Growing up in high school, I was quite a paradox. Even though I was a varsity freshman athlete, I loved video games and played them whenever I was free. Besides the role of athlete and student, I was a video gamer through and through. What I didn't realize at the time was how much those video games would come to impact my life today. It's amazing how much a game can offer, but there are plenty of benefits I can still point towards.
Video games, like anything else, are addictive and can be abused. This often leads to vilification of video games and the thought they prevent kids from "doing something useful." That couldn't be further from the truth: video games are a legitimate way to play, which build lifelong and important skills.
Video Games and Learning
Here are 4 of the ways that I learned something (and currently maintain) from video games. They are all useful for my professional life and relationships:
1. Work with a team -- Learning to work well with a team has been important, but it first came up in one of my favorite games (Red Orchestra). That game was realistic, which meant virtual "death" at any minute. In order to capture objectives, we had to work together and I was forced into a leadership role that soccer didn't ever provide me.
2. Explore the impossible -- Video games aren't real life, which allow you to actually explore the impossible and things that you might not otherwise be able to do. Sims was a lifelike game that many people played where they could explore doing things in their life that they couldn't act out normally. It was a great outlet and allows them to learn about what is possible and their own limiting beliefs.
3. Simple is better -- By the time college came around, I no longer played video games, but my roommate did. He had the best computer, the most amazing graphics card, and played some intense looking games. At the same time, he played Minecraft, which was both surprising and interesting because of its simplicity. I learned how impactful Minecraft could be -- it even has it's own industry, but more importantly I realized how it could help me view things more simply.
4. Immerse yourself -- Video games offer a real opportunity to immerse yourself. Sometimes it can be scary and indeed, I immersed myself in one too many games, but it can also be a great tool for later on in life. My example is evidence -- I used to enjoy video games in an immersive way and I now focus on professional projects in the same way.