When Gaming Is Good For You

In this article by the Wall Street Journal, entitled "When Gaming Is Good for You," author Robert Lee Hotz presents evidence that video games enable people to develop essential skills. Namely, multitasking, decision-making, and creativity. I have always found this to be a fascinating concept. Too many families today steer their children away from video games because they feel video games are either a waste of time, harmful, or pointless.  Fortunately, this isn't the case. I will take three games and discuss the merits of each here.

1. League of Legends

This game teaches players how to multitask, communicate effectively in teams, and analyze their own gameplay in order to improve. It requires constant adaptation to changing situations. Capturing map objectives is key, and although the game is action-based, in high-level gameplay the battles are largely strategic. Players do not have full vision of the map at all times and need to correctly identify where their opponents are most likely to be hiding, avoid those areas, or hide in an area that they know their opponents can't see. This requires constant attention and thinking on-the-fly. One or two mistakes can literally change the course of which team comes out victorious

2. Call of Duty

This game teaches players how to be observant of their surroundings at all times. It also trains one's reflexes, boosting synaptic connections in the mind. Players need to use the environment to their advantage and select the weapons best suited to take down their opponents. In fact, this game is often used as a sort of combat simulation in the U.S. armed forces both because it helps soldiers identify camouflaged opponents as well as desensitizing them to the horrors of real combat. Studies have been done that show playing CoD for soldiers increases the success rate of their missions.


3. World of Warcraft

This game teaches players how to form social relationships with others. Players join guilds, which can do all sorts of events together including quests, player vs. player battlegrounds, and "raids" in which dozens of players band together to take down humongous bosses. Communities and sub-communities form in the game, many players even finding their spouses through the game. Much more than just a game, WoW also has its own economy that includes an auction house, several trade channels, and faction-neutral cities that encourage players to develop knowledge of economic concepts in order to make more gold.


Of course, all of these games have their downsides. It is always important to play in moderation, for any positive effects can quickly become overshadowed by the grip of addiction. The point is, video games can be good for you in many different ways, and society should realize this. I think we're making progress, albeit slowly.