For a few days now, I have been playing PUBG mobile (PlayerUnknown's Battleground), which is a highly popular video game which was launched earlier this year on mobile. Please ignore the fact that I am too late to the party.
While the whole world has already played, enjoyed, laughed, cried, made memes about and brutally competed with each other in this game, I only started now and that too thanks to a dear high school friend of mine, who kind of told me that I had to get the game.
Anyways, I did, and suffice it to say, I am simply enjoying it. No wonder so many people had been talking about this online so passionately. The game is superfun to play and you just don't have track of time playing it.
But it's not only about the fun. As I was playing it, I realised that this game in particular can have several other benefits as well. In general, video games have a bad reputation, especially among parents, but trust me, there is a ton of benefits to them which I would like to talk about today.
They Increase Your Problem Solving Abilities
Just think about it for a second. When you are playing any video game, what you are really doing is solving problems. Whether it is a game as simple as Mario, or something more complex like a strategy game, you are trying to figure every moment, your next move, to solve a particular set of problems.
In the game PUBG, you have to figure how to survive throughout the game to remain the last player standing for which, you have to kill other players, hide in certain places and time, choose your weapons carefully, navigate the map without being seen, and so much more.
Life too, is all about solving problems as we all are already aware. There are no shortage of problems and they seem to crop up at every corner just like in a game. We just got to keep solving them, and advance further to higher levels of life.
So, if playing video games can enhance your problem solving abilities, why not incorporate them in your life too? Of course, keep it contained, because if you get addicted, they will become yet another problem to solve.
They Help Reduce Stress
Life is stressful. No matter who you are, you probably have a hundred things in your mind and like I said before, there are problems at every corner. All this has made the modern human really stressful.
Also, we tend to overthink our problems and make them much larger than they really are. So, sometimes we just need an escape to take our minds from all our over-inflated problems and video games are the perfect candidate for that.
By immersing yourself in a virtual environment, you can really forget about the real one for some time and you can actually have fun doing it. Call this a temporary escape but still, it counts, in my opinion.
Also, in a virtual environment, you are free to do whatever you want which sort of makes you feel a little more empowered. This can end up helping you take control of some of the situations in your real life too.
They Can Increase Your Brain's Gray Matter
Playing video games can be really crucial for your brain development especially in the early stages of life. Parents usually have a misconception about gaming that it is just a waste of time and that children should be out learning and being more productive.
Well, children are learning by playing games as many video games incorporate elements of history, culture and languages in a way that is more interesting than plain texts. But there's more. Playing games can actually increase your brain's gray matter according to a study
Gray matter is the part of the brain that is associated with memory, spatial navigation, muscle control, sensory perception, speech, decision making and much more. Gaming provides a healthy workout for the development of all these traits and there is an actual physical increase in the gray matter.
This can be really crucial for children and adolescent as that period is all about developing of the body and the mind to prepare for the later stages of life. So, next time, don't cringe when your kids are playing. Monitor them but let them have some fun as well!!
Finally something i can show my parents when they scold me for playing games. Lol.
I am 24 years old i still love playing games and everytime i play game i get scolded from my parents that its not ur age to play such games. I mean who made this rule that only children below 10 or 15years can play game and not others. Thanks though.
hahah yeah!! Parents do have a tendency to scold, don't they? You can show them this article now :P
Hahaha @alok1. I am pretty sure that there would be many others who would be benefited with this post.
@sauravrungta when did I abuse anyone that I have been downvoted? Answer me @admiralbot
Obviously you don't understand how the blockchain works? We know that you and @alok1 are the same account owner. We can see the transfers between the accounts!
Do you always talk to yourself?
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No one! Video games help in increasing concentration too...my personal exp. When i stuck i play some games and quickly resolve my issue....quite an intetesting way to deal with many issue apart from ..time pass..just avoid the addiction
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Yeah that’s right. We just need to avoid addiction! Then all is good 😊
Like everything in life, there is the good and the bad. I am afraid that the only knowledge that I have of video games, is that the kids that I know who play these games, are obsessed and their social interactions is almost zero.
This has presented a huge problem in their young lives. How does one break this obsession?
Unfortunately things can take a quick bad turn if not supervised. It’s up to the parents to make sure that while they enjoy the benefits of the games, it doesn’t become an addiction.
I agree with you 100%. But unfortunately, kids are left to their own devices, just keep them happy seems to be the attitude. Sad state of affairs.
Could this be confirmation bias? Haha
If you asked me 4 years ago my opinion on video games, I would have vehemently disagreed with you, but after meeting my fiance and giving video games a go, I do see some merits. I realized very early on that my observation and problem solving skills on the medium was subpar. With time, however, the “puzzles” do get easier. There’s definitely a learning curve, but after that most games utilize the same base strategies to progress in the game. I would say it elevates critical thinking to a point and then it’s just for fun.
As for promoting this to kids at a young age, I don't think evolution is on your side. We are still social animals that need face time and learn through live social interaction. Look at what happens when you socially isolate rhesus monkeys. A happy medium is always best!
Yeah, games do have benefits for sure. I have read many reports that point to this, so, I don't think it is confirmation bias.
As for promoting this to kids, I didn't mean to say that they would be playing video games all day long. Of course they need social interactions too. What I was suggesting was to incorporate games into their daily live ALONG WITH other important things as well!!
we are on the same page on that last bit. How do you feel about site likes https://www.brainpop.com?
maybe i have been playing for 23 years. Its wonderful
Good article, many of the video games are considered electronic sports and they do world competitions like: league of legends,
Counter Strike: Global Offensive, DOTA2, Hearthstone, Overwatch,
There are many good features in electronic sports or video games that increase psychomotor activity and improve people's rapid reaction. A study from the Australian University of Deakin found that children playing interactive video games, such as we can find on Wii, had better motor skills, in short, they had many positive aspects, but too much play can be negative
Buen artículo, muchos de los videojuegos son considerados deportes electrónicos y hacen competiciones mundiales como: league of legends,
Counter Strike: Global Offensive, DOTA2, Hearthstone, Overwatch,
Hay muchas buenas características en los deportes electrónicos o videojuegos que aumentan la actividad psicomotora y mejoran la reacción rápida de las personas. Un estudio de la Universidad australiana de Deakin descubrió que los niños que jugaban videojuegos interactivos, como los que podemos encontrar en Wii, tenían mejores habilidades motrices, en resumen, tenían muchos aspectos positivos, pero demasiado juego puede ser negativo
During my gaming days, I did see the benefits of problems solving adventure games, but the addiction was too much for productive college life. Finding the balance is key! Thanks for the audio version also. I'm thinking of creating video versions of every written post, appreciate the extra work.
Thanks for this!