Video Games

So I was playing Phoenix Wright today, when I stopped to consider how much I have learned from being a gamer. People often criticize video games as having little value or benefit to them,  and they are usually associated with very negative stereotypes, or judged as a “waste of time”. Although video game companies have tried to combat this by creating “educational” games, and games like Wii Fit, that claim to have either mental or physical benefit, I believe that there are more than enough benefits to “regular” video games, that we really don’t need these new products. Although there are many games that are simply trash (and, to be fair, there are also many novels, films and educators that are equally useless), there have been enough ‘normal’ games that have had enough value to negate the purpose of the “educational” game, and also combat the horrible stereotypes placed on gamers. Some of the many things I or people I know have gained from playing ‘normal’ video games include:



School Smarts/ ‘Book’ Smarts
Video games have helped me alot in school. One of the main ways is through vocabulary: from the fifth-generation onward (and occasionally before that), RPG’s have generally tended to use a surprisingly extensive (and very unique) vocabulary. My entire knowledge of military-realted terms (as well as many different types of clothing, weapons and armour used by ancient cultures) has come from video games, and helped me out in both History and Greek Civilization classes.  I also remember being the only person in my sixth grade geography class (and one of the handfull in my first year University geography class) to know what the word “Archipelago” means, because I learned it from Final Fantasy VIII.
In fact, much elemetary school geography was made significantly easier because of final fantasy games: they helped me understand such concepts as town/city and rural/urban distinction, how empires and revolutions work, regional differences between culture, and different forms of activism. In fact, this even continued to highschool, where I was able to identify similarites between Final Fantasy X-2 and post-revolutionary France, and my friend Ashley used Squall from FFVIII as an example of a Christ figure. They have also helped me in University Music History, as alot of video game music closely resembles music from baroque and classical periods, which has helped me out on listening tests (music from Final Fantasy IX sounds like Susato’s Basse Danse, music from Final Fantasy VIII sounds like a Baroque Dance Suite by Elisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre)    Not too shabby for a form of entertainment media, eh?
Social Skills
Many consider gamers to be socially awkward and borderline agoraphobics (in the popular sense of the term where they are afraid to go outside, not the scientific sense where the person is afraid of having a panic attack in a public place). However, although some gamers may not have the best social skills, video games may actually help/ have helped them improve these skills. Video games as a medium actually manage to assist otherwise awkward people in making friends. Not only do many games have a multi-player component that gives people a reason to spend time together, they also have much content that encourages discussion and debate (for example, check out GameFAQs or any other gaming message board to find some of the most lively discussion on the net). For people that would otherwise find it difficult to come up with common interests to discuss with others, games offer a discussion point that allows them to strike up conversations and begin friendships they otherwise wouldn’t have been able to find. If anyone wants to argue that video games do not promote social skills or relationships, I point you towards countless forums and conventions that prove that video games encourage discussion, debate and interaction with other people.
Anyway, I have more points I could make, but I think I have said more than enough, and I don’t feel like writing any more. I may consider pursuing this topic more in the future, as it is something that I believe very strongly in, but for now, I’m going to go get a slushie and study for exams. See you next time, when I’ll try to write about something less nerdy!