Gaming culture is gradually being integrated into the mainstream. With the advent of the mobile phone and its various applications, people are able to enjoy a variety of games on their cellphones. Some are casual, easy-to-learn games, such as Candy Crush Saga, Temple Run, and Dragon Land. Others are more complex games that require deep thinking or more fully-fleshed out video games that have been ported onto the mobile phone. These games include NBA 2K16, Grand Theft Auto, and Warhammer 40,000. Recently, the gender ratio of gamers has becoming more balanced as well. Before mobile games became popular, female gamers rarely existed (or even if they did, they remained hidden) but because of the increased exposure of gaming, more and more girls are starting to power up their phone, Playstation 4, or computer to enjoy various games. Even e-sports is becoming a legitimate career path. The prize pool of Dota 2 TI5, which is basically like the World Cup of a popular video game, was approximately $18 million dollars. Many League of Legends, the most popular computer game worldwide at the moment, pros make over six figures yearly, with their salary, sponsorship deals, advertisements, and so on.
Because video games are so popular nowadays, there are worrying voices and criticisms about what effects they might have on children, adolescents, and even adults. One of the most prominent concerns is that playing video games might inspire violent behavior. Other potential detriments resulting from playing video games are decreased eyesight, bad posture, lack of exercise, unhealthy eating habits, unnatural sleep schedule, and addiction.
However, there are definite physical, psychological, and social benefits of gaming. To begin with, playing video games can improve one's spatial navigation, memory formation, strategic planning, fine motor skills of the hands, allocation of attentional resources, and reaction time. Socially, gaming can promote friendship and cooperation since many online interactive games require large groups of people to become well-organized and familiar with each other in order to complete various objectives. Lastly, gaming can have a significantly positive impact on one's psychological well-being.
Soren Bjerg is a Danish professional gamer that plays League of Legends. Before he became a pro, he stopped going to school because he was bullied by both teachers and students for being too skinny. In a time of hardship, he played League of Legends as a means to escape. He truly enjoyed playing the game, became very good at it, and was able to join a team. Because of this opportunity, he interacted with like-minded peers and gained the respect of many due to his dominant skills. He gained enough confidence to cure his body image issues, improve self-esteem, and overcome depression. His quality of life improved dramatically as a result of gaming.
Even though the story above is anecdotal, it clearly shows the benefits and potential of playing video games. It is time to stop looking at video games with a biased perspective. Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of Super Mario, Donkey Kong, The Legend of Zelda, and so on, said the following: "Video games are bad for you? That's what they said about rock-and-roll."
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