by James Shimoda

Created on: March 27, 2009

You have to wonder: what makes video games worthwhile? At just a glance, it seems there are no benefits from this system that allows you to interact with fictional character or situation. But if you were to dig a little deeper, you would be surprised at what you can get from video games.

Reading:

Quite a few articles mention that video games promote reading. I would say that this is true in games where text dialogue is a must since the characters do not speak such as the Legend of Zelda. it forces the player to read the text in order to understand the events going on. However this is only good to a certain extent because most games will not use complex words. Games don't necessarily expand one's vocabulary, so books should never be neglected. In generally, reading is strengthed.

Logic:

Particularly in the Role Playing Game (RPG) or strategy genre, these games force players to look at the environment. The players have to take into account the avaliable facts and come up with the solution in order to get to the next stage of the game. In the case of The Legend of Zelda, you have areas called dungeons where you must find the items and use them to reach the dungeon's boss and defeat it. It takes a certain degree of skill to figure out the puzzles in the dungeon's rooms. I will say there are times when you do have to cheat and look at a guide because some puzzles or items are extremely hard to figure out. Nevertheless, logic is exercised in these games.

Communication:

If it weren't for technological advances in certain areas, this could never be considered a benefit. However thanks to bluetooth and the rise of First Person Shooter (FPS) games, communication have been an increasing skill. Communication on games were limited to Massive Multi Player Online RPG via typing. It was no easy feat to coordinate those group fights considering some were playing in different timezones. Not to mention some can't spell. Since Bluetooth technology, players are now able to talk with other people on networks. It's much easier to voice what you want the other person to do. Particularly helpful in those FPS games where you're trying to get rid of the other team, Current video games allow you to interact with a multitude of people from all over the world. In this time, it's not uncommon for online games to have people from Japan, China, England, etc playing. they just come and go. It also gives you the opportunity to make friends in a cheap fashion.

Patience & Concentration

There is no

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