While many studies allege negative effects of video games (violent tendencies, apathy, social disorder), there are just as many that point out the many positives that of being a gamer.
I have developed my own opinion on the matter through personal experience. I firmly believe that playing video games can substantially aid the developing mind.
I was already reaping the benefits of being a gamer at the age of 4. Due to the fact that my mother was a typing teacher, we had a computer in our household long before the onset of the digital age. The first games I played were mostly educational. I spent hours trying to make it to California via the Oregon Trail, traveling around the world looking for Carmen Sandiego and busting my brain on “National Geographic’s Geo Bee.” All of these games instilled a deep passion of geography and culture. At 5, I knew the capital of every state, not to mention the location of the Caspian Sea on the globe. Even in high school, educational games such as Typershark can help students learn skills such as keyboarding and formatting.
While educational games are clearly beneficial, recreational games can be just as beneficial to cognitive development. Playing “Mario” and “Duck Hunt” did wonders for my hand-eye coordination. Solving puzzles in the “Legend of Zelda” increased my critical thinking skills significantly. The puzzle tests I took to get in the gifted program in elementary school were child’s play compared to some of the brain busters in the “Ocarina of Time.”
As I grew older, so did my taste in games. After playing “GoldenEye 64” for the first time, a new world was opened to me. I fell deeply in love with first-person shooters (FPS). There was nothing more rewarding than competing with your friends in an all out digital gunfight.
While many argue that these games are the most harmful to children due their graphic nature, I would argue that they actually carry the most tangible benefits. They teach the gamer so many life skills that are often overlooked by anti-gaming patrons. They have helped me build reflexes, navigational skills and most importantly, taught me how to function as part of a team.
As soon as I had a 256k dial-up Internet connection, I was online gaming with friends in military shooters such as “Delta Force” and “Counter Strike.” While the basic idea of these titles is to “kill” the other team, there is a great deal of strategy and communication between teammates that is necessary for victory in most FPS matches.
Even now, with evolved console shooters such as “Halo” and “Call of Duty,” teams that strategize and work together effectively have a much higher success rate than those who simply run and gun. These learned teamwork and communication skills have been applicable throughout my life, whether it is on a sports team or in the work place.
Another advantage to gaming, especially of the online variety, is the social facet. Even when I am at home by myself, I am never truly alone. Once I pick up my controller, I have an instant communicative link to friends from all around the world. Thanks to online gaming, I am able to stay in constant contact with friends from high school and college alike, most of whom live in different parts of the state and even the country.
The gaming universe is also a great place to meet new friends. At 15, I met one such friend via “Halo 2” on X-box Live. Although we were originally randomly paired on a team by the game, we quickly became very close and played together almost every day during my time in high school. After five years of being online teammates, this friend eventually invited me to take a trip up to his hometown just outside of Toronto, Canada. I had a wonderful stay with his family in Canada.
Of course, I don’t encourage everyone just to blindly go and seek out everyone they meet on the Internet, but with tools such as Skype and FaceTime, it’s not difficult to get full disclosure in who you are actually talking to. To this day, I speak with my Canadian friend regularly and hope to get him to make a trip down into the States someday soon.
The final benefit of gaming that I would like to point out is the learned ability to formulate a goal and work to achieve it. Almost every video game ever made sets a goal for the user. Whether it be to rescue a princess, slay a dragon or save the human race, games motivate users to work diligently and progress towards an ultimate goal.
While my case may not be relevant for everyone, I can honestly say that I don’t believe I would be the person I am today if not for video games. Some argue that games stunt social growth and cause violent tendencies, but in my own personal experience, there is little merit to these arguments.
After all, I have spent hours, upon days, upon weeks gaming and am a perfectly functional member of society.
I encourage parents to make their own educated decisions regarding their children’s gaming experiences. In my case, the benefits have greatly outweighed the negatives.
Cameron Whitlock is a reporter for MainStreet Newspapers. Originally from Banks County, he lives in Athens.
