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Are you a mommy like me who goes bonkers when she sees her kid glued to the video games screen?

As your boy tries to defeat the three-headed zombie, you know the last thing on his mind is schoolwork. You force him to shut it down and get into the study room. Half an hour later, you enter the room to find him sleeping with books crumpled aside. That cute face takes your breath away, and yet at the same time, guilt hits you hard!

You knew your boy had finished all his homework. Still, you asked him to study. All because you believe gaming is merely an addictive source of diversion and entertainment.

Allow me to pull you out of the conventional belief system. Gaming is no longer a diversion. It has proven useful to improve the brain’s performance. It enhances attention, coordination, and problem-solving skills. Besides this, games also rejuvenate the social skills of an individual. 

Researchers in Scotland recently discovered that playing video games in a group will improve young adults’ communication skills and resourcefulness. Also, it makes them better at adapting to new situations.

With extensive studies exploring this angle of gaming, it is imperative to change our perspectives. Video games hold the potential to teach life skills that even highly developed parenting methods may not. 

Let’s have a look at four life skills they can teach:

• Patience

One mistake or wrong move while playing the video games results in the collapse of all the scores you collected. For example, in the game Diablo II, when your character dies, you cannot blame anyone but yourself. 

Similarly, in every game, you make mistakes. In Candy Crush, there comes a level that you cannot cross. You keep trying on and on until it finally happens.

So, games are an incredible source of teaching patience to the child. Do not let your child quit when they cannot figure out a solution. Ask them to repeat. Help them to point out why they are making the same errors again and again. 

The ability to endure routine and repetition will be quite helpful for them in the future. It may be unpleasant, but they learn to control their impulse to quit. Perseverance and patience make it easy for them to take future challenges head-on.

There is a genre for everyone in today’s gaming world. From free online games for preschoolers to teens and tweens, you will find a huge variety for every age group.

• Personal Accountability

When you hear your child squealing out in the lounge, you know he/she must have achieved the target he was aiming for. To him, it feels like a real accomplishment. On the other end, you sigh hopelessly. Let’s look at the brighter side. That rush of dopamine teaches him/her accountability.

The reward our brain gets after the achievement coerces us to focus on our actions. We know only we can turn the tables. And when children sense these things, it hikes up their sense of accountability. They can face roadblocks in the future and reflect on desirable actions they should take. 

For example, Golf Blast by Unlimited Gamez Mo asks the user to try out until they reach the required score. Every level in a series of 40 degrees teaches them accountability and self-improvement.

• Socialization and Leadership

One of the biggest fears that strike you when your child is addicted to games is – they will become anti-social. You are afraid he may not have friends, and he won’t be able to fit in. We believe it is only a stereotype attached to gamers. Modern-day gaming is worlds apart from traditional games.it is interactive, collaborative, and keeps you stuck in for hours!

Games like PubG allow the gamer to speak with people living oceans away. They can team up and beat their rivals or negotiate over mutual goals. 

Instead of making them introverts, these games raise the confidence of the children. By using strategic methods, players can easily synchronize their schedules. If your child is good at a particular game, he/she can speak into the microphone and mobilize people towards a fixed goal. 

You will find him/her shouting excitedly into the mic, encouraging fellows to run or hide. If that happens, you don’t need to worry anymore.

• Multi-tasking

The intensive focus a kid has to maintain while playing video games improves their ability to multi-task. A game like Call of Duty demands the player to deal with visual and auditory cues at the same time. It may seem frustrating or too hard to handle for a parent. But trust me, gamers love it!

They learn how to respond to the flicking situations around them. They try to fathom the tough rocks life throws and devise a strategic plan to get out of it. They know how to handle multiple difficulties at once. And this, in real life, is the core of productivity. 

People come across various troubles in their domestic and work experiences. When they know how to multi-task, they will succeed in recovering from the dark phases.

Setting Limits

Although we support allowing your child to play video games, we certainly do not recommend letting them play 24/7. Everything in excess causes harm, and we are strong supporters of this notion. You must filter out the games that your child is eligible to play. Also, fix the timings.

Katherine M. Keyes, Ph.D., an assistant epidemiology professor at the Mailman School, said, “Setting limits on screen usage remains an important component of parental responsibility as an overall strategy for student success.”

Hence, work out a game plan for your kid’s gaming appetite!

Final Thoughts

Gaming can help you a lot to reinforce a bunch of life skills necessary for a person to succeed in this era. They help your child become a better person and gear him up for challenges. You will find your child emanating a new air of confidence, and you will feel nothing but delighted.

We hope your kids achieve everything you ever dreamed for them. Most importantly, may they be incredible human beings.

Author Bio:

About Ashley Rosa: Ashley Rosa is a freelance writer and blogger. As writing is her passion that is why she loves to write articles related to the latest trends in technology and sometimes on health tech as well.  She is crazy about chocolates. You can find her on Twitter: @ashrosa2.

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