subject: Gaming Applications Are Certainly Not All Damaging [print this page] With the improvements within technology increasingly more video consoles are becoming available and many more youngsters are tending to sit in front of the tv playing games instead of spending time outside, much to the despair of their parents. There is hope however, there is a theory that playing video games (in moderation) could be beneficial to your son or daughter.
Although it is difficult to get kids to play educational games, there might be educational benefits to nearly every single video game out there. Let us take a look at a few things which are common to numerous video games and can benefit your son or daughter. For more information on Educational games, go to www.brainboosters.co.za
Strategic thinking
Many video games require the player to think ahead and plan their moves in advance. This is a type of strategic thinking. As the child plays these types of games more frequently the future planning becomes habitual and the kid will begin to apply that form of thinking in their day to day lives.
Solving problems
Most game titles will have some type of puzzle or problem to solve. Numerous video games are centred about a problem that has to be resolved with lots of smaller sized issues to solve along the way. This encourages the player to think in terms of both the small and big picture, a skill which will be invaluable later in life.
Hand eye coordination
The need to make use of a controller to move the character round the game world is a superb way to improve hand eye co-ordination and fine motor skills. If you're uncertain of this, simply make an effort to play the game that your child was flying through a few minutes ago. The amount of control required to achieve the desired movement of the character on-screen is quite high.
Fast decision making
Video games usually take place in real time. This means that events pass rapidly and thus decisions have to be made rapidly. There's always an unexpected situation that will need to be dealt with quickly and decisively. This prepares the gamer for thinking on their feet.
Imagination
Numerous video games take place in fantasy worlds filled with animals strange and fantastic. It's been theorised that this kind of stimulation may improve the imagination of kids as it opens them up to possibilities they will not have otherwise considered.
Memorization
The actual worlds where the video games take place are generally vast. The player is required to recall the location of certain items and how to get to them. They likewise have to remember goals and the various functions of items that they collect as they move through the game.
Patience
Many of the strategic video games require a great deal of patience to complete. There are not many games that may be completed in a single sitting and some tasks will require serious dedication to solve. Some activities will have to be reattempted a number of times before an appropriate technique is found for completing all of them.
This does not mean that you can leave your child in front of the gaming console all day. Outdoor play is still important.