Throughout my life I’ve always played video games. It’s nearly unbelievable to think that my huge grey handheld Nintendo Gameboy original playing Pokemon red was the peak of gaming at any point in my life considering where we’re at now. Anyway, I wanted to talk about how gaming has benefited my actual life outside of the various virtual escapes, as I believe gaming helps in many different ways.
Gaming has made me a good problem solver. From the very beginning I’ve been getting stuck in games. Whether it was finding my way through through various dungeons or temples in Zelda or Final Fantasy, or figuring out how to get enough stars to get up the infinite stairs in Super Mario 64. But these roadblocks are what makes gaming satisfying and beneficial. Without a difficulty to overcome we don’t learn, and without struggle there is no satisfaction in the win. These games are an incredible means for people to learn how to think outside the box and approach situations from other angles. They also provide them with the satisfaction of knowing they can overcome challenges that at first seem absolutely impossible (Special mention for the Gran Turismo Three special license test).
Gaming has benefited my knowledge. I am an avid football fan, I wake up in the wee hours every weekend to watch my team play live. So naturally, my love of the sport and the pleasure I receive from gaming has brought about my relationship with the FIFA franchise. This game has gone well past just helping me feel satisfaction after a tough win against a strong opponent, or improving my reaction times. FIFA has increased my knowledge of football in a dramatic way. Through playing various different modes and manager seasons in FIFA I truly have a better understanding of formations, tactics, the role of the manager, the way trades and player contracts are negotiated during international transfer windows. Not only the way football operates but literally knowing all of the players and having a fair idea of how they play and what their strengths are has made watching football IRL vastly more enjoyable.
Basically, I feel games can be beneficial in many ways, and they certainly have been and continue to be so for me.
Videogames: Theory and Culture Class Blog 2015 