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| Ross, in his later years |
Years ago in a town not too far from your own, a young 5 year old boy picked up his first controller. It had a directional pad (D-Pad), an A and B button and 2 buttons in the middle. This was the controller for the Amiga. From that day on he was able to become any character he wished to be, although in those days the graphics were 2D so it took some imagination to get into character.
You have probably already heard of Fortnite, FIFA, Minecraft, Mario Kart, Pokémon and many other videogames. You may have heard (from someone who doesn’t play them) how they are a waste of time. As a fan of their many benefits, I am going to put forward some arguments for how they can be educational as well as fun. I have played videogames for years now, and my family and I have all definitely gained some benefits from doing so.
Everyone knows how they help hand-eye coordination but they have more to them, games like the Pokémon games, the LEGO games, games featuring superheroes like Injustice or the newest Avengers title, can all promote reading as they all have books that tell the story alongside the game. Injustice has its own graphic novel series while also covering quite a few DC comics’ characters.
The new season in Fortnite has some Marvel heroes and villains as playable characters. There are also games like the Kingdom Hearts series that can also lead to reading help as they have many of the Disney characters in. Any reason to pick up a book or comic is a good one as it gets you reading, and that’s the first step.
Check out some of the digital graphic novels you can borrow for free from Lewisham Libraries.
Videogames can also be beneficial to communication, maths, problem-solving, memory, reflexes and many other skills.
Pokémon, which is a game, aimed at children, about going out on a journey trying to catch all the different types of Pokémon that you find and become the best trainer in the world, helps with maths as you look at the values and work out what’s best for each situation that you encounter, while games like Tomb Raider and Uncharted can help with problem-solving and spatial awareness through 3-dimensional puzzles.
Entry for Video Game Console in Credo Reference
Kingdom Hearts games can really improve problem-solving and persistence.
Tomb raider and Uncharted are both very alike as you control an
adventurer trying to find artefacts and treasures by climbing up
mountains and walls to gain new perspectives to solve puzzles. I
personally fond them to be some of the most rewarding games especially
when I get 100%. Kingdom hearts is still an adventure game and does have
the same rewarding feel to it but you’re also trying to save the
universe from enemies called the “heartless” using what can only be
described as the best weapon in any game….A GIANT KEY!
Each game played can encompass many hidden benefits and I would confidently say that even the games that don’t seem to have anything to offer at times can in fact help with skills that haven’t been thought of, games like FIFA.
Can a sports game be beneficial? Well in fact within FIFA you have to
decide on values of players, read through statistics of a match and
decide what players are better where and also strategize for your
ultimate team by forging good player links. If I’m honest I’ve spent a
lot of time getting used to how it all works and have more fun making my
team than playing games. Although I do enjoy playing the matches
sometimes.
Other hidden benefits like patience can be gained from games like Final Fantasy as they can be turn-based like a board game. Within the older versions of the game you chose what you wanted your character to do then they would do it on their turn.
Eventually this will build the ability to multitask and an understanding basic time management.
I, of course, could go on and on about the benefits of games and how they can be educational, but don’t just take my word for it. Have a look at a book called ‘Everything Bad Is Good for You: How Today's Popular Culture Is Actually Making Us Smarter’ by Steven Johnson.
Entry for Gaming in Oxford Reference
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