Video Games? Good or Bad?

Video games are frowned upon by parents as time-wasters, and worse, some education experts think that these games corrupt the brain.  Violent video games are easily blamed by the media and some experts as the reason why some young people become violent or commit extreme anti-social behavior.  People see video games as a way in which kids will react in reality or the situations learned when playing video games will happen in their own lives.  When this happens children might react to the situation the way they learned it from a certain video game which could lead to violence.  Children who play more violent video games are more likely to have increased aggressive thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.  The effect of video game violence in kids is worsened by the games’ interactive nature.  In many games, kids are rewarded for being more violent.  The act of violence is done repeatedly.  The child is in control of the violence and experiences the violence in his own eyes killings, kicking, stabbing and shooting.  The active participation, repetition and reward are effective tools for learning behavior.  It appears that there will always be violent people, and it just so happen that many of them also enjoy playing violent video games.

 However, researchers have found that video games can actually have many benefits – the main one is making kids smart.  Video games may actually teach kids high-level thinking skills that they will need in the future.

When a child plays video games, it gives his brain a real workout.  There are many things someone learns when playing video games and that includes following instructions, problem solving and logic, hand-eye coordination, multitasking, quick thinking, accuracy, strategy, teamwork, and taking risks. 

Video games introduce the kid to computer technology and the online worlds they also make the kid adapt and be comfortable with the concepts of computing.  Video games allow kids and adults to play together and can be a good bonding activity. 

Video games make learning fun.   Kids enjoy games because of the colors, the animation, the eye candy, as well as the interactivity and the challenge and the rewards of winning.  The best way to learn is when the learner is having fun at the same time and that’s why video games are natural teachers.  Having fun gives your kid motivation to keep on practicing, which is the only way to learn skills. Video games are capable of making difficult subjects such as math fun.

Video games have also been shown to improve a kid’s decision making speed. With kids deciding what to do so quickly in the games and must decide on the spot it helps them in the real world with decisions in general.  One last thing video games do is that they increase one’s self-confidence and self-esteem as they master games.  With the identity of success and self-happiness individuals feel in reality they can take on many great and extraordinary tasks such as an epic win.