What I've Learned From Video Games, Part 1

       I did a persuasive essay a while back as a final for an English class, about why video games are beneficial to kids. To an extent at least- as with most things gaming is best enjoyed in moderation. Obviously it's important to get out and actually get in some physical activity on a regular basis, but I want to go ahead and highlight some of the things that I, personally, have learned from being a lifelong gamer.

Cover Art for Kirby's Dream Land

I started gaming as a kid, having been given my cousin's old brick-sized original GameBoy. My mom took me to a yard sale where I picked up the Kirby's Dream Land. I spent hours at this game, and because it didn't have a save feature and I had no way of plugging my GameBoy into a power outlet, I restarted the game on a regular basis. So, what did I learn from my first gaming experience? Patience, and hand-eye coordination. Okay, so the jury's still out on the whole hand-eye coordination thing, but multiple studies* have shown that playing video games does improve hand-eye coordination. So really, one can just think how much more clumsy I would be were it not for darling Kirby.

See what I did there?

Screenshot from Sid Meier's Pirates!

Alright, patience; probably would've picked that up at some other point along the line, right? How about history? I went through a phase as a teenager where I was really into pirates (no, it was not sparked by Pirates of the Caribbean, it was because I got into reading One Piece in Shonen Jump) and although there were plenty of books and documentaries on them, it wasn't until I picked up a copy of Sid Meier's Pirates! that everything began to come to life for me. Like many "creative types" I'm not a strong learner when I have to sit still and read or listen to information being given to me, but with this immersive and (aside from the protagonists mission to save his family) historically accurate world playing out before me, I was able to gain a strong grasp of port locations, the challenges of sea life, the difference between a pirate and privateer, and what the controlling powers were during that time.
      

I'll have *much* more in this series later on, but for now I'll leave you with just these two tidbits.

* Articles: MSNBC and National Geographic.