I remember when I was a kid it was thought that playing the occasional video game was a great way to promote hand-eye coordination and problem solving skills.
…Come to think of it, that really explains a lot about me.
Many years later (I guess not too many..), it turns out games can still be a good thing. Studies are showing that games develop not only problem solving and coordination skills. They can also help develop and reinforce feelings of achievement and socialization. They can give someone the opportunity to feel competent, in control, proud of accomplishing something they find challenging. They can also be used to settle friendly disputes. Goodness knows my brother and I had a habit as teenagers of resolving arguments and wars over a pool table. As adults, we’ve resorted to electronic darts. When I was in LARP, conflicting actions were resolved by a game of rock-paper-scissors.
Gaming…it’s good for more things than many of us realize.
