Top 10 reasons to play more videogames

Please visit this amazing artist http://hannakn.deviantart.com/

I am honestly getting tired of people saying that videogames are bad for you, so in answer to all of those articles out there that claim that I am violent and socially isolated because of my favourite hobby, here are 10 reasons to play more videogames:

1.      Multitasking. Ok so one of the games I played a lot when I was little (and still love) is Sims. I remember I would always struggle to keep their mood, school/job performance and needs high. And whoever says that doesn’t need increase your level of multitasking in a family of eight has obviously never tried the game. And Sims is just a small example between the many games that require you to do much more multitasking, like mmorpg games (World of Warcraft for example).

2.      Making the right decision fast. First person shooter games like Call of Duty and Bioshock have recently made me realise how much my ability to make quick decisions fast. I remember how slow my reflexes where and mainly how much I was overthinking my decision to shoot or not, which almost always ended up in me being dead. The more I played the more I got to control my reflexes better and take decisions faster.

3.      Determination. Especially in really hard games it takes a lot of effort to complete –let us say- a mission and I often end up dead before completing it. Videogames have taught me that he who insists ends up winning in the end, and that is a beautiful lesson to teach anyone.

4.      Socialization. Contrary to popular belief, videogames can both bond you with other people as well as make you more social in general. Through the need to form groups in order to play a game one learns valuable behavioural lessons, as is the case in any group game, of any kind, ever played. Also through videogames you get to talk to all kind of people from different countries and with different beliefs than you, so it’s a great place to exchange ideas and develop new ones.

5.      Navigation Skills. I am the worst at navigating myself anywhere. However I seem to have gotten a much better understanding of maps through videogames. Videogames that have no maps (most recently played: Amnesia) have me creating a mini-map of where I could be in my head. This skill is even further developed in open world games (GTA and Wow).

6.      Creative problem solving. Especially on puzzle games like Limbo and Portal you often have to thing out of the box to continue and finish the game. It is a great, fun way to open your mind to new ways of thinking.

7.      Anger Management and decrease of violent outbreaks. I really could never see where the claim that violent videogames make you violent came from. Probably technophobic people but still, if you happen to play those videogames you know the truth. They are a way for anyone to release their anger or natural violent instincts on a harmless game. It is the best way to release your anger.

8.      Working out has never been that much fun. Seriously though have you played Wii Sports?

9.      Satisfies curiosity. Have you ever though what it would feel like fighting with a sword in a castle in medieval era, or walking in a dystopian future where our planet is taken over by Aliens? Even though it isn’t reality, the interactive nature of videogames gives you the closest thing to experiencing a situation that otherwise would be impossible for anyone to explore.

10.  Great way to motivate yourself. Or your children. I am very often using videogames as a reward for doing some –not much fun- things first. So as long as you prioritise I think it’s a great reward and could really work with kids.

All in all I think videogames are a great entertainment media and believe that all the most of the bad things that are being said against them are made out things that have always been said against any new form of art (for example Cinema).