Gaming Equals Growth

Have you ever heard your mom or grandpa or aunt yelling at you to stop wasting your time on mindless video games and do something more productive instead? Well, those mindless video games actually help minds grow. Players develop a multitude of skills in the risk taking and problem solving areas such as social and leadership skills. They are able to set their own goals and persevere towards achieving them, letting them do the same in the real world.

They would encounter struggles in the virtual world and take note of obstacles in their path while they are playing, which allows them to later recognize them as the same threat to their success and anticipate the consequences. Their newly acquired knowledge and successes enable them to accomplish greater challenges in the future. Through failures, the players are able to learn from their mistakes without serious repercussions, which motivates them to keep taking risks.

This lets them become more confident in the decisions they make and less self-conscious of what they do. Failures also enhance their ability to distinguish differences between the right and the wrong in order to achieve their goal the next time they play. This helps them in the real world by practicing to identify the advantages and the disadvantages of certain choices. They would use their quick thinking skills and make faster decisions in time-consuming and difficult positions.

Another benefit from playing video games is giving a chance for kids to teach and assist others, thus building their communication and leadership skills. One might stumble upon a very challenging situation in the game and ask another for

help. The other person will gain the opportunity to lead their friend and work together to beat it.

In conclusion, video games help grow and develop various important skills that are useful in the real world, and they are not as bad as many people think they are.

<Sally Song, The Archer School for Girls, 8th Grade>