Any time a person states that they want to explain what video games do to a person when they’re played for so long, negative connotations tend to emerge in a lot of peoples’ minds like some malignant magic trick as people start to roll their eyes and wonder how much of the coming talk will be lecture and how much will be apologetic understanding. In this case, there are a few good things to say about video games and what they can do for individuals. Of course, it’s possible to overdo it, as it is with anything. But while the idea of video games becoming addictive is pretty easy to see, there are also several effects that come about when a person truly gets into a game. For one, hand to eye coordination can be seen to improve over time as the continued practice of learning how to operate a game and remain in control can go a long way towards creating spatial awareness and the kind of coordinated effort that can allow a person to pick things up quicker and master a skill that much faster simply because they’ve had plenty of practice doing it already. Typing is about the same thing really, since learning how to type without having to look at the keyboard that often and sometimes without having to look at the words that are being written can create a more efficient individual that knows how to multi-task and is confident in their ability to excel at one or tasks at the same time.
Learning how to work with others is also a skill that can be learned while playing video games since online, multiplayer modes can teach people how to function as a unit and take on different tasks while attempting to win a game. Obviously unless one is in the military the task of killing enemy soldiers isn’t going to be that valuable outside of the game, but it still teaches the same kind of teamwork that is required in the everyday world when in an office setting or other location where teamwork is expected and valued. This wasn’t quite the same for a lot of us growing up since the internet hadn’t yet come to gaming systems, and the mere mention of playing a game with someone around the world was a fantasy that had yet to be realized. In this day and age, a person could be playing a game with someone from an entirely different continent and they wouldn’t know as much unless they were informed in some way. And yet, linking up and learning how to come together as a team in various games is seen as a valued skill that allows people to realize the importance of relying on another human being and learning how to build trust with and give trust to another person in the execution of certain goals.
Video games can also be good for your mental health, but there is a fine line to be certain since overdoing it can actually warp reality for the individual in some ways. Imagine playing a favorite game all weekend, a role-playing game that takes hours to complete and is typically set with so many different side quests and objectives that to accomplish everything will take days on end without cease. When the mind is subjected to one thing that doesn’t appear to end, save for intervals since a human being has certain needs to tend to at times, then it is entirely possible to start having trouble divining what’s real and what’s not. The mind will seek to compensate after spending too much time focusing on a video game, and in truth, some people might find it difficult to sleep since the game might follow them into their dreams, so to speak. Becoming obsessed with a video game isn’t a great idea, but games can still be great stress relief and can be used as a way to just relax and enjoy the moment. Mortal Kombat can be great for stress relief since it can allow a person to blow off steam in a way that they can’t perform in real life, while a quest game might allow a person’s mind to simply get lost for a time and enjoy a world other than their own. In other words, video games are an escape from this world that, when monitored and kept to a moderate level, can do wonders for a person’s mental state.
As someone that’s binged on a quest game over the weekends, taking only the needed bathroom and food breaks, it’s easy to claim that video games can in fact take over a person’s life. But when used in moderation and for enjoyment they can be quite pleasurable, not to mention useful. Staying glued to the game isn’t a good idea, but using it as a means of escape now and then is easy to support.
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