Playing is important for children because they need time for themselves in addition to school and other obligations. Video games are media that require a great deal of attention and allow a high degree of identification. Children like to be drawn into the dynamic play worlds, in which they compete with fellow combatants, take on challenges, reduce boredom and try out things that are not possible in immediate reality. Anyone who thinks that computer gamers are cut off from the social world is far from it: the most popular are games, such as Minecraft (through a range of Minecraft servers to play on), in which several known or unknown players can participate.
Why Computer Games Are Good for Your Child?
The fact that computer games have a negative impact on children has been repeatedly claimed since their emergence in the 80s. Particularly bad light on games is first-person shooters and violent games, which only make up a small part of the large variety on the market. The television, computer, and game consoles displace nature from children’s lives and have escapist as well as isolating effects, according to the critics. Of course, a child should play outside in good weather, but do parents have to have a guilty conscience if their offspring sits down in front of the computer for an hour in bad weather or in the evening? “No” say Anglo-Saxon researchers who are dealing with the benefits of computer and video games as part of a new research trend. Video games can have positive effects on children.
1. Computer games make children more adventurous
When discovering the world, children form hypotheses that are constantly confirmed or discarded. Video games make it possible to experiment in a risk-free environment. If a level is not mastered on the first attempt, children think of a different strategy the second time, which may have to be modified many times before success comes. In this way, children develop stamina and frustration potential that also benefits them in real life.
2. Computer games make you more creative
Have you watched your kids play simulation games like Sims or Zoo Tycoon? According to your own taste, houses, neighborhoods, or even entire zoos are created within a very short time. The more successful children prove to be in playing, the greater the financial resources available to them. In this way, children can not only live out their aesthetic creativity but also develop an economic mindset.
3. Computer games promote strategic and abstract thinking
Many games are ingeniously designed and can only be solved with a combination of abstract and strategic thinking. Which tasks have to be solved first in a short time? Which tools can become important in the course of the game? Within a very short time, children create a mental map of the virtual world and find their way around it as well as in their own neighborhood. Only those who think ahead and plan strategically will reach their goal.
4. Computer games make children faster
In computer games, the rapid reaction to stimuli is trained. Children absorb optical stimuli on the screen, electrical impulses are transmitted to the brain, processed, and finally trigger reactions in the body, for example with the hand on the joystick, through nerve impulses. “Learners growing up in the digital age are far more experienced and capable when it comes to processing information in a hurry,” British researcher Alice Mitchell told NZZ Folio. The faster reaction with increasing practice can be attributed to the following reward: When children are rewarded with the next level when they quickly complete a task, the happiness hormone endorphin is released, which serves as a new incentive.
5. Computer games address social skills
Playing is more fun in a group – even in front of the screen. Game consoles enable the interaction of several children through different controllers, which allows them to solve tasks and discover worlds in a team. In computer games, your child can get to know other players from all over the world. It is important that you keep an eye on who your child is exchanging ideas with – profiles do not always contain truthful information.
6. Computer games make children smart
The American psychologist Patricia M. Greenfield noticed that schoolchildren since 1972 have achieved significantly higher IQ scores than in previous years. Coincidentally, 1972 was the very year in which the first video game console was launched. After this discovery, she had a group of children perform a perspective video game and discovered that these children actually performed better in the test tasks that had to do with problem-solving skills, spatial as well as logical thinking, and combinatorics. Although it cannot be said that gamed children are smarter, it can be said that visual skills are promoted by computer games. In addition, there are also many brain games with which children can learn specifically and train weaknesses.
No matter how positively games may have an effect on your child: Keep an eye on the user behavior. Problems related to computer game use can be avoided if you show interest in the games. Usually, children are happy when they are allowed to explain the rules to their parents or when they even play a round. Only buy games that are marked with the age ratings of the Pan-European Game Information (PEGI).
A fixed period of use should also be agreed upon between parents and children. It’s normal for your child to want to play longer once they’ve discovered a new video game. You don’t have to worry if the game has more meaning than other hobbies at this stage. It is important that your child continues to maintain social contacts in real life, also has hobbies beyond the computer, and does not neglect school. Make sure it has a balance in addition to school and video games and he gets a lot of fresh air. The media guide “Schau hin” recommends that children up to the age of seven should not play for more than half an hour a day, eight- and nine-year-olds a maximum of 45 minutes, ten- and eleven-year-olds up to one hour and twelve- to thirteen-year-olds a maximum of 75 minutes. It may be useful to arrange non-playing days.