Why Video Games Can Be Good for Kids

Playing video games is a very popular hobby among kids. Having grown up playing all kinds of video games, I can say from experience that playing video games can be a very positive thing for growing kids.

There are some games which might not be good for kids, but there are many which I feel help the growth of the brain for kids. Kids can learn a lot from many kinds of non-educational video games. Most of the video games depict real life situations, whether they are in a cartoon form or a more realistic one. Kids often learn from doing something. This "something" can be something that is in real life or in a video game.

In many video games there is an objective of some sort. The character the gamer is controlling has to get something accomplished. The gamer has to figure out how to get the objective(s) complete. This process of figuring out how to complete the objectives can be anything from solving a series of puzzles to finding a location on a map using hints to having accurate hand-eye coordination to simply paying closer attention to detail and looking for something that is easily over-looked.

A lot of these processes can be positive in growing the child's mind. These kinds of things are usually not taught in school or other educational games. Problem-solving skills, learning to follow rules and objectives to accomplish something, and performing tasks to get an end result that is beneficial to the character in the game are some of the things that are present in many video games.

Some games advance time-management, and money-management skills of the kids. These are all skills we use as adults, and the kids get to experience the ideas and practice them while they are young by playing video games.

For example, I know some young kids that have never driven any kind of vehicle, drive a golf cart for the first time, and do it as if they have been driving for years with all kinds advanced maneuvers and perfect turns which even the seasoned golf cart driver wouldn't be able to pull off. When asked how he was able to drive so well during his first time driving anything he says he has done it so many times in video games. Video games where you drive a car or any kind of vehicle usually have at least the most basic functions which include a button for gas to make the vehicle go forward, one to brake to make it stop, and 2 more to make it turn left and right. In basic video game controls of vehicles, these are the 4 buttons used. The kid was able to translate this information when driving the golf cart. The button used in the game to make the vehicle go forward is this pedal on the golf cart, the button used to make the vehicle brake is that pedal on the golf cart, and the 2 buttons used to make it turn left and right is the steering wheel. He essentially learned how to drive by playing the video games where a vehicle is driven using these basic controls.

Video games are a great way to learn many things which are not taught in school or even in games designed solely for education. Having played video games when I was growing up, I can say from experience that video games have been a very positive influence in my brain's growth.