Gamers can sometimes receive a lot of criticism from people claiming that video games produce bad habits and promote violence. Parents even tend to scold their children for playing too often, but not many people know that video games actually provide gamers with certain practical skills that can come in handy in real life.
Believe it or not, playing video games can help gamers become productive members of society with the useful skills and values they help to hone.
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The Life Of A Gamer
Yes, it’s true that playing too many video games can produce bad habits, but studies find that gamers who play at least three hours per week make few errors and complete tasks faster. They even tend to score better than non-players when it comes to surgical skills.
Teaching Driving
Most parents are at least a little scared of teaching their children to drive. Well, if your child plays video games, they might have an easier time. Playing racing games can sharpen visual and motor skills while improving coordination and muscle responses. This makes it easier for a driver to respond to sudden situations.
Improved Learning
Gamers are better able to engage with multiple tasks, keep their attention focused, switch tasks, and make decisions. When tested every few months, gamers were found to use these skills better than non-gamers.
Beyond these practical skills, there are academic skills a gamer can gain. On international exams, students who play games scored better at math, reading, and science. This is in contrast to students who chat with their friends more often or spent more than average on Facebook, scoring lower than average in math.
Quick Decisions
Making decisions quickly is a part of life. Gamers may be able to make them quicker since they have more acute attention spans than non-gamers. On top of that, gamers tend to be able to make decisions better even in high-pressure situations, making them more suited for jobs in the military, like flying drones.
Learning Values
Patience is a virtue. Gamers know this by heart after sometimes spending hours doing some repetitive in-game training and continually retrying levels they’ve failed at. Video games teach players to continually perform even tedious tasks, preparing them for working in their daily life and persevering even on difficult jobs.
Practical Skills
In studies, scientists find that gamers who engage in games requiring practical skills, like golfing or other sports games, improve their overall coordination. Even games like Guitar Hero can teach gamers to play guitar at a basic level, while creative games might provide gamers motion controls that allow them to gain practical skills needed to become a sculptor or painter. Most games except for button-mashing games teach these types of skills.
Conclusion
Parents have been scolding their kids for playing video games for years now. This is no surprise considering the idea that a lot of games do promote violence. However, gamers do actually gain many practical skills that they can use in real life with only a few hours a week in front of the television. Watch as games improve coordination, strategic thought, and even patience in daily life.
If you are interested in even more entertainment-related articles and information from us here at Bit Rebels then we have a lot to choose from.
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