Benefits of Video Games

Whilst there are many critics of computer and video games, there are also many people who support the medium. One argument for playing this type of game is that they demand far more from a player than more traditional games such as Monopoly. At its most basic level, the player must determine the objectives and how best to complete them and then learn the game controls and menu system. Once these are mastered, they must exercise a great deal of patience and focus to navigate and play the game, dealing with a highly complex system with many variables. The process of learning the boundaries, goals and controls of a given game is often highly demanding and calls on many different areas of cognitive function. Some research even suggests that video games may increase player's attention capacities.

Even simple games such as Tetris and Pac-man are easy to pick up, but difficult to master, much in the same way as chess or poker. Playing this type of game against the computer or other players can help users to develop and test their techniques.

Multiplayer games provide players with the opportunity to compete with other users, with vast, online communities existing in persistent, virtual worlds. This enables players from around the globe the opportunity to interact with large numbers of people engaged in the same activity, offering the chance to increase communication, teamwork and strategy skills.

More obvious benefits to the player can be found in games that offer education in the game's subject matter. This may be in the form of a dedicated educational game (such as one that reaches Maths skills to primary school children), or it may be more subtle, such as a strategy game in which the player must engage in historical battles during Roman times, the American Civil War or World War 2.

However, one of the most visible benefits of video and computer gaming may simply be their artistic and entertainment values. Modern games often combine artificial intelligence, CG effects, 3D art, architecture, dramatic performances, music, sound effects, storytelling and interactivity, enabling the player to explore a three-dimensional environment - something other forms of entertainment such as films, cannot offer. Each time the user plays the game, the scenario will play out a slightly different way, and even if the game is highly scripted, this can still feel like a large amount of freedom to the person who is playing the game.