“Get off the computer and go read your book!”
That line, or a variation of that line, has been yelled towards us gamers during our childhood by our parents for as long as we can remember. At one point in time, we were all sitting in front of the computer or console, mashing the keys and buttons while we take on foes that threaten the safety of the universe – every game immersed us until Mom yelled.
That’s how every parent and the media views gaming, unfortunately. They think it’s all fun and thoughtless – but is it? If you’re one who shares those unfortunate views, sit yourself down and prepare that scroll wheel on your mouse, you’ve got some reading to do.
1. Learning From Mistakes
Gamers all over the world will know of the legendary difficulty of the Dark Souls series of games. You face enemies of impossible capabilities and monstrous looks; your initial attacks barely scratch their hide before you face the dreaded “You Died” screen. But what a lesson that teaches us.
“Insanity: Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”
– Rita Mae Brown
Facing the same enemies repeatedly in Dark Souls teaches us to learn from our mistakes. Each time I die in-game, I learn to anticipate the creatures’ offences and then avoid it, earning myself another opening to strike. This cycle of learning from mistakes goes on and on until I have defeated the creature; if we made a mistake in the past, we should change our approach to succeed.
2. Teamwork
Your team is holding out at B-site, and you’ve decided to defend A-site alone. All is well until suddenly the terrorists rush to A-site, taking you out and planting the bomb to earn themselves a win.
It’s fine to operate alone, we like to work alone occasionally. It can be a hassle to have to cooperate with others, but even so, working in a team is bound to be better. It’s not exactly a good thing to be selfish; like in games, working alone will be difficult, and the chances of winning are low.
I’ve played enough games out there to learn to put my ego and pride aside to get things done with others – not quickly, but properly. Like the saying goes: “You can move a lot faster alone, but you can go a lot further in a group.”
3. Critical Thinking
StarCraft II – Source: Kotaku.com.au
People who think gaming is simplistic in nature have probably never had the experience of micro-managing the acquisition of resources, the strategies of an attacking army (and all its flanking manoeuvres), while at the same time defending their headquarters. That’s just an example of what could happen in a real-time strategy (RTS) game.
Playing a video game often requires quick-thinking and equally fast responses. I can proudly say that I’ve never felt more alert than in a game where I’m on the offence to defuse a bomb while also barking out orders for my team to take up defensive positions. It’s made me think out of the box and also be prepared for the unexpected.
4. It’s A Big, Big World
The world is vast; it’s filled with many unexplored places and undiscovered items. That’s what a lot of those open-world games tend to tell us. Games like GTA V and Final Fantasy XV feature large beautiful worlds that are filled with the tiniest of details – very much like our own. The populated and life-filled worlds of GTA V and Final Fantasy XV are still being explored by gamers today with new things being discovered almost daily.
Developers put in lots of details in the game world that have no reason whatsoever to be there other than the fact that it’s beautiful detail. Whenever you can, do take a break from everything else (games included) and take a look around you: Breathe in the fresh air, take in what you see – and just marvel at how amazing our world is. Go out and explore!
5. Patience Is Virtue
In a modern world like this, a lot of us expect instant gratification. Most people often complain when the Internet is slow, when their items take a long time to get to them, and so on. Yes, slow Internet speeds don’t agree with gamers, but hear me out: In a lot of games, patience is a very important trait to have. You can’t rush in games: Your army takes time to build, rushing ahead without proper planning gets you killed.
Patience often rewards the gamer with success and wins of the battle. It allows for proper planning and a more relaxing pace. Rushing in life, like in-game, will also lead you to nowhere; it’s always better to have proper planning.
6. Things Get More Difficult As You “Level Up”
Lots of RPG (role-playing) games give you harder enemies with each time you level up. These enemies are always pushing your limits and putting your skills to the test – just when you thought you’ve got the hang of something. It’s the same concept with the real world.
As we age, we’re bound to take on more responsibilities and commitments that can make our lives a little bit more complicated and challenging. We’re constantly facing more obstacles. Levelling isn’t just our age of course, it’s also the same with your skills. As our skills improve, we’re bound to take on more challenging tasks that can help us to improve even further. I, for one, like to push the limits of my skills so that I can be even better.
There are just so many things one can learn from playing games. This list could be endless, but these six lessons are what I’ve personally found to be the most significant lessons I’ve learnt from video games. It is highly unfortunate that the media and most parents remain very doubtful of the benefits of gaming. That’s a perception I hope will change for the better one day; in the meantime, I’ll take my life-lessons from gaming and make my life a better one.
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The article is written and provided by Lord Tan, a dude with probably too much interests. He’s got an opinion on almost everything (a mouth that won’t stop), but he’s mostly vested in a lot of technology, gaming, and many other geeked-out hobbies.