Enzo. C

3/19

Why Kids Should Play More Video Games

155 million Americans play video games regularly, yet most people think of it as a waste of time or is unhealthy. But there is so much more to the story, I’m not saying that children should be staring at a screen all day but I definitely think that video games are misunderstood.  In this essay I will show you why parents should let their kids play more video games.

The first reason why parents should let their kids play more video games is that it teaches problem solving, video games get the gamers to think. While there are tons of games targeted towards learning, even the most basic shooter teaches kids to think logically. Rather than staring mindlessly, like watching TV, video games require the players input to tell the story. Therefore by letting kids play video games they need to interacted and use their brain instead of doing nothing by watch television.

Moreover, video games improve hand eye coordination. A study shows that surgeons who play more video games had less mistakes that those who didn’t. Even if you child doesn’t intend to be a watchmaker or a surgeon, good hand eye coordination is a valuable skill to have. For people that think that play video games are irrelevant when searching for a profession, there are endless amount of jobs that require that skill.

Lastly, Video games are social, the stereotype of the kid sitting in his moms basement is very outdated. Nowadays there are thriving fan-bases and communities for games that encourage kids to be social. If you think that just because kids play video game they will be the nerdy outcast then you wrong. If anything it is the opposite children with similar interests will make friends easier, interests such as video games.     

Opponents of video games will say that it is unhealthy and lazy to put in hours into online world. From one article,”... ‘Gaming’ as they call it, … sitting in a room fixed on a screen with the lights dimmed on a nice summer day… it is stealing your kids health and childhood.” Okay I have a couple problems with this statement, First, what are they implying by mentioning ‘as they call it,’ It’s like they have never heard that word before. ‘Tenis as they call it’. The second part is just wrong, while definitely kids can be locked in their virtual world while it’s nice outside, It is overemphasized by the select few. From personal experience I know that the time I play most is when it’s raining, I’m sick, its cold, its dark/late. And that goes with my friends too, gamers are being harshly attacked for false facts. To point as well, video games can not be the best for your health, but that is true for anything! You can even overdose on broccoli! Okay also how in the right mind does that ruin a childhood? If anything it only improves it by making it more fun.

Overall, parents should let their kids play more video games, because it teaches problem solving, improves hand eye coordination, and video games are social. Honestly in the age of technology video games are a huge part of everyday life and by keeping that locked away is wrong. And video games are only getting more important every day.