’ love and support.
In other news, China restricts gaming for children to 3 hours a week.
Do tell us your thoughts about that in the comments.