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Why gaming is good for you

The common opinion is that video games are a waste of time, a form of mindless entertainment that serves no greater function. For example, this is a common view of parents, clearly concerned with the amount of time their children spend behind a computer screen. This also seems to be a common view of many educators, who believe that the emphasis on video games detracts from many other educationally beneficial activities. However, an ever-increasing number of literature on the topic seems to indicate the opposite: that there are clearly beneficial aspects to video gaming. This is not to say that one should spend all his or her time behind a computer screen, but rather that, in certain areas, gaming provides clear positives to the gamer.

For example, empirical research has been conducted on those who play video games. In many widely available articles on the Internet, scientists have been quoted as stating that video games provide social, emotional as well as cognitive benefits. For example, when gamers are tested against non-gamers in certain areas such as creativity, multi-tasking and attention, the gamers received higher scores. Furthermore, scientists have stated that video games help the gamers cope with emotional or psychological problems, such as being better able to handle stressful situations because of the intense nature of video games. When parents become actively involved in the gaming lives of their children, for example, by playing video games with them, emotional bonds have also been said to be increased according to the research. These are only some of the positive benefits that video games have had and clearly dispel the thesis that they are only a waste of time.

Certainly, these are some of the immediate effects that video games have on the user. However, there is also a sense in which video games are held to too high a standard. For example, to the extent that video games are a hobby, a form of recreation, it does not seem legitimate to critique video games. In other words, one rarely reads article about how stamp collecting or some other hobby such as baseball card collecting is a waste of time or dangerous. One has to understand why we play video games: there is an enjoyment to it, a pleasure that is gained from it. We feel involved in a fantastic, creative scenario that is entirely different from our everyday lives. Furthermore, in bigger onlining gaming communities we form relationships with others through cooperation, and bonds of friendship may be established. These relationships can also extend beyond the medium of video games, as going out into the world and meeting someone who shares an interest with you, for example, having a favorite video game, can become an important way of social bonding, just like some people who like football or others fishing can talk about their favorite sports and hobbies.

Now certainly, one of the most frequent critiques of video games is that they produce violent individuals. This is an important point that needs to be addressed. First of all, not all video games are violent. We know there are a multitude of games, from puzzle games such as Tetris to sports games. Secondly, there is no correlation between violence and video games according to the academic research. Certainly, some individuals may be affected by the violent content of some games, but these individuals would arguably also be affected by violent content in any medium, from books to television, from cinema to comic strips.

I can understand that too much time is spent with video games in today’s society. But any activity that is abused in terms of time spent doing it can be considered negative. When we consider the positives of gaming from the perspective of scientific research and combine this with the notion of gaming as a form of recreation that is compelling to the one who participates in it, it is difficult to justify the critique of gaming that is so prevalent in today’s society.