Video Games in Learning

When it comes to the conversation of children and video games, we always tend to find negative backlash towards the idea of kids playing video games. Research has been conducted for years when it comes analyzing the negative effects of video games; some studies claiming that gaming can lead to depression and aggression in children. Yet, we rarely hear the good side of this argument to balance out society’s perception of video games.

The truth is, video games can play a major role in the learning cycle of a child’s life, and can bolster a wide array of cognitive skills in students. Since gaming has successfully played a major role on how children gather new information, I wanted to speak to this and share a few ways that gaming can help enhance the way today’s kids grow and learn.

Gaming Increases Problem Solving Skills

Studies have shown that children who participate in playing strategic video games have proven show enhanced signs of problem solving skills. Many mainstream video games include puzzle-based tasks or levels that require a great deal of critical thinking, and this widespread characteristic in gaming has allowed children to acquire fantastic problem solving skills quite early in life.

Gaming Fights Depression

As many of us know, playing video games can be quite a joyful experience. However, gaming has been scientifically proven to cause positive effects on dopamine production, which can trigger positive emotional responses in children when tasks are successfully completed within a game. Video games are mean to be a learning experience. Implementing this type of hands-on learning in children can drastically improve the way today’s kids grown.

Gaming Bolsters Social Skills

As technology grows, so has the gaming industry. With this growth, individuals now have the ability to connect with each other in multiplayer games within virtual, online worlds – creating a large influx in online social communication. This feat within gaming has opened many doors for children to extend their social circles beyond what has been possible in the past. This type of communication has shown to enhance leadership skills, and how to work together as a team to make split-second decisions.

Gaming Reduces Stress

Although, there are a few games floating around that could be referred to as “stress causers”, this is not the case all of the time. Overall, playing video games can greatly reduce an individual’s stress levels. This characteristic of video games can make a learning environment much more manageable for both the learner as well as the instructor.

Overall, the realm of video games holds many positive outcomes in the world of education. These games can put a positive twist on the way a child learns. As we talked about, playing games can reduce stress, teach social skills, increase problem solving skills, and even fight depression. However, there are an endless number of additional benefits of gaming in a child’s life. It is important to take these features into account when teaching a child how to succeed in life.

Taylor Tomita is a writer from Boise, Idaho. Focusing largely on the education and business worlds. When not writing, you can find Taylor traveling with his band or hanging out with his cat. Follow him on Twitter!