Kids

7 Reasons Why Kids Playing Video Games Isn’t Bad

by Kevyn Gohu
February 27, 2023

There are some benefits to kids playing video games.

Because of old studies, many of us grew up thinking that our kids playing video games would instantly make them “neurotic” or serial killers. While there are studies that confirm that kids get a little more aggressive after uncontrolled hours of gaming, there are also other studies that show children can make a future out of gaming and it’s not as doom and gloom as former studies made us believe.

So here are several reasons kids playing video games isn’t so bad.

1. Kids can become professional gamers!

Unlike typical jobs, becoming a professional gamer doesn’t require a college degree. While it takes a lot of practice, age is not a restriction to join the major league. They’re even considered athletes under e-sports, depending on the games they play.

Some famous gamers include Daigo Umehara, who also came to the Philippines to compete in the world-class tournament Rev Major for the classic 2D fighting game, Tekken. He currently has a net worth of $10 million. Another one who makes a lot as a professional gamer is Filipino DOTA 2 player, DJ Mampusti, earning over $1 million USD.

2. Video games can help build resilience in kids.

While it’s a simulated situation, there are some games that truly challenge your kids’ resilience and patience. One of the most popular games that challenge a person’s patience and resilience is Dark Souls—an ARPG (Action Role Playing Game) where players need to fight enemies who will take every opportunity to kill them, changing their pattern to adapt to the player’s strategies.

3. If they don’t go professional, they can earn money as streamers.

Gaming doesn’t always mean that the players need to compete against each other. They can become content creators, too! Content creators vary between fanfiction writers, graphic artists, and even streamers. Streamers build their community by creating a variety of content, from gameplay videos to lore analyses. They make money by allowing YouTube to feature ads during their videos or by getting sponsored by another brand. Alodia Gosengfiao is a popular streamer, making a lot of her money from playing video games, cosplaying, and eventually building her own brand.

4. Video games can inspire kids to become programmers.

There’s a particular genre of game called Sandbox, which focuses more on the gamers’ ability to build or create. Sandbox games allow kids to build houses and islands, manage resources, explore the world, and even play with other players in creating a new world, which is like programming. You’ve probably heard titles like Minecraft, which is a sandbox game.

5. Kids learn math from video games.

If you’re looking for a fun way for kids to learn math, video games are the best way to go. Some video games, especially those with a competitive aspect, challenge players to note the numbers. They call this measurement DPS (Damage per Second) which is affected by the items they equip their characters with. Each of these items has numerical values, but kids learn how to balance it out so that they can make big numbers but also enjoy playing by not constantly losing.

Another type of game that makes kids apply their math skills is a genre called “Gacha” games. Derived from a Japanese vending toy machine, Gacha games teach kids to manage their in-game money carefully to get what the characters, designs, or even extra content they want without spending real money.

6. Video games are like interactive storybooks.

Since hardbound books are losing their appeal and e-books are not that appealing, video games, especially story-driven ones, are the next best thing. Kids learn different languages, especially when the game has different language packets to change the voice-over of the characters. But most video games are written in English, which helps improve their comprehension and critical thinking.

7. It can train kids’ micro-motor skills.

Some studies have proven that video games have helped doctors and surgeons have steadier hands. While it looks like mindless button-mashing, it also improves memory as kids need to be aware of what’s happening on screen and if they’re pressing the right buttons. We used to have classes for these before, called “typing classes.” It just so happens kids nowadays have a more fun way of learning it.

A kid playing a video game on the computer

Video games aren’t always about violence!

Unfortunately, the time that studies came out with those results saying that video games made kids more aggressive was when extremely violent games like Doom and other shooter games were released. But nowadays, game developers are more devoted to making games more story-driven and more morally complex, especially when players need to make crucial decisions in-game. While it’s always good to not have too much of one thing, it’s also good to let them enjoy learning via video games.

References

Consalvo, M. (2003). Zelda 64 and video game fans: A walkthrough of games, intertextuality, and narrative. Television & New Media, 4(3), 321-334.

De Aguilera, M., & Mendiz, A. (2003). Video games and education: (Education in the Face of a “Parallel School”). Computers in Entertainment (CIE), 1(1), 1-10.

Eichenbaum, A., Bavelier, D., & Green, C. S. (2014). Video games: Play that can do serious good. American Journal of Play, 7(1), 50-72.

Kato, P. M. (2010). Video games in health care: Closing the gap. Review of general psychology, 14(2), 113-121.

Ou, Y., McGlone, E. R., Camm, C. F., & Khan, O. A. (2013). Does playing video games improve laparoscopic skills?. International Journal of Surgery, 11(5), 365-369.

Prensky, M. (2004). What kids learn that’s positive from playing video games (pp. 1-15). Simon Fraser University, Surrey Campus Library.

Shaffer, D. W., Squire, K. R., Halverson, R., & Gee, J. P. (2005). Video games and the future of learning. Phi delta kappan, 87(2), 105-111.

Salyers, G. T. (2022). Doctor Mario: How Video Games Are Being Used as Medicine.

Squire, K. (2002). Cultural framing of computer/video games. Game studies, 2(1), 1-13.