The constructive side of playing video games

Most parents frown upon video games as they feel they waste time and corrupt the brain.  While playing video games that are violent can make a child aggressive, there are many that can actually benefit the little one.  Video games can actually teach children high-level thinking skills that can be very helpful as they grow old.

The many benefits:

Video games are a work out of the brain.  In a lot of games, the skills needed to win involve high level and abstract thinking.  Such skills cannot be taught during homeschool. Few of the skills boosted by video games include:

1. Logic and problem solving – When children play games such as, Angry Birds, The Incredible Machine, they train their brain to come up with new and different ways to solve problems and puzzles.
   
   
2. Enhanced motor skills, hand-eye coordination. In games that involve shooting, the character usually has to run and shoot simultaneously. This necessitates the real-world player for keeping track of the character’s position, their speed, direction, aim of the gun, and so on. All such factors must be considered, and then the players should also be able to coordinate the brain’s reaction and interpretation with the movement in their fingertips and hands.

This whole process necessitates a lot of visual-spatial ability and eye-hand coordination to be successful.  It is also believed that children can learn spatial, iconic, and visual attention skills through video games.  In fact, there have been several studies on adults that show that playing video games offer better surgical skills. Also, a big reason given as to why fighter pilots are more skillful is because they are being trained on video games.

3. Resource management, planning and logistics.  Children learn how to manage limited resources and decide how to use them in the best way possible, the same skill they will need in their real life.  This skill is improved in strategy games including SimCity, Railroad Tycoon and Age of Empires.
   
4. Multitasking, and the ability to manage multiple objectives.  In some of the strategy games, while developing a town or city, an unforeseen surprise such as, an enemy might emerge.  This helps the player how to be flexible and change tactics quickly when needed.
   
5. Accuracy – Action games, as per studies, train the brain to make quicker decisions without losing precision. In the world we live in today, it is very important to move swiftly without sacrificing on precision.

Video games introduce children to technology and the internet.  Parents must recognize the fact that we live in a high-tech world and include games in their homeschool curriculum.  Video games tend to make a child comfortable and adapt to concepts of computing.