What opportunities do computer games offer?
Computer games - the series, part 2
Video games have been controversial for many decades. Gamers of all ages felt pilloried in the context of the killer games debate until it seemingly just petered out. Malicious tongues claim that lobbyists from the games industry were able to skilfully exert their influence in secret.
In fact, the shift in politics and society from killer games to computer games as a cultural asset has a different background: Computer games are a business - and a very successful one at that. The best-known computer game from Switzerland is the annual «Farming Simulator», which is often ridiculed for its digital tractors, but has sold over 25 million copies worldwide.
Video games as a career prospect
«The games industry has risen to become the branch of the cultural industry with the highest turnover,» stated the Pro Helvetia Foundation, which promotes culture, years ago. In recent years, this industry has grown into an important player that creates training and jobs and generates tax revenue. Game design has long since become an established subject at universities. In an increasingly digitalised professional world, video games offer young people prospects for the future.
Don't worry, parents don't have to force their children to play games in order for them to become something. That's not even necessary. They play completely voluntarily.
Series: Computer games
People have an innate instinct to play. Babies play, toddlers, primary school children and teenagers. Through play, they constantly develop physically, mentally and emotionally. They are in a permanent process of change. A two-year-old toddler may still happily stack wooden blocks on top of each other, but a twelve-year-old may no longer want to do so. This is because the demands placed on play increase as play experience grows. It is well known that playing generally promotes important skills such as creativity, imagination, empathy and concentration. Children develop a high level of ambition and perseverance. As soon as they win a game, they are happy and the victory fills them with pride. However, as soon as they lose, failure sometimes triggers bad feelings and sometimes even aggression. Puberty in particular generally shows how low frustration tolerance can be.
Incidentally, all of these skills also apply to video games. There are also other special opportunities that we should consider with a critical eye.
Beware of exaggerations
When it comes to the benefits of the digital gaming world, supporters quickly tend to exaggerate the medium and cite studies according to which, for example, doctors can operate better because they have trained their hand-eye coordination through gaming. This seems exaggerated. The fact is, however, that children expand their sense of orientation in complex, nested worlds and find their way around surprisingly well. They also increase their responsiveness and dexterity in platform games, for example.
Some games, such as puzzling adventure games or challenging strategy and simulation games, also train tactical, logical, solution-orientated and sometimes unconventional thinking. When played in teams, social components are also added through dialogue, agreements and shared experiences.
Admittedly, these are positive characteristics, but at best they are side effects. Children actually only play for one reason: because it's fun. However, video games actually have even more potential for all of us.
Video games offer a wonderful opportunity for families to socialise together and stay in touch. However, if parents have little or no interest in digital games, children can sense this.
Show serious interest
Now we could be satisfied with the fact that there are areas of youth culture where adults have no place. But what does that do to the children? After going to the cinema, we also ask them if they liked the film. And as a rule, they then gush, talk about the plot and recount scenes that impressed them. That's missing with video games. However, children would be happy to tell us everything about their games if only we showed a genuine interest. Because of our suspicion, they find it difficult to talk to us openly about their gaming experiences, which don't always have to be good.
If we don't regularly support children in their digital media experiences, this can also have consequences for our interactions. They don't feel understood and withdraw, often into social networks or games. If we neglect constant dialogue, the speechlessness between parents and children increases, and the more appealing it becomes to escape into the playful parallel world. Parents with teenagers know exactly what I'm talking about.
And don't forget: playing makes you happy!
The opportunities of gaming
Looking at the other side with children: How are games created and what professions are associated with them? www.zhdk.ch/studium/design/fachrichtung-game-design
If you grew up with games yourself, you can relive the world of video games with children.
Talking about games with children: A lively exchange ensures better acceptance of the boundaries set and helps parents stay up to date.
Promote media skills: Children know all about games? Great, we know the pitfalls of the online world (more on this in Part 4: How dangerous are games?).
The JAMES Study 2020 recommends that parents «play games yourself» in order to «understand the fascination» on the one hand and «teach children how to use this medium responsibly» on the other.
The series
Hardly anything has such a strong pull on young people as computer games. What is the fascination and what are the opportunities? What are the dangers of gaming on the computer and how can we protect our children from them? Everything parents need to know about gaming in a six-part series.
Part 1 What we need to know about gaming
Part 2 What opportunities do games offer?
Part 3 Learning with games
Part 4 How dangerous are games?
Part 5 What protective measures are there for games?
Part 6 Good games, bad games - we can recommend these games
Read all the articles in the series here
The author
