The benefits of computer games.
My cousin Juan is a huge video game fan, so much so, that he invested big part of his earnest to get a proper computer, keyboard, headphones and speakers. However, my aunt usually criticizes him because she thinks he doesn’t do anything productive with his life. Most of her arguments focus on saying that he will not achieve a proper social life all day long playing in his rooms. She also thinks, that his games bring nothing to his learning process. Nevertheless, my aunt’s prejudices are nothing like the reality lived by my cousin. On the contrary, on the online games that he plays, Juan has other type of interactions every day. He has gaming friends and also, he hangs out often with them and his college friends. In addition, playing computer games he acquired a fluid English level and the basics of French. For all these reasons computers games actually provides social and languages skills; which are positive factors that gives to their benefits that they can apply to real situations.
First of all, computer games provide social and cooperation skills to their users. Because multiplayer games such as “League of legends” or “World of Warcraft” become virtual social communities; where decisions need to be made quickly about whom to trust or reject and how to lead a group. In addition, “people who play video games, even if they are violent, that encourage cooperation are more likely to be helpful to others while gaming than those who play the same games competitively” (American Psychologist, 2013). Nowadays, more than 70 percent of gamers play with a friend and millions of people worldwide participate in massive virtual worlds. All of the above indicates that gamers aren’t social distancing, they a different type of social dynamics which are valuable.
Furthermore, computer games can also provide or improve language skills while playing. To begin with, a lot of computer games are not in the native language of the player, such as Spanish in the big part of the cases. For that, gamers need to adapt themselves to keep playing, which actually is really inspiring, because they keep motivated. Meanwhile, they are learning a basic level of the language. As an example, my cousin could learn the basics of English playing “Minecraft”. He achieved that trying to understand the next missions, the material that he had to find, etc. With the pass of the times and different types of games he’s now a B2 certificated. Taking all these in account, we could say that games are meaningful learning spaces, since gamers are inspired to learn while playing.
However, computer games can also be time consuming for their users if they do not a correct use of these. For example, my cousin he used to be obsessed with his computer games, to the extent that it affected their physical activity. Because, he used to come home from school and connect to spend hours without getting out of that seat. Sometimes he also used to forget his schoolwork when he was immersed in his games. Nevertheless, he began to use them more responsibly as he grew older, showing that anything used in excess is harmful.
Computer games, have their pros and crontas and depending in the way they are going to be used the effects will be seen on the players.But we should not close our minds to the positive possibilities that games can provide us. Such as new social abilities and language skills. Computer games are actually an amazing tool to generate an incentive for many people and provide knowledge. We just have to know how to use them, be responsible and open to learn something new while having fun.
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