Suppose you are someone who loves playing video games. In that case, I’m sure you must have been through the roughest and most despondent experience of standing in front of your parents and asking them to buy you the latest game console launched on the market. You probably even had to beg for it, and still, they would most likely refuse. This is indeed a gamers’ biggest nightmare.
Video games are viewed differently by people all over. Unfortunately, a majority consider video games as banes to our society. Most of the adult population worldwide believe that video games corrupt the youth and are just a waste of time. This is why many parents, especially Indian parents, have an aversion to spending on gaming for their children. However, video games have proven to amass a lot of potential in the virtual space, and they keep evolving with time. With that being said, video games also have several benefits. Believe it or not, the global video game industry is bigger than the movie industry and music industry combined, with an overall valuation of over $300 billion.
Playing video games offers a wide range of benefits to people.
They will keep increasing as gaming technology evolves further. The possibilities are just endless with regard to this industry, and now, millions of software engineers and graphic designers around the world are turning towards game design and development as their career option to unlock their creative potential and make a living doing what they love. Video games offer the following benefits, and I will elucidate them below:
1. Video games enhance thinking capabilities and decision-making skills. Modern video games have been designed in such a way that now, the players get to choose the outcomes of the games. This unlocks their potential to think out of the box and also formulate strategies on how they can win the game.
2. Video games have proven to be significant in overcoming dyslexia and improving vision. Researchers have demonstrated that dyslexic gamers have improved their reading skills because changing environments in games require an intensive amount of focus. Also, gaming improves vision, contrary to our daily dose of parental warnings to not sit in front of the television or look at a screen for prolonged hours. All the vivid and varied colors we perceive on-screen while we play a game help us associate with and identify different shades of colors.
3. Video games can help you build social connections with players around the globe. Multiplayer gaming fosters teamwork, leadership, and cooperative play, where you get to build relationships with other players and make new friends online.
4. Video games are one of the greatest stress-busters for hard-core gamers and even casual gamers. In contrast to habits such as smoking and consuming alcohol, this is a healthier and least addictive option to take in times of severe distress.
5. Video games can spark players’ interests in subjects such as history, archaeology, science, entrepreneurship, etc. Several story-based games incorporate science fiction and also, historical events to drive their story and allow players to feel as if they are a part of the story. Through this, players can also build emotional connections with the characters they play. Role-playing and real-time strategy games influence players to unlock their entrepreneurial side where they would have to make financial decisions to effectively manage their virtual environment.
6. Video games are not only for children and teenagers. Even adults and senior citizens can enjoy them. Studies have shown that gaming, especially puzzle games, can slow down the aging process of players due to enhanced cognitive functioning in the brains of people aged 50 and above, thus improving their memory power and concentration for years to come.
7. Video games work as simulations as well, where people can learn real-life skills without having to take risks practicing them in the real world and facing any repercussions for mistakes made.
8. Video games can promote content creation as well, serving as a source of income for them to showcase exclusive gameplay footage.
9. With the advent of the Metaverse, Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) are being integrated into video games. Play-to-earn games have gained significant popularity over time, and these NFTs provide a lot of investment opportunities for players where they can earn in cryptocurrencies.
In a nutshell, these are the benefits video games offer to individuals, and there’s still more to them than that. This article has been written as a love letter to gamers all around the world who I believe would appreciate and make the best use of the advantages of gaming, and also, it has been written as an eye-opener to people who criticize gamers and consider gaming as an activity only suited for children and not adults.
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