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Young People should be encouraged to Play Video Games for their Benefits into Daily
Skills
Video games are a rising concern to many parents in today’s world. However, these
parents should consider the positive aspects as well as benefits that contemporary interactive
entertainment choices provide. There are several, in fact most video games nowadays M-rated
and intended for strictly discerning adults in consistence with the average age of gaming
audience today. On the other hand, there is a vast majority of video games played by a wide
range of ages. These video games are still fun to engage in because they do not result into
violence or foul language. In this case, parents should weigh the content of video games before
allowing their children to play them. Research shows that playing video games has many
benefits to the child’s intellectual growth and development [1].
Video games provide educational benefits for students. This is true because a curriculum
involving digital media like video games usually improve early literacy skills of a student
especially when coupled with a strong teacher and parental involvement. Young children aged 4
-5 years show increased recognition of letters, increased association of sounds with letters, as
well as understanding the basic concepts about print and stories. In addition, older children also
benefit from video games. This is because even traditional games teach children skills to run on a
daily basis. Through such games, children learn how to delegate responsibilities, promote
teamwork, and steer groups of people towards a common objective or goal [2].
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Apart from the educational benefits drawn from playing video games, the games also
provide young people with another skill of improved multitasking. Action video games improve
several aspects of brain activity inclusive of multitasking. This is because players of video games
portray real-world improvements on tests of accuracy, attention, multitasking, and vision,
especially after playing certain video games titles. The attentional demands of video games, as
well as working memory demands give rise to a much greater task. These combinations of tasks
and coordinated functioning of all parts of the brain and the body in order to yield a fruitful result
is what video games instill in its player [3]. They make video games players become good at
multitasking and thus can take on several activities at the same time and perform them properly.
Video games also have social benefits because they attract the family into playing
together. For example, games that have a broad appeal and are easy to grasp help most families
to play together. This bridges the generational gap between parents and their children, as well as
helping families to bond and associate freely with each other, e.g. young children can dance
alongside their grandparents in a video game title such as hip wiggling simulation Just Dance. In
addition, many other games contain positive social messages that motivate families to work
together for the good and benefit of the entire social unit. Participants in a game that requires
characters to assist each other in winning a game always portray a helpful behavior, e.g. Tetris.
this in the long run enables children become sociable with each other, and be willing and ready
to help when called upon [4].
Furthermore, serious games designed specifically to inform and teach children also create
a great impact in the universe. Children learn real life issues from titles such as “United Nations’
Food Force”. Consequently, these children also learn humanitarianism as well as the practical
challenges facing private organizations and government in our current world settings. This game
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requires children to complete six separate missions reflecting on real life obstacles faced by the
WFP during its emergency responses. Other movies also teach children the benefits of engaging
in healthy eating habits, e.g. Food Pyramid Adventure, whilst other highlight to them pressing
social and geopolitical issues [5].
Video games also carry an element of career benefit in them. Technology incorporated in
video games undoubtedly influences future career choices of children. The skills that these
children learn while playing these video games, as well as mobile gaming applications
undoubtedly become very valuable to students in 2025 workforce. Scientists propose that
children require more video games because they help children prepare for an increasingly
competitive global market. Moreover, the success relished in complex video games showcases
that games now have the ability to teach thinking skills of a higher order to children, e.g.
problem solving, interpretive analysis, strategic thinking, adaptation to rapid change, and plan
formulation and execution. Consequently, games have become an increasingly important tool in
educating and instructing worker across the globe by trade bodies, governments, and large global
multinationals [6].
Video games encourage cooperation and teamwork. Nowadays, most of these games
emphasize on the cooperative aspects of game play whereby two or more players need to work
hand in hand in order to achieve a common goal, e.g. Lego Star Wars requires players to
cooperate in order to solve in-game puzzles. Other massively multiplayer games such as Lord of
the Rings provide players with an added depth, enjoyment and atmosphere through allowing
players to band together and incorporate teamwork in playing video games so that they can
accomplish certain quests or defeat especially tricky opponents. This teamwork enables children
to bond and be willing to assist each other even in other open aspects of the world [2].
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Video games help children build their confidence. This is especially so in computer
games designed to assist people to improve their self-acceptance. This is more fruitful compared
to books and novels written to boost self-acceptance as well as make people to feel more positive
about them. Nonetheless, even other simple games can assist children feel the sense of
achievement basing on basic principles involved in the game. This could be through discovery,
exploration and puzzles that enable player to learn how to succeed in ways that our brains
actually prefer. Most of the games introduce a concept for player, such as jumping, and then they
provide an avenue for the player to master the concept. Later on, players are free to utilize,
explore, and achieve success when using this new skill. Simultaneously, this assists in growth
and development in confidence of the player at the same time [1].
Video games promote exercise among children. It is common knowledge to all parents
that children require a healthy combination of both mental and physical exercise. Most current
video games assist children in achieving both types of exercise at the same time, e.g. Sony’s
PlayStation. Furthermore, experts such as the American Heart Association cite and recommend
video games as a fun and entertaining way of to enjoyment of physical activity. Research shows
that playing six different interactive games compares to walking on a treadmill at a rate of three
miles per hour, with four out of the six activities requiring higher energy expenditure. Therefore,
it is important for parents to allow children to play video games, as it is a way of stimulating both
the mind and the body [4].
Most video games are a group or social play. As such, they generate very important
effects on relationships among families. Families that engage in playing activities like board
games and make-believes strengthen the family bond. However, most parents view video games
as a sedentary, solitary and time-wasting activity which is quite opposite from the truth. Video
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games emerge as a quite viable option of family game time with a potential to offer great
benefits to families who are in a position to enjoy the game together. Families that embrace the
art of playing video games in their everyday life have a high likelihood of enjoying greater
communication and cohesion than those families who view video games as a meaningless, idle
and solitary pursuit [3].
In conclusion, it is very evident that playing video games brings about numerous benefits
to children, as well as to the family, institutions and workplaces that these children belong. The
skills they learn from video games teach them how to deal with pressing issues in life, together
with facing its challenges. Furthermore, they can incorporate the teamwork required in playing to
bonding in families, interpersonal cooperation among workers and social harmony and peaceful
coexistence within the society. Therefore, I would advocate for parents to allow their children to
play more and more video games both at home and in their schools [6].
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References
[1] B. Gunter. The Effects Of Video Games On Children: The Myth Unmasked. London:
Continuum International Publishing Group, 1998, Pp. 53.
[2] E. Andersen. (2012, Oct 31). Want to be Smarter? Play Video Games – Forbes [Online].
Available: http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikaandersen/2012/10/31/want-to-be-smarter-
play-video-games/
[3] K. Hamlen. Relationships between Video Game Play and Creativity among Elementary
School Students. Ann Arbor, Michigan: ProQuest, 2008, Pp. 87.
[4] J. McGonagall. (2013, April 27). We Spend 3 Billion Hours a Week as a Planet Playing
Video Games. Is it worth it? How could it be MORE worth it? TED Conversations
[Online]. Available:
http://www/ted.com/conversations/44/we_spend_3_billion_hours_a_week.html
[5] J. McGonagall. (2012, Oct 15). How Might Video Games be Good for Us? Big Questions
Online [Online]. Available: https://www.bigquestionsonline.com/content/how-might-
video-games-be-good-us
[6] S. Steinberg. (2011, Dec 26). The Benefits of Video Games-ABC News [Online]. Available:
http://www/abcnems.go.com>ABCNewsBlogs>Technology>TechnologyReview
