“Mom, did you know that if I play Super Mario Brothers, my brain is going to get bigger?” So begins my son’s argument about why he should get to play Wii. Noting the skepticism on my face, he pulls out his Scholastic News and points to a German study that shows that playing the video game increases brain volume. The kid knows how to make a persuasive argument.
- Emotional intelligence. As with everything, video gaming enjoyed in moderation can be beneficial for cognitive skills like organization, focus and planning. Unlike violent video games that desensitize and reduce empathy in kids, many games are excellent for building prosocial, emotional intelligence skills like kindness and self-awareness. Look for games that kids can play together and simulation games like Facebook’s Cityville, in which participants build cities, work to be good neighbors and help keep their community happy. For younger children, check out Nintendogs, in which kids care for a dog, train it, teach it tricks and enter it into competitions.
- Prosocial. Allowing your child to play popular video games (vetted by you, of course) gives them something in common to talk about with other kids, offering a way for them to connect and build friendships. You’ve probably heard about the especially popular game Minecraft, an example of a game that is valuable for developing planning and organization skills. Some games also have virtual multiplayer functions, where your child can play online with friends.
- Family connection. Playing a video game alongside your child is a positive way to spend time together. Not only can you stay tuned to what interests your child, you can better evaluate what they are playing, guide them as they work to problem solve and ensure that the game is in line with your family’s value system.
LearningWorksforKids.com and CommonSenseMedia.org are two resourceful websites that help you evaluate games and apps for age appropriateness, content and the types of skills that are nurtured.
Image courtesy: FreeDigitalPhotos.net/ImageryMajestic
What video games do your kids like to play?
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I love Minecraft as it is creative. I also bought my son a book on how to play it better, so he’s happy to read that. I am interested in your comment about the violent video games desensitizing and reducing empathy. Such a complex issue. I cannot recall one expert I heard interviewed who challenges that- or maybe more accurately that playing them makes you violent and he used the example of cultures that play way more video games and have less instances of violence than we do. As a mom I have complicated feelings about video games and have to work to overcome my innate prejudice against them, so thanks for pointing out some positives.
Like you, Sue, I have my prejudices against video games. I’m much more of a “get outside and go play” mom than one who is gung-ho about my kids wiling away their free time playing video games. That’s why I thought it was so interesting to learn about how some games can be beneficial. As far as violent video games, I think it depends on the age of the child and how violent the game is. Some of the teen games that depict a little more violence still get good ratings for building self-awareness and planning skills. I’d be really wary of letting kids play “mature” rated games, however.