What are the benefits of video games? Have you seen any?

[LauraEMumsnet]

Hi everyone,

We all worry about how much is too much when it comes to screen time for children and it can be hard to know which video games are appropriate. But there are some benefits to video games - cognitive and educational ones for the players, and peace and quiet for the rest of the house.

We’re writing an article on the effects of video games on children and we’d love to hear your views. Do you think there are any benefits to children playing video games? What skills have your children learnt or developed through screen time? And do you have any advice for parents who are uncertain about how to approach this subject? Please share your thoughts below.

Thank you!

MNHQ

My DH, 2 DSs and I are all gamers (We enjoy different games ).

Benefits: They are fun, soothing and (depending on the game) allow the mind to decompress. They help with problem solving and strategising. They provide opportunities to socialise and bond.

Advice:
Obviously children need to be monitored interns of online safety, and having a healthy balance of online play and activities which aid physical fitness.
I would set time limits on game playing, but with flexibility - if a DC needs an extra 5 minutes because they are mid level/battle/build then so be it- no need to cause unnecessary conflict.
Talk to gamers about in game communication- it’s easy to misinterpret words without seeing facial expressions or gestures, and gaming language can be quite nuanced.

DS 12 is on the spectrum and has always had trouble in social situations with peers, especially since his classmates were football mad and he wasn't sporty at all. Somehow online gaming sort of levelled the social field for him, and he ended up with friendships he would not have ordinarily made through school. His confidence blossomed through his gaming cred.

Helped a lot with friendships for a non-sporty DS, initially with Minecraft from about yr5.
He's now 16 & as well as playing with school friends he has online friends from all over the UK & Europe that he's been playing with for years. I like the way they can often all be playing different games solo or watching youtube but still chatting through discord at the same time.
As a PC gamer he's taught himself all sorts of computer skills & does all sorts of stuff that I don't understand.
Learnt loads of history & geography from games like Europa Universalis & Civilisation.

fuckinghellthisshit
Is there any games you'd particularly recommend or avoid for primary school kids?

My 13yo and her dad both love playing Civilisation 6 on the PC. It has sparked my child's interest in history. She researches the leaders in the game, learning about their achievements during their lives. She has decided to take GCSE history. Her Dad, if it wasn't for personal circumstances at the time, wanted to take a degree in Ancient History when he was young.

They also play Animal Crossing which teaches economics (the turnips!) and my daughter loves Splatoon 3 because it's a total escape from real life. She uses Zoom and WhatsApp to connect with friends.

Sometimes things in life can just be fun. Not everything has to be a learning experience. My kids enjoy playing computer games. So they play computer games. It really is that simple 🤷🏼‍♀️

I think that playing video games can be better than passively watching tv as at least the brain is engaged. I still don't like dc to spend too long on them though!

Autistic DS17 has struggled with Maths over the past few years as a result of not being able to access learning in the classroom because of his various learning difficulties and sensory issues.

However, he's discovered a deep enjoyment of trading turnips in Animal Crossing, to the point he's doing daily online research on the 'Stalk Market', calculating his profits and performance as a percentage of his outlay, recording data in a home-made spreadsheet and writing algorithms in JavaScript to inform his investment decisions.

He's even thinking about a career in business now - it's given him so much confidence in his ability and has made him realise that Maths can be interesting and useful!

And for DD18, she won't ever drive IRL because of a disability, but she absolutely loves driving games on her PS4. She plays them with her friends online and is actually rather good at them, which gives her a real confidence boost, especially as she is always measuring herself up to others and feels her disability holds her back in so many other areas of her life.

Video games are a good opportunity for sneaky learning! They often require a lot of reading and many games these days have "crafting systems" - so they can be used to help with maths. For example asking your kid: if we need 2 stone for our pick axe and 4 stone for our furnace, how many stone should we gather?

My son is far too young for video games at 4 months but I have no doubt they'll be part of his life- after all his mummy and daddy met on one!

Though I do believe that when kids are young parents should engage with them when playing games and not solely leave them to it.

It really depends on the game. This thread it is a bit like asking 'what are the benefits of television shows'.

Some games are flat out educational.
Some games help develop puzzle solving, strategy and logic skills.
Some games help develop hand eye coordination and reflexes.
Some games are relaxing.
Some games are social.

Some games also have significant drawbacks, whereas others dont really have any drawbacks that I can see.

It's not useful to think about games as a collective. Parents should assess individual games on their merits.

Understanding video games but overall a nice mannered 7 year old has become rude and loud! It calms down an hour or so later

Playing online gaming has helped me eldest son, 7yo to stay in touch with his school friends. Without this I think he would have struggled hugely. He plays fortnite..I refused for a long time, given it is a pegi 12 rating, but decided to watch some YouTube videos aimed at parents explaining the game. I decided I was happy for him to play it. He was delighted. He plays in the living room only so I can supervise, he is very sensible and knows to never speak with strangers-will always mute any that try to speak. He's shown me what s fantastic team player he is actually when playing this game. He is extremely supportive of his friends and kind. His friends will often bicker between themselves and he is a natural peace keeper. He talks about guns far more than I would like but he not in the slightest aggressive because of the game. It has also helped him build his confidence with reading as he has to complete daily challenges, that he has to read.

I work in games software development for a living, so I have an open attitude to gaming for my 6 year old. He is developing creative skills through an amazing range of games I could only dream of at his age. Designing his own computer game levels in Mario Maker, learning to 'code' using Scratch Junior, designing his own island in Animal Crossing. Plus generally having fun playing excellent Mario titles like Mario Odyssey and Mario Kart. So many jobs will be completely digital when Themis generation becomes adults, I really don't believe in banning this type of activity.

Still, I do recognise his time on devices needs managing to make sure he has enough variety in his day. He plays at the end of the day once schoolwork is done and he's had sufficient outdoor play, exercise.

I am also extremely careful what he interacts with. No Roblox, Fortnite etc. I'll cross that bridge when I need to not at his age.

All the personal accounts on this thread are brilliant, I'm really happy, and excited for the future, that gaming is producing growth, self-confidence, and real world skills. Fab thread.

My son is 13 and can touch type at 45 wpm through gaming.
He enjoys playing geometry dash and Minecraft, it has made him fast and he designed levels himself for geometry dash which introduced him to coding.

Good for hand eye coordination

My boys (10 and 13) interact with their friends through Minecraft and Roblox - they video chat with friends on WhatsApp while they play. They also play together and with my DH - I'm the odd one out in my family, I'm not a gamer!
I had a go on Minecraft one day and was utterly hopeless. It's easy to see it as a waste of time, but they are incredibly skillful at it and their builds are very creative. They are using problem solving, hand eye coordination, communication skills, negotiation. As long as they do other things as well - schoolwork, piano practice,outdoor activities etc - i don't see why it's a problem that they are gaming more than usual. It's a hobby like any other.

In principle I’m not a huge fan of video games, but I also appreciate that a l arr ET fed part of this is due to them not being part of my childhood. Although the console does cause fallings out, it’s also got my dc (11 and 8) to collaborate more to progress in the games.

Yes I have. My DD has learnt to keep practicing in order to get better at something. She is learning to be patient with herself. She is learning hand eye coordination. She is learning strategy. I think it has actually really benefitted her aswel as well as being an awesome distraction.

Some games are great. In our house we love Portal and Portal 2 for problem solving, the 6 year old has played all the Pyjama Sam and Freddi Fish games (they're fun, short games and they change slightly each time through). The 11 year old has played through (with us) the Monkey Island series.

Best of all is the Nancy Drew series from www.herinteractive.com/ which is specifically designed with girls in mind. They're all good at getting you thinking and working out puzzles while still being entertaining. Some are aimed at older teens (we bought a bundle on Steam to start with) and Shadow at the Water's Edge is genuinely scary.

My son is 40, if I had my time over again there would never have been any video games in the house and he would not have been allowed access to any video games, he only got them because of peer pressure and my guilt at christmas that all his friends had them.
Some years later they have ruined his life. he is a professional artist with the whole world before him, he is so good he could have been famous but all he wants to do is play video games and that trumps art orders from people and everything. I hate myself for being weak and giving in to the pressure to buy him these games.
When I look back at his childhood he was always painting, drawing and making wonderful things, always had his head in a book. All those went right out of the window when the games arrived. Even with controlled playing.
i could weep at the loss of pure talent usurped by this useless crap.

What about just the fact - that it's an adventure!

I grew up on zelda games fo example, and they are fantastic. Yes, so much puzzle solving! But they are also beautiful and fun.

Why does everything have to improve a skill to be worthwhile? Admiring art and listening to music and all that, isn't done to improve upon skills. But because it makes us feel good. Video games can be like that.

@madcatladyforever

Have you considered that he gets inspiration for his art from those games?

Also, if he is a bit of a lazy git then video games or not, there would always be another excuse. It sounds to me like you blame video games rather than him. Because heaven forbid a grown man should be able to fulfil what is expected of him. It must be something else to blame.

Maybe he isnt as good as your rose tinted glasses make him out to be. And he knows it. So he retreats into fantasy land. Or maybe he does so, to escape such high expectations of him and his 'talent'.

Or maybe, they make him happy. Perhaps fame and fortune as an artist is your dream for him, not his. Maybe he'd rather just relax and be happy in the here and now.

Sorry if that sounds harsh but, blaming videogames for a grown man's lack of get up and go, is a cop out. If he had the skill and he wanted it enough, nothing would stop him.

The 11 year old has played through (with us) the Monkey Island series.

They're brill, aren't they and have stood the test of time. Oceanhorn 1&2 are the closest games I've found to them.

I'm going to tout the Rollercoaster Tycoon games, Two Point Hospital, Planet Coaster, Planet Zoo and The Elder Scrolls games too

It's fascinating too that last year the gaming genre reaped more money than every other facet of the entertainment industry combined. Gaming's not going away.