Pixel Playgrounds: Leveling Up the Minds of the Next Generation

Video games are seen as the bane of a child’s mental growth and development. Media outlets for years have cited video games to be one of the instrumental reasons behind children’s violent outbursts, irrational behavior, and disorderly conduct that eventually contributes to a potential future in crime. However, that seems to be far from the case considering numerous studies have challenged this notion with evidence supporting the contrary.

According to research conducted by the Mountain Laurel Sudbury School, children who spend more time playing video games develop better cognitive skills and function intellectually on a higher level with quicker decision-making capabilities compared to those who don’t. Playing video games is essentially mental exercise as it expands the brain muscle to operate in a variety of different ways simultaneously.

In the following below, we will explore the various reasons why playing video games is actually beneficial for children:

Quick and Accurate Decision Making

When faced with overwhelming pressure, it can be quite difficult to think clearly which makes it even harder to make rational decisions. Video games, however, aptly mold children to think on their feet and encourage them to make quick decisions by simulating a tense situation.

This sharpens their ability to think over time and forces them to swiftly decide the best possible outcome. This can prove to be an extremely useful skill during real-life stressful situations especially for those serving in the military, sports, or medicinal fields where a split-second decision could make a huge difference.

Develop Problem-Solving Skills

Video games require you to meticulously strategize before you make your next move in order to overcome the obstacle in your path so you can progress further. With a goal in mind to obtain, the brain begins to slowly visualize the scenario and comes up with unique and creative ways to deal with the hindrance by approaching it from every direction.

This aids in developing a child’s spatial reasoning skills that can be used in daily routines such as navigating around the environment, interpreting diagrams and charts, reading maps and so much more. Solving complex in-game puzzles can also help children to develop their ability to use logic and reasoning more efficiently.

Working Together As a Team

Cooperative video games are also very beneficial for children to develop their socializing skills, improve communication, and even invoke a sense of leadership. These types of video games involve several other players, often from the same country or around the world, and encourage them to either compete against each other or work together as a team to achieve a common goal.

By operating under a hierarchical structure, each player is assigned a task best suited to their skills. This refines their ability to function at optimum capacity and strengthens the team further. Not only does it develop children’s problem-solving skills to tackle obstacles together as a team but it also boosts their confidence levels because their contribution to the team is highly appreciated and irreplaceable. Plus this also offers a great way to make some new friends.

Inspire Interest In Technology

Video games can also be a source of inspiration for kids to take an interest in technology. Complex video games often require critical thinking skills and devise strategies to bypass certain levels and obstacles. This creates a sense of curiosity about how certain things function and evokes children to take action. Such an enveloping experience can easily draw them to technologically-related career paths where such skills are highly valued.

Most video games are also equipped with modding tools that allow players to customize and incorporate their own content into the game. This hands-on experience can kindle an underlying passion for coding and programming as kids will soon be interested in experimenting with more than just video games and take their talents beyond the virtual world. To put it plainly, we are looking at some brilliant software developers in the future.

Ignite Your Creativity

Video games are an artistic medium that allows you to explore and share your imagination without any limitations. Such expressions of freedom spark creativity within children as they are transported to new and unique worlds where they are encouraged to adapt and change their ways.

This allows them to experiment with different ideas, innovate instantaneously, visualize and explore every inch of the new environment, and come up with inventive solutions. This not only flourishes their creativity and further fuel their imagination which they can further utilize in the real world but grants them a sense of liberty by creating their very own stories.

Trust Your Kids

The world continues to develop at an unprecedented scale. Technology is rapidly advancing as more and more kids of the next generation are exposed to the digital world which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Parents need to realize that it is an inevitable outcome that they can use to their advantage.

While excessive gaming can negatively impact children’s health, it is important to know that having a good balance is the key to success in all areas of life. Under proper parental care and healthy moderation, video games can be used as an educational tool to broadly facilitate the development of a child’s intelligence and creativity. Trust in them and let their imagination blossom.