Playing video games won't turn your kids into zombies – it's good for their brains

 When you watch children playing games, do you think that apart from being entertained they are also learning creatively through a process of trial and error and problem-solving, or do you think they are being turned into mindless zombies?

 Games are a compelling non-linear interactive experience that lets the player control the action rather than passively watching somebody else having all the fun on the screen. Once the misunderstood hobby of teenage boys locked away in their bedrooms, games are now played all around us by people on their smart phones, both men and women, and young and old. Games have become part of mainstream culture and I would argue they are socially, culturally and economically important as music and film. And good for you too.

 Playing games is fun and entertaining, but the gameplay experience also combines a broad mix of problem-solving, decision-making, intuitive learning, trial and error, logistics, analysis, management, communication, risk-taking, planning, resource management and computational thinking. Games stimulate the imagination and encourage creativity, curiosity, social skills, concentration, teamwork, community, multi-tasking and hand-eye co-ordination. Who wouldn’t want their children to learn and practice these skills whilst being entertained at the same time? Why do some people think it is impossible to learn while having fun?

 Simulation games are used as a training tool for pilots, surgeons, the Armed Forces and other professionals. Game-based learning is a proven success in schools for subjects such as maths. Solving real-world problems in a maths-based game is learning in context and more easily understood.

Yes, some games do contain violent content. But that is no reason to set public opinion against the entire games industry. Many films contain extreme violent content yet the film industry is not criticised in the same manner. And like film, games have age ratings. Some games are 18-rated. Films and games have ratings for a reason. The media tends to focus its reporting on games that are 18-rated, sometimes without mentioning they are 18-rated. Not surprisingly, parents are worried about their children being exposed to these games. Age ratings should not be ignored. Children should not be allowed to play games that they are not meant play. But to get things into perspective, over 90 per cent of games are family-friendly.

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source:The Telegraph