Benefits Of Gaming For Kids (& How To Choose The Right Games For Them)
Video games have been vilified by parents and so-called experts for many years. In truth, though, gaming can be one of the most beneficial activities in your child’s life.
There is no doubt that excessive screen time will have negative impacts. As such, balancing a child’s game time is a vital part of the process. Nevertheless, gaming can deliver a wealth of benefits for kids. As a parent, your job is to understand those positive factors and find the right games to unlock the best results.
Focus on the following 10 benefits of gaming and select titles accordingly to level up your child’s game time.
#1. Heightened Concentration
Attention spans have continually declined in recent decades. As a parent, you’re probably already aware that childhood focus levels are at an all-time low. Moving them away from social media scrolling and back onto gaming could be the antidote.
You needn’t aim for hours of focus at a time. Games like The Drift Boss can be equally useful. Each game only lasts a short time – often less than a minute – but players must stay focused throughout. The car naturally drifts to one side, which makes keeping it on track a challenge even on the straight roads.
Meanwhile, console games with epic storylines can keep a player engaged for longer periods. The combination of the two ideas will deliver fantastic results.
#2. Improved Logical Thinking
Gaming is a far more interactive solution than most home entertainment activities. As well as boosting focus levels, the right games develop critical thinking skills. Parents should gently nudge their kids towards games with strategy and logic involved.
Different strategic games can test the player’s brain in different ways. Minesweeper and Mahjong can teach pattern recognition. Chess teaches strategy and ‘reading’ an opponent. Games like Tetris encourage users to think several moves ahead by looking at the run of tiles to come. All of these keep the brain sharp.
Moreover, many strategy games get faster as the play develops. Naturally, this means that the skills are continually improved over time.
#3. Increased Hand-Eye Coordination
Video games are one of the best activities for boosting hand-eye coordination. Even slow-paced strategy games offer some benefits. However, improved hand-eye skills are arguably the biggest incentive to let kids play the same console titles as their friends.
Games like Call of Duty have even been shown to aid driving skills. Ultimately, the fast-paced nature of the action means players have to remain aware of their surroundings at all times. Of course, their hands will need to show quick reflexes and press the right buttons to complete various commands. Otherwise, it’s game over.
Sports games and platformers can support these skills too. The improvements can subsequently be seen in a variety of situations.
#4. Improved Fitness Levels
One of the chief reasons why games get a bad rep is that they can encourage sedentary lifestyles. However, there are many titles out there that actively encourage kids to move more. VR games and active games where they become the controller are ideal.
Meanwhile, the gamification of fitness is something millions of adults have used with fitness Apps and watches. A kid-friendly fitness watch could be the ideal choice for getting kids more interested in fitness. They will want to beat their previous scores and efforts, thus turning them into far more active kids.
It is also one of the easiest ways for you to play an active role in their gaming activities if you are not a natural gamer yourself.
#5. Increased Communication & Social Skills
For many people, the vision of gaming at home conjures up images of being stuck alone in the bedroom. On the contrary, it can now be a very social activity. For starters, it is one of the best ways for friends to connect online after school.
Kids can talk about school, homework, and plans for the weekend with their friends. As a parent, you just need to be careful that your kids remain safe online. As well as encouraging social development, communication skills can greatly improve. Directing teammates through a headset is a challenge as you rely solely on dialogue.
Are you concerned that your child’s social activities are too reliant on digital communications? Then let them have friends over for a gaming session.
#6. Developed Educational Interests
There are plenty of games on the market that are purely for entertainment. However, even they can be good for developing reading skills and comprehension. Meanwhile, thousands of games offer some educational insights that can really help youngsters.
Even ficitonalized titles can carry some truth about key historic events. Likewise, many games use maps and levels built as digital recreations of real-world locations. Sports games can also help kids learn the flags of the world, as well as the locations of various places. Simulators also teach how things work.
Planting the seeds of interest through gaming can then encourage further learning. Whether that’s through further reading or exploration, your child will actively want to learn. Perfect.
#7. New Passions
Video games don’t only help kids learn about the world in an engaging way. They can also introduce youngsters to new passions. For starters, many kids will discover sports via computerized versions before trying the real version.
A host of other genres, such as driving games, can have a similar impact. Meanwhile, gamification can help develop new skills away from gaming. Whether it’s playing an instrument or learning a new language, doing it through games is the most engaging way. This maximizes enjoyment and information retention.
There’s nothing quite like seeing your son or daughter discover their passion in life. If games can help in discovery and development, that’s great.
#8. Increased Mental Robustness
Society has largely tried to play the concept of winning and losing in children. While kids should be celebrated for personal achievements, it can encourage weakness. Gaming is one of the activities they love that still build mental strength.
Players won’t always win at games. They will lose lives, get stuck on challenges, and need to try again. Developing patience, persistence, and the idea that experience builds skill will serve them well. It is also a setting where they can become more familiar with handling frustration more productively.
Mental robustness will support your child in many areas of life. Any game with objectives and the possibility of losing will play a positive role.
#9. Heightened Self-Confidence
Gaming can also build confidence in children. The satisfaction of finally completing a level or beating the big boss is great. As they become a better player in their chosen game, their dopamine levels will increase too.
The role of games in building self-confidence doesn’t end there. They will become more comfortable and confident in talking about this topic with friends. Given that it is something most kids love, this can translate to better friendships. Moreover, gaming is an activity where kids can feel in control of their time.
Every parent wants their child to feel confident. While gaming isn’t the only activity to consider, it can certainly play a positive role.
#10. Improved Tech Literacy
Finally, there is no escaping the fact that we are living in an increasingly tech-heavy world. Video games can help your child develop their tech literacy skills. Not least by playing across PCs, consoles, tablets, and smartphones.
As well as using multiple devices, kids will learn tech skills like using an internet connection. They could even learn more about graphics cards, memory, and other tech features that make games play better. This could extend to customizing their setup with upgraded features or accessories like sound systems.
A deeper understanding of modern tech will greatly improve your child’s life and prepare them for a better future. So, game on.
