When we think of kids playing video games, we often think about all of the negative consequences it can have such as stopping them from going outside to play in the real world, making them more ignorant and teaching them that violence is ok.
But did you ever stop to consider all of the positive aspects of playing video games? Just because your child spends the evening playing Final Fantasy XV doesn’t mean they are out of touch with reality, it can actually be helping their brain function and fueling their imagination.
We all know that a child’s imagination is something which is unique and pretty darn incredible. Children are free of the chains we carry with realism and practicality. They don’t care whether something makes sense or is physically possible, they just believe in what they want to believe. A child with an active imagination will always develop into a more well-rounded and creative individual than one without it. This is why feeding your child’s imagination is crucial for their development into clever and intuitive adults.
Social skills
As your child grows up they will likely be faced with many scary situations that they are not prepared for. Social skills are what our child learns throughout their early years, and they can shape what sort of personality they have as they grow older. For example, if your child struggles with small talk and interacting with other children they can eventually become shy and withdrawn, leading them to develop mental health issues and anxiety later on in life. Gaming can actually be a massive help for children who struggle to talk to others because of the wealth of online games available these days. You will see that many combat games and fantasy games offer online sections where your child can team up with people from all over the world, and perhaps discuss which d2 runes to purchase to help your character to become more powerful. Exposure to other people will build their confidence and allow them to eventually talk to more people in person. It can really bring your child out of their shell
Attention span
We all know that kids can have pretty short attention spans. A lot of the time they will only remember what they want to remember and forget about everything else entirely. Gaming is a tool which focuses a child’s attention they need to be able to complete a mission or win a race for prizes. It focuses the mind and in turn it makes it much easier for your child to pay attention to all of the facts. This will bleed out into the rest of their lives and allow them to start paying attention in school more, to you and gain a better sense of learning overall. It will enable them to filter out information they don’t need and identify what is important.
Creativity
As we have already touched on above, imagination and creativity can be the foundation of a successful child and help them to develop into amazing careers later on in life. Creativity can be highly influenced by playing games because they encourage the child to think about the creation of their character, world and even levels on some games such as minecraft. Games which push children towards making avatars and even buildings can greatly improve their imagination and light that creative spark which allows them to excel in this area of life.
Memory
Memory is an essential skill which your child will need to master from a very early age. They will need a good memory to complete exams, learn important life skills and develop into successful careers later on in life. By playing games which require you to think and remember small details, your child will gain this essential skill and they will be able to put it to use in real life. For example, if they play a game which involves many different clues to reach a final conclusion you child will not only pick up memory but they will learn deduction too. This can be seen in Assassin’s Creed Syndicate as well as many other titles.
Anxiety
Aside from the fact that playing games online with other people can increase confidence, games can also provide escape and comfort, reducing stress and giving your child a safe haven to come to when they become anxious. The type of games which usually invoke feelings of happiness and comfort are ones such as Animal Crossing, Candy Crush and Puzzles Like Sudoku. You can buy d2 runes at yesgamer.com These are simple games to learn and they provide a routine for your child which will calm them down and release good hormones into their bloodstream.
A social activity
Gaming isn’t just about all the seriousness we are discussing above, it can also be a great way to bring friends and family together and get everyone to bond for the evening. Many of the LEGO games are popular for the family because they allow you to play as a team and this can promote healthier relationships between you and your children as you work together to solve puzzles and complete missions in the game. You can make video games into a real part of your family life by having a games evening every friday night with some simple family food and everyone gathered in the room together. This will teach your child about the importance of family and also the importance of teamwork.
A the end of all of this, you can see that video games can have a very positive impact on your child and the way that they develop into adults in the future. It is important to bear in mind though that you don’t want your child to spend every waking moment playing games, because they need to experience the outside world too. Make sure that you give your child an hour or so an evening to play on their game and limit them to this amount of time every week. If they decide they want to have 3 hours on one day in exchange for missing a few days, this is also fine as long as you reach an agreement you are both happy with.