Benefits of Playing Video Games to Develop Learning Skills

Cognitive Benefits of Playing Video Games for Students

People of different ages adore playing video games. The one who actively does that is called a gamer. Most people would tell you that video games have only disadvantages. Nevertheless, some research proves that students and even a child can reap multiple benefits from playing video games.

First of all, the gaming process positively affects our cognition. It’s responsible for our memory, attention, decision-making, movement, and other vital processes. It is believed that video action in many games works as a huge stimulus for basic skills.

 

Gaming provides students with the important experience of hand-eye coordination. One study has shown sufficient improvement of motor skills and reaction. When gamers play action games, shooters, racing, ice-hockey games, etc., they have to depend on the sharpness of their eyes and reflexes. It helps control all their movements.

Another crucial improvement is enhanced memorization. Every game has certain rules, functions, options, and features. A gamer ought to memorize them all to succeed. Thus, students can subconsciously increase their memory capacity.

The ability to make the right decisions is of huge importance for everyone. Students reinforce it when they play video games. They try different strategies to win a mission or a campaign. It improves their strategic thinking even if it’s a shooter. As a result, they improve decision-making and problem-solving skills. Besides, they become more disciplined and organized to achieve success.

Multiple games improve math skills. Some of them include mathematical practice. For example, a famous strategy WarCraft includes economics to choose the most advantageous development course. You have to create buildings and hire warriors for resources you mine. If you exceed a certain limit, you’ll have to pay additional fees. Thus, this game teaches us to understand values and numbers.

It may sound weird, but gaming improves social skills. Many online games require communication between users. They learn how to interact effectively to enjoy success.

Thanks to a great variety of games, students become curious about different things. Thus, they expand their interests and knowledge to enjoy higher test scores. However, experts recommend playing educational games.

Although different strategies and shooters develop different learning skills, their effectiveness may be insufficient because they weren’t created for this purpose. Educational games are specially designed to teach students through an experiment and practice of learning skills. Consequently, you’d better select educational games if you want to enlarge your knowledge and enhance your learning abilities.

But what about puzzles? Well, puzzle games like crossword puzzles (video game ones included) or even puzzles in games such as The Legend of Zelda can help sharpen the mind and get the player to use their critical thinking skills in order to achieve the round of the game and to continue to the next level. So, not all games need to be inherently educational in order to push for critical thinking to come out. 

Things to Keep in Mind

It seems to be alright if you play games when you have free time and all the tasks are accomplished. However, students may get addicted to gaming. This condition is frequently compared to drug or alcohol addiction. People aren’t able to think about anything else but playing. It negatively affects their health, personal life, and cognitive development.

Another thing to consider is the content of the game. Many games contain violence and sex. It’s believed that such content may work as a trigger to become violent too. Therefore, games are divided into several categories and age restrictions for children, teenagers, and adults.

Many video gamers have certain physical problems. These include problems with posture, physical strength, muscle degeneration, poor sight, pain, obesity, and others. You ought to be extremely careful.

You should always keep these warnings in your head. Even if you feel the game doesn’t affect you, it may cause you some physical and mental harm in time. Be reasonable, and you’ll become a great gamer who is sane and healthy.