7 Reasons Video Games Are Good For You

The next time you hear someone say video games are bad for you, just show them this article.

Video games have eaten a lot of crap over the years. At best they’ve been perceived as mindless time-wasters, at worst an anti-social activity that could lead to aggression and violent outbursts. Now as society finds itself trying to deal with an aging population and an ailing education system in need of major reformation, video games have become the media’s sweetheart, now being praised for their utility in areas other than “mindless fun”.

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I've been hooked on video games since my Atari 2600 back in 1982 when I was 10. I've been hearing crap ever since.

I've always thought it was BS cause I guarantee you the amount of time the average gamers spends playing is less than the amount of time the average person sits on their asses watching Desperate Housewives, American Idol and other truly mindless drivel.

be for games it was music be for that it was comics...

I agree that video games may have benafit over just sitting around, or just staring at the boob tube.

But go do martial arts training for an hour and you'll have improved snap decision making and hand-eye coordination far more than an hour of video gaming. (Did they really use a Harry Potter game as an example of something benafical?)

We play video games for fun. I don't care if the world doesn't think they're great for us, but I would like to see video games be held to the same standards as say movies or something.

rihno13 said:

I agree that video games may have benafit over just sitting around, or just staring at the boob tube.

But go do martial arts training for an hour and you'll have improved snap decision making and hand-eye coordination far more than an hour of video gaming. (Did they really use a Harry Potter game as an example of something benafical?)

We play video games for fun. I don't care if the world doesn't think they're great for us, but I would like to see video games be held to the same standards as say movies or something.

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Negative.

rihno13 said:

I agree that video games may have benafit over just sitting around, or just staring at the boob tube.

But go do martial arts training for an hour and you'll have improved snap decision making and hand-eye coordination far more than an hour of video gaming. (Did they really use a Harry Potter game as an example of something benafical?)

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Well yeah, I don't think the article was saying gaming is just as good as physical training. Pretty much goes without saying that playing a couple hours of Call of Duty ain't the equivalent of Army Ranger training.

rihno13 said:

I agree that video games may have benafit over just sitting around, or just staring at the boob tube.

But go do martial arts training for an hour and you'll have improved snap decision making and hand-eye coordination far more than an hour of video gaming. (Did they really use a Harry Potter game as an example of something benafical?)

We play video games for fun. I don't care if the world doesn't think they're great for us, but I would like to see video games be held to the same standards as say movies or something.

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Hmm, while I understand you are very proud that you do martial arts, and that whatever you personally do has to be superior to absolutely everything else, but I have to tell you that you might be wrong. Maybe if that hour was full blown all out fighting, but that has a ton of consequences you simply don't have with games that stress hand eye coordination just as much, but with no chance of injury.

Kalabalana said:

Hmm, while I understand you are very proud that you do martial arts, and that whatever you personally do has to be superior to absolutely everything else, but I have to tell you that you might be wrong. Maybe if that hour was full blown all out fighting, but that has a ton of consequences you simply don't have with games that stress hand eye coordination just as much, but with no chance of injury.

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Not only that but gaming is also fun. No amount of forced activities is actually going to help a kid in any measurable way unless there is a true negative reinforcement for not trying. Basically unless their at a military or prep school, or get spanked anytime they try less then 100%, then your not helping. The benefit to gaming is that you don't have to try to get most kids to play, the problem becomes watching their involvement to make sure its not a detriment to everything else, and making good choices in games.

I am and have been a big gamer, but I absolutely agree that playing a sport (especially an individual sport like martial arts or tennis) will do more for your decision making and hand-eye coordination than a lifetime of video games.

kumquat said:

I am and have been a big gamer, but I absolutely agree that playing a sport (especially an individual sport like martial arts or tennis) will do more for your decision making and hand-eye coordination than a lifetime of video games.

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Video games are not as demanding as physical training, so you can play them for longer stretches of time. You can also play them later in life when you get home from work dead tired.

wizdum said:

Video games are not as demanding as physical training, so you can play them for longer stretches of time. You can also play them later in life when you get home from work dead tired.

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I'm not saying video games are better/worse than physical activity. Video games are great. But they're not better for coordination or decision making than sports. Video games should never displace physical activity.

rihno13 said:

I agree that video games may have benafit over just sitting around, or just staring at the boob tube.

But go do martial arts training for an hour and you'll have improved snap decision making and hand-eye coordination far more than an hour of video gaming. (Did they really use a Harry Potter game as an example of something benafical?)

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Race car drivers use video games to make themselves better drivers. A lot of drivers have tested gamers on the Nürburgring, and make fun of them that they didn't do as good as they did in the game. The fact they even came close though, amazes me. It makes a bit more sense for driving a car, as opposed to martial arts. The US military even made a game to try and recruit gamers. What was it, America's Army? Even the US military recognizes the power of games.

There are some things that adapt well from video games, and some that don't. Martial arts is certainly not one of them.

I know I'm going to get flamed for this, but World of Warcraft is a great example of adopted stuff you learn from a game, into reality.

#1 Players are more sociable. Cause honestly, you can't do jack in WoW unless you talk to people.

#2 Players learn about managing money. WoW has a complex economy, and as a gamer you have to figure out ways to make gold, and preserve gold. Gives you a better appreciation for real money.

#3 It teaches you how to manage time. Logging onto WoW to raid, is like being on time to work in WoW. Which a lot of people still fail at.

#4 It teaches you the consequences of being a dick. Can't work well with people in game, then probably can't in real life either.

What I don't get is why gamers take so much grief and why we even have to have this discussion or write articles like this defending our favorite hobby.

Gaming makes more money than Hollywood! Obviously its not just a bunch of awkward, backward, skinny, virgins with tape on their glasses living in their parents basement that are buying these games like hotcakes. Hell, I'm a 39 year old, 240 pound weightlifter with a wife, kid, a nice house and drive a beer truck for a living. I have a feeling I'm not the only non-stereotypical person around here either.

I mean we don't see any articles like this defending baseball card collecting or bird watching or any other non-physical hobby.

MacLeod said:

What I don't get is why gamers take so much grief and why we even have to have this discussion or write articles like this defending our favorite hobby.

Gaming makes more money than Hollywood! Obviously its not just a bunch of awkward, backward, skinny, virgins with tape on their glasses living in their parents basement that are buying these games like hotcakes. Hell, I'm a 39 year old, 240 pound weightlifter with a wife, kid, a nice house and drive a beer truck for a living. I have a feeling I'm not the only non-stereotypical person around here either.

I mean we don't see any articles like this defending baseball card collecting or bird watching or any other non-physical hobby.

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You answered your own question. It's because video games are so popular and so common that they are examined this closely.

kumquat said:

I am and have been a big gamer, but I absolutely agree that playing a sport (especially an individual sport like martial arts or tennis) will do more for your decision making and hand-eye coordination than a lifetime of video games.

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Depends.

Video games can certainly present the capability of having to rapidly make SUBSTANTIALLY more complicated decisions than sports. Here, I'm not thinking about shooters or action games (I have a hunch sports probably do better, there, as the level of mental data you need to rapidly evaluate is roughly the same), but some strategy and RTS games...perhaps some RPGs and MMOs.

In many of these, you need to still be able to make snap decisions, but on TREMENDOUS volumes of information. Very different from the type of decision making needed for sports (and to a less extent, shooters) - 'x is happening, is moving to y or z best?'

Similarly on the hand-eye coordination. Anyone who is an artist (I'd assume surgeon, here, too...oh, and watchmakers) can tell you that there is MILES of difference between large/sweeping hand-eye coordination (kicking/throwing/hitting a ball with swings of your arms or legs) and the hand-eye coordination needed for precision, detailed work. Although, in this case, you are probably honestly better off just practicing whatever it is you are doing (drawing, building watches, etc), as that fine level of hand-eye coordination isn't replicated in that many games at all.