Due to the rapid development of technology, there are many new and different ways to spend one’s time. Unfortunately, if to look at the modern generation of children and adolescents, most of them spend all their free time on video games. Teachers, psychologists, and most of all parents are very concerned about this. However, researchers note that there is a significant number of advantages of gaming (“Why video games can be good for you,” n.d.). The purpose of this paper is to provide three reasons why video games can be beneficial.
First of all, playing action games makes a person a better decision-maker. The explanation is that the games demand the player to see and follow moving peripheral images and popping up or immediately disappearing events. Therefore, it improves people’s ability to receive sensory data and helps them make more accurate and deliberate decisions (“Why video games can be good for you,” n.d.). It is hard to disagree that this skill is rather necessary in the modern world and adult life.
The second benefit of playing video games is rather surprising, if not unbelievable. Everyone has probably heard a parent telling the child that he or she will go blind playing the computer and watching the screen all day. This idea was based on the fact that people blink much less often when playing video games, which can cause dry eye syndrome or eyestrain. However, recent studies “discovered that playing action games improves an ability called contrast sensitivity function” (“Why video games can be good for you,” n.d., para. 3). Thus, the long-term myth is destroyed, and adolescents now have another argument for parents in favor of video games: it is enough to declare that they are busy improving their vision.
Finally, another benefit of playing video games is connected to mental health. According to scientists, relaxing gaming can help treat depression (“Why video games can be good for you,” n.d.). Therefore, some video games are proved to be a strong alternative to routine care for adolescents with the symptoms of depression and can help to address some of the unmet treatment needs. Moreover, gaming can not only treat an already existing mental disorder but also reduce the risks of depression, apathy, and stress among teenagers.
Reference
Why video games can be good for you. (n.d.). Games Designing. 2020, Web.