Video Games ARE Good for You: Part I

The original home video game, “Pong”, was developed by Allan Alcorn and released for consumer consumption (can a video game be “consumed?) in 1972. Thirty-eight years and multitudinous consoles later, I can hear echoes of my mother’s voice in the voices of thousands of other modern day mothers of young children across the globe: “Playing those video games so much is not good for you – you need to stop, take a break, and do something better with your life”.
I have the IGN RSS Wii News Feed in my Favorite Bar on my browser. This post was prompted by a headline I saw there about a week ago. The headline is as follows: “Drop the Prozac and Pick Up a Game”. The title intrigued me, so I checked it out. As I was reading the article, which discusses the benefits of video games for those who are depressed and/or physically handicapped, I thought: “Are there any other studies out there that that support what I, and those like me, have known for years? Are there more studies out there that espouse the benefits of video games in other areas of life?” To the possible dismay of aggravated mothers everywhere, the answer is a resounding “YES”. My next three posts will cover the benefits of playing video games in the following areas of life, based on articles and studies I have found by browsing the web.

1. Medical Benefits
2. Learning in Children
3. Social Skills Development
4. Visual Development
5. Experience Towards Real Life Applications

Links for each article will be included in each section that article addresses. Feel free to use the articles in their entirety when you encounter a situation where you must defend yourself against an aggravated mother.

MEDICAL
Let’s begin with the IGN article that first caught my attention, about the benefits of video games vs. Prozac. The article states “Interactive entertainment can be a . . . place where players are not seen for their disabilities first. And not just physically disabled people, [but] people with depression, anxiety, and stress have found that games are just what the doctor ordered.” Furthermore, “In a six month study of 134 people, they (the researchers) found that playing Bejeweled reduced stress by 54% compared to a control group. The games also help lift participants’ moods, particularly with Peggle (a researcher) where there was a massive 573% improvement after playing.”

WOW – 573% improvement. Let’s put the Prozac people out of business folks. If there was a better reason for Wii Unite than this, I sure as heck don’t know what it is.
I will continue this series next week, where we will look at the positive impact playing video games can have on learning and social skills development in children.