Why gaming is good for kids

As parents, you often hear terror-tales about how gaming and spending time online can be damaging to your child’s physical and mental health. This kind of fearmongering can lead to parents limiting screen time, or banning gaming altogether, but by excessively limiting the amount of technology children are exposed to, are you doing more harm than good? Read on to discover how gaming and modern technology can be beneficial for children. 

Gaming promotes teamwork

Modern technology really is a marvel, allowing children to play multiplayer games with other children all around the world. Kids can hop on their consoles, or log in to their game on their PC and join their friends on missions, without them having to be in the same room. This social interaction is more than just fun, and children are learning to play as a member of a team, speaking to one another using headsets, issuing commands and suggestions as they play. It is during these team games that children learn that cooperation is key to success and that squabbles and lack of cooperation can lead to a game ending abruptly.


Learning to multitask
Modern gaming involves being able to do multiple things at once, from moving characters from one destination to the next, and watching out for the approach of enemies, to picking up and using weapons, and searching for clues and objects. All this may be done at the same time as speaking with a fellow player via a headset, which adds to the complexity of the game.

Building confidence

In the real world, your child may be shy and you may see that when they retreat to their room to play computer games they are stepping away from the real world. However, video games can boost a child’s confidence by allowing them to express themselves via different characters, often those with a high status in the gaming world. It also gives them a common interest with other gaming enthusiasts so that when they interact with their classmates with the same interest in gaming, they have something to add to the conversation. Many children have a natural propensity for voicing opinions that adults may shy away from, as is shown on sites like Fabweb.Org, but other children that may lack the confidence to do so initially, could discover and unleash that confidence through the help of gaming.

Leadership skills

Gaming allows children to play roles they wouldn’t normally in real life, and it is in this environment that they can safely make mistakes while learning to lead characters and guide scenarios without any real -life repercussions. As they become more confident in their virtual roles, they may then become more confident making decisions in their everyday lives.

As with any hobby, gaming should be enjoyed in moderation, and games should always be age-appropriate, so do always check the games that your child is playing. With the right guidance, children can benefit immensely from online gaming and parents should not be unduly worried by their child’s interest in the gaming world.