4 surprising reasons why you should let your child play video games

Playing Angry Birds and World of Warcraft could help your kids do well in their studies.

Sandhya Raghavan | Updated: April 7, 2017 6:08 pm

It’s a sunny weekend, and the air is fresh outside. But instead of appreciating the morning air and running barefooted in the grass like you did when you were young, your kids are glued to their video games without a care in the world. Frustrating? Yes. Parents have always complained that children spend a lot of time playing video games indoors when they could be enjoying a game of cricket or football outside in the sun.
But here’s news for you. There are science-backed reasons that state that playing video games may not be such a bad thing after all. In fact, it could also be good for your kids, especially when it comes to their psychological development. Here are four scientific reasons why you should let your child play video games. [1] Read: Video games improve cognitive skills.

It sharpens their thinking skills

The belief that video games offer no intellectual benefits to kids is wrong. In fact, playing these games can sharpen their cognitive skills. They help them improve their thinking, reading, learning, reasoning and focusing ability. This is particularly true in cases of games which involve action like Halo 4 and Grand Theft Auto IV.
Children who played such games were known to have developed better attention and abstract thinking abilities like mental rotation (where they can imagine in 3D how a 2D image would look if it is rotated).
According to a study, the thinking skills taught by video games are as good as high school and college courses that teach the same. Since most of the action-oriented video games require the player to make split-second decisions, children’s decision-making abilities also improve significantly. Not only this, but video games also enhance their creativity and problem-solving skills.

They become motivated to overcome failure

There is something called ‘Incremental Theory of Intelligence’ which states that children who are praised for their efforts (“Wow! You played so well) grow up believing that they can become smarter over time. But children who are praised for their smartness (“Wow! You are so smart”) grow up thinking that intelligence is something they are born with which cannot be developed. [2]
Researchers believe that playing video games is a good place to help children acquire the incremental notion of intelligence. Thanks to this, despite many failures while playing video games, the child perseveres to do better each time, thus improving their motivation to do better. [3]
Video games also give feedback on their abilities in real time (through points and lives scored). This builds their confidence in their abilities and helps them deal with failures in a healthy manner. [4]
Scientists believe that children become very optimistic about achieving their goals, which also helps them get educational success. [5]

It helps them become emotionally stronger

Gaming is one of the most efficient and effective ways through which children and the youth can generate positive feelings. Studies have proved that there is a connection between playing video games of the child’s choice and improvement in its mood. This is especially seen in cases of puzzle games such as Angry Birds. [6] [7]
Children feel immense pride in their abilities after winning a round of games. Gaming also helps them lose inhibitions and self-consciousness. [8]
Studies also show that games involving role playing and avatars like World of Warcraft make the players dealing with frustration and anxiety in a better manner. [9]

It makes them more social

Video games these days have a multi-player format and are not played in isolation. A game like World of Warcraft has over 10 million regular players in which gamers have to seek out other players for various game requirements. Researchers believe that this leads to the building of “virtual communities” where children have to learn whom to trust and how to lead a group.
In such situations, children learn to develop social skills that can help them socialise with their family and peers in the real world. [10][11]

Image source: Shutterstock

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References:

1. Granic, I., Lobel, A., & Engels, R. C. (2014). The benefits of playing video games. American Psychologist, 69(1), 66.
2. Molden, D. C., & Dweck, C. S. (2006). Finding” meaning” in psychology: a lay theories approach to self-regulation, social perception, and social development. American Psychologist, 61(3), 192.
3. Sweetser, P., & Wyeth, P. (2005). GameFlow: a model for evaluating player enjoyment in games. Computers in Entertainment (CIE), 3(3), 3-3.
4. Blackwell, L. S., Trzesniewski, K. H., & Dweck, C. S. (2007). Implicit theories of intelligence predict achievement across an adolescent transition: A longitudinal study and an intervention. Child development, 78(1), 246-263.
5. Shute, V., & Ventura, M. (2013). Stealth assessment: Measuring and supporting learning in video games. MIT Press.
6. Russoniello, C. V., O’Brien, K., & Parks, J. M. (2009). The effectiveness of casual video games in improving mood and decreasing stress. Journal of Cyber Therapy and Rehabilitation, 2(1), 53-66.
7. Ryan, R. M., Rigby, C. S., & Przybylski, A. (2006). The motivational pull of video games: A self-determination theory approach. Motivation and Emotion, 30(4), 344-360.
8. McGonigal, J. (2011). Reality is broken: Why games make us better and how they can change the world. Penguin.
9. Aldao, A., Nolen-Hoeksema, S., & Schweizer, S. (2010). Emotion-regulation strategies across psychopathology: A meta-analytic review. Clinical psychology review, 30(2), 217-237.
10. Gentile, D. A., & Gentile, J. R. (2008). Violent video games as exemplary teachers: A conceptual analysis. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 37(2), 127-141.
11. Papastergiou, M. (2009). Exploring the potential of computer and video games for health and physical education: A literature review. Computers & Education, 53(3), 603-622.

Published: March 22, 2017 2:39 pm | Updated:April 7, 2017 6:08 pm

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