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systems of economics... various resources found, stolen, or mined in the game which may be useless to one player but extremely useful to another... and it's easier to learn the tricks and traps of economic theory when you're not using real money. And many Role Playing Games (both on- and offline) have a great deal of mathematics that players need to learn in order to best benefit their character... things like ratios, percentages, fractions, and even simple logic puzzles can't be *taught* by a video game, but they can be cemented and understood better with exposure to the right games... "Final Fantasy XII" has a very robust digital-logic system used to program the heroes into prioritizing targets, healing friends, and taking special actions that is a great way to help understand an otherwise abstract concept.

Online games give players the opportunity to practice their typing, English, and communication skills. Obviously, a player needs to choose to avoid the easy trap of l33t-speak (ie; "j00 sux! w3 rox! LOL"), but there are always some players mature enough to engage in actual conversations (with proper punctuation!) in any game. Players are rewarded for fast typing... the longer a message takes to finish, the more likely something unwanted will happen to the player while his fingers are off the controls... with the right mind-set, this can be great motivation to learn proper typing techniques (and to practice those already learned). And while it's difficult to learn English (or any other language) by simple observation of messages (either spoken via VOIP or typed), it is a great forum to practice phrases and expand understanding of working English.

Lastly, there is a set of games which benefit creativity, musical talent, and freedom of expression in a player. "Donkey Konga" gives players a set of bongos and a long list of songs which can be played either free-style (just hammering away at the bongos) or with specific rhythms... "Guitar Hero" does the same for players with a electric guitar. "Dance Dance Revolution" gives a sense of timing and the ability to move your body to the beat, and a huge list of music-inspired games without fancy controllers (such as Amplitude, Space Channel 5, Rez, Mad Maestro...) put music at the fingertips of gamers. Any well-written game can inspire ideas, dreams, art... stylistic games such as the "Jax" series or "Pikmin" can introduce players to new forms of visual art which may resonate with players.

With such a long list of benefits, it may seem surprising that video games are still considered "wastes of time" by many. Instead of viewing them as such, try to consider video games in the same context as television: while the vast majority of television viewers gain nothing from watching tv (except for poorly defined things like "relaxing" or "unwinding"), there is programming that educates and assists viewers. Gaming *can* be extremely rewarding... and is far more involved and active than watching television. The key to gaining the most from your gaming is to vary the types of games you play, be selective in choosing games that are both fun and rewarding, and to limit your gaming time.

Learn more about this author, Marc Quaglia.
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