Sierra Thurston
Mrs. Gray
3:30
Kids and Their Games Video games have been around for over 30 years. Many people enjoy playing a wide variety of different types of games as well as many different age groups. Research shows that parents may benefit from allowing their children to play video games. When playing video games at a young age there can be positive effects on a young child’s mind, video games played in moderation can help young children develop mental skills that will help them in adult life.
When playing videogames a person must possess a wide variety of skills. “Playing video games involves problem solving, planning, estimation and analysis of the moves or actions of both you and your opponent. When practicing these skills it will help the player positively by developing in him or her problem-solving skills, analytical and estimation skills and quick decision-making” (Oak). Children with a lack of self-confidence are seen to be getting help from playing video games. When a child plays a video game they feel a sense of participation, and a sense of achievement, this in return can build the self-confidence of a child. “Children, after playing video games begin to feel excited about their lives, they start feeling positive and enthusiastic” (Oak). The biggest advantage of playing video games at a young age is that it improves the player’s hand-eye coordination and multitasking skills. The child has to watch the screen while at the same time without looking down; they have to use the controller to move

their character in the game. This requires the child to pay attention, and be well coordinated to make their character do what they want. Some games have the player running all around the game doing multiple things at once time. Mastering this skill in a game is immensely helpful in doing the same in the real world.
Another advantage to playing video games at a young age is that it helps with reading, math, problem solving, and map reading skills. The child has to constantly read directions that pop up on the screen while they are still running around in the game. Using math skills is important to win in many video games. The child has to learn how to manage their resources. The child must learn to manage resources that are limited, and decide the best time to use their resources just as we would in the real world. Most games have elements of puzzles and problem solving, even when they are not labeled as a ‘puzzle game’. When the child plays more games that have puzzles in them, the player will develop better problem solving skills. Video games can improve children’s decision making speed as well. “People who played action-based video and computer games made decisions 25% faster than others without sacrificing accuracy” (Gentile). Violent video games had the strongest beneficial effect on the brain. . When playing many video games children must learn how to read a map in order to move around in the games many different boards. Learning to use a map to navigate a games world is no different than using one in real life.
Another advantage to letting young children playing video games is it also helps your child with teamwork, and cooperation when playing with others. It teaches children to work together, and to be open to new ideas on completing a task that is given by the game itself.

When playing games online children learn how to formulate plans with other kids. When playing online children are constantly competing with one another this teaches young children about good sportsmanship and fair-play. There are many games that are out there that are just made for multi-player use. The more players the easier your child will learn how to work together with others and on a