Video games are everywhere these days— on our phones, computers, and video game consoles. But one thing never changes… our parents telling us to stop playing with them!
But are video games really as bad as they say?
There are quite a few reasons why parents do not like video games: violence, obesity, lack of socialization, blue light exposure, lack of sleep, or just straight blaming every other problem on video games.
First of all, not all games are violent. Quite a few of them do not have violence. If your child wants to play a game that is violent, research it before assuming it is bad. If you decide to buy it, remember to put parental controls on their account. Also, all of the mentioned health issues can be easily solved by not constantly gaming– the blame on video games is misdirected. Plus, you can buy glasses that help fight blue light. If you cannot get your child off screens, try punishments or giving them screen time limits. If the risk of obesity is the problem, do not tell them to go outside. If you do that, they will likely only get annoyed and less cooperative. Instead, take them to do an athletic activity, such as rock climbing or swimming.
Next, if your kid is having academic problems, investigate other sources before blaming video games. If you know the problem is video games, there are common solutions, such as screen time limits. Remember, it is not that the video game is necessarily bad; it is the amount of time spent gaming that is bad.
Despite the conversations surrounding the harms of video games, there is one important overlooked benefit: they boost your problem-solving skills as well as creativity and imagination.
In conclusion, video games may have a lot of faults, but if you look past that, you can see that they have lots of positive effects on children: creativity, imagination, and fun. This is why parents are wrong about saying that video games are all bad.
