When my class teacher pictures gaming, she visualizes a group of teenagers whiling away their time in front of the television with their parents shouting from the other room. However, from personal experience, I can confidently say that videogames are anything but a waste of time.

However, it is also important to address people’s reservations about gaming. Most parents complain that their children spend a lot of time on video games, and it is no mystery that video games capture the imagination of teenagers and adolescents. Therefore, an idea that comes to mind is, why not use games for ‘edu-tainment’ purposes? People can be taught useful skills through games, which they would be averse to learning through generic methods.

Irrespective of genre and platform, video games have been proven to be beneficial to a myriad of motor-coordinated bodily functions. They help in enhancing users’ reaction times and hand-eye coordination since many games entail high speed chases and movement. Games also improve visualization and active cognitive skills. They induce creativity, perception of shapes and dimensions, and also improve the condition of people with attention deficit disorders.

Whether one likes it or not, video games are the future of education and entertainment. The problems of this century will be solved by the method of learning through simulation and application of those skills in real life. Video games are here to stay.

Written by: Aman Sidhant