It’s unfortunate how many people don’t understand video games. It’s becoming less common, but people who grew up before virtual entertainment was mainstream don’t, or won’t, realize that video games are here to stay. And it’s not a bad thing.
First, let’s get a few things straight. Video games are good for you. Video games are art. You can shake your head and roll your eyes all you want, but those studies that told you all about the violent tendencies caused by video games are wholly wrong.
Yup, video games are good for you. German researchers conducted a study on adults playing a videogame for 30 minutes a day and found a size increase in the areas of the brain responsible for spatial navigation, memory, strategy and fine motor skills. That’s right, video games actually make your brain bigger, potentially counteracting effects of brain-shrinking mental disorders like Alzheimer’s, PTSD and schizophrenia. A University of Texas study pitted video-game-playing teenagers against actual medical residents in a virtual surgery test. The teenagers dramatically outperformed the medical residents. Other studies have found that games improved eyesight, worked as a pain reliever and regular gaming can even stall the cognitive decline of elderly people by seven years.
Video games are good for all. By all I mean society and relationships. A famous study from Columbia University says that praising children for their intelligence can be harmful to their motivation and perseverance. The study encourages parents to praise children for their effort instead. Video games are ahead of the curve here. At the end of a level there is nothing that says, “You’re so smart!” It might say “Good Job,” and then hand you another level for you to wrestle with.
Contrary to popular belief, video games make it easier to control emotions. The virtual worlds that elicit positive and negative responses from their players provide opportunities to control these emotions safely. To quote a paper from the American Psychological Association, “Adaptive regulation strategies such as acceptance, problem solving, and reappraisal have repeatedly been linked to less negative affect, more social support, and lower levels of depressive symptoms.” The same paper claims that at least 70 percent of gamers play with their friends. Both cooperative and competitive games increase prosocial “helping” behaviors. According to the APA, even the most violent video games don’t diminish these prosocial benefits. It’s also relevant to learn that the U.S. has officially recognized at least one competitive video game as a sport. Think of it as chess, but more entertaining to watch.
Video games are fun. Being part of an interactive story is better than reading a book. Riding a horse through strange uninhabited lands for hours may not be the best use of free time, but it can certainly conjure emotions in a player. True, the challenge comes from climbing massive stone monsters and stabbing them to death with a magical sword, but that’s not the reason people play video games. When the horse that has carried you through the hours of adventure falls to his death saving your life, the anger and grief are real. Note that the anger doesn’t cause people to stab stone monsters in real life, but only affirms a player’s humanity. Like paintings, music, movies, books and sculptures, video games are art, designed to inspire emotion.
What about the examples of real violence apparently caused by video games? Millions and millions of people play violent games. The insanely small number of people imitating violence from video games are clearly greatly disturbed. The coverage of mentally ill people committing such crimes skews popular perception badly. The grand majority of gamers use video games as they are intended, for stress relief, escapism and friendly competition.
Obviously, too many hours in front of a screen can have negative effects. Just go jogging for a an hour a day, and then go slaying for an hour a day, and your body will thank you.