The Goodness in Video Games
We've all heard the many sayings from our parents: "Stop
playing video games, they're no good for you" or "If you keep
playing video games you'll become stupid!" I'm here to prove
these wrong. Video games are not always mindless graphics put
onto the TV or computer for your child to become zombies. Video
games can have a lot of positive effects in all actuality.
There are two major positive things video games do: provide
interaction and inspire creativity. Each has different effects
on the child. Taking a look at both and really understanding
them could help parents make the right decision about video
games.
First we have provide interaction. It is just what it says. The
video game provides a way for the child to interact with
something. It's a lot better than just watching some TV show or
movie. They're not sitting there mindlessly. They actually have
to think about what they're doing. A lot of games provide a
surprisingly entertaining and educational amount of problem
solving in them. This is very good for stimulating the child's
mind and getting them to think out of the box. It's a much
easier process to get them to do this than a bunch of pointless
word problems for homework.
How do you know this is interaction is positive? Look at the
most recent television shows for kids. Most if not all of them
have the child interacting in some way. Some shows get the kid
to dance, to jump, to move in some way. Some ask them questions
or have them singing along. The list goes on and on of how they
benefit the child's learning. Lots of video games are like this.
Even non-educational video games provide a healthy amount of
learning and exercise for the mind.
More importantly, for me as a writer, I find that video games
provide a great amount of inspiration in creativity. I grew up
playing video games. It's not the only thing I did, I wasn't
just sitting on the couch all day playing them, but I did play
my fair share. Did it have a negative effect on me? I think not.
I did well in school regardless of the video games. I stayed
healthy regardless of the video games. I took up an interest in
writing from the video games.
Video games present a lot of information to kids. In my case,
and probably like many others out there, I was inspired by them.
I took plots, characters, worlds and everything I loved about
them and started to write my own things. They made me be
creative and develop my own stories to tell. At first it might
have been similar adaptations to the game since I was young and
still not that experienced in writing and reading. But like
books, video games helped me develop my ideas in my head and
focus me on a path of motivation and creativity.
I hope parents don't stop their kids from playing games. They
should allow them to but of course with supervision and
direction. Not every game out there is good for a kid. Parents
should know what their child is playing. They should look into
what the games are about. They may help the child in more than
an educational way. It could make them be a more creative
person, even boosting their self-esteem and interest in writing
and the arts as it did for me. The parent should even try
playing the video game. It's never too late to be inspired by
them.