Studies have revealed that video games can actually help children to develop crucial intellectual and emotional skills and these help to enhance academic achievement. Below we will highlight how exactly video games will help your kids if they are in their college years.
Video games teach different skill sets
Video games are a great way of getting children interested in technology from a young age. They can help children to learn simple technical skills that will aid them as they grow older. For instance, take the game Angry Birds. This game can teach children simple coding practices. Video games also improve problem-solving skills, spatial awareness, processing, memory, and reasoning. All of these skills are very useful when it comes to too many technical careers.
Video games help to work out cognitive development
In the past, we used tests to assess how a student was progressing however tests don’t really reveal the full picture. Video games, however, can actually provide us with detailed information, which is in real-time. Video games have the ability to constantly collect information. This means we can gain a better understanding of how a college student interacts with what’s in front of them and this provides teachers with the opportunity to give the students immediate feedback. In fact, a lot of teachers think that video games can help to motivate students who find something difficult. Quite often, students who don’t perform as well in the classroom are not engaged and require a more personalized learning plan. Video games are a good way of dealing with these learning issues. Research has revealed that around 80% of teachers believe that video games can improve the results of students who have been performing poorly in subjects such as language and Math. They also feel that video games help the students to pay more attention in class and show that they are more interested in succeeding.
Video games are a social activity
Around three-quarters of kids who played video games play with their friends. Very few kids play these games alone. Quite often, video games need players to work with each other in order to either compete against other players or to achieve specific goals. This means that video games allow us to see how kids work as part of a team and they also put communication and interpersonal skills to the test too. For kids who are in college, these positive social behaviors are crucial for positive social development. Kids who have these kinds of social skills tend to have better levels of self-esteem, achieve well in college and have good relationships with their peers. In the long-term, these kids are also more likely to have successful careers and happy marriages.
Video games can help to relieve stress
Regardless of age, video games have a positive effect on stress levels. This is especially for those of us who have emotional or mental health problems. When playing video games, we have the opportunity to zone out of everyday life and relax. This enables us to switch off our minds which is very important for our mental health. When we take the opportunity to relax, we reduce the risks related to stroke and heart-related problems. Relaxation also helps with depression and improves our memory.
Video games can help when it comes to teaching ethical and moral concepts
It is crucial to teach kids empathy, but it’s also a difficult task. When we feel empathy, we have a better understanding of morality, but this is not something that can simply be learned by talking about it or reading about it. Video games provide college kids with an opportunity to look at emotional situations and this means they can explore ethical and moral issues that can be difficult to otherwise imitate. Also, when kids play video games that tackle these kinds of issues, they can do so in an environment that is free from peer pressure. When kids are then faced with these kinds of situations in real life, they will find that they are better equipped to work things out and make the right choices.
Video games improve comprehension and critical thinking skills
Quite often, college tutors find it difficult to make subjects such as literature relevant to their students. Students may turn to buying college papers from custom writing services e.g. CustomWritings when they feel disinterested in a subject, however, video games allow teachers to be able to make the material much more engaging and relevant to students, who are used to the quick-moving world that we now live in. Video games give college students the opportunity to put themselves into the place or culture that they are studying or into the mind of a particular character. This means that college students will be more enthusiastic about what they are learning and in turn, this will help them to retain what they have learned.
I learned a little bit of English by playing video games before I started to study English. They can help you develop skills early on and learning a language can be one of them.
Me too, I built a lot of my vocabulary through the various games I’ve played
Online games and their communities have helped me develop confidence in social interactions and good online behaviour too
I think it depends heavily on what kids major in and how many hours they have for their courses. It would be harder to convey gaming to STEM students compared to many other students since they tend to be extremely busy (plus maintaining a high GPA is more important), and so they usually skip football games and other events; though for break times, I think playing mobile games can help with reducing stress and anxiety since these types of students tend to have way too much workload. For linguistics, I think any social game or multiplayer game would be beneficial, especially if it involves speaking to other gamers of the language that they’re learning. For arts and musics, games that revolve around art, music, or creativity (like most sandbox games) would be beneficial.
But the most important thing is to play games that inspire your path if your goal is to succeed in college. It is easy to lose track of time and sometimes even become addicted to games, and it can create a downward spiral, so it’s important to find the right balance as well. I know some college students that have don poorly because they focus more on gaming than on their college subjects; like they only attend college because they have financial aid and they don’t really have experience with the real world since they live off their parents’ money, and so they end up wasting a potential career by prioritizing games over school.