Indeed, without gaming you could miss out on the skills that can be taught via the joystick, keyboard, control pad and dice, including hand-eye co-ordination, mathematics, problem-solving and strategy, not to mention the huge benefits certain games can have on memory and recall.
When it comes to gaming, no two experiences are ever the same, regardless of how many times you play a title. Opponents, tactics, hands, shuffles, dealers and dice rolls are likely to be different each time we switch on, increasing the potential to learn and develop skills.
For anyone who’s ever been told that video games, online casinos and simulators rot your brain, here is the counter-argument.
Video games
Video games are a great entertainment medium; used as stress relievers, mood boosters and boredom banishers, video games are the go-to hobby for millions of people all around the world.
But have you ever stopped to think about the skills that can be learned from each video game you play? From obvious transferable skills, like hand-eye coordination, problem solving, strategy, social networking and special awareness, to those that relate to specific games and genres, there are many legitimate reasons beyond enjoyment to carry on playing the games you know and love.
Some of the more specific skills include learning an instrument, navigation, code breaking, vehicle maintenance, all kinds of sports, engineering, complex mathematics, languages, programming, coding, typing and even singing and dancing.
The computer games industry is a vast and varied one, and the skills you could be learning almost innumerable, even if some of them will be basic at best.
Casino games
Surely casinos can’t teach transferable skills? You’d be surprised. Games like poker are fantastic for a whole range of skills that can be applied to everyday situations, such as lateral and logical thinking, complex mathematics, concentration and problem solving, as well as plenty of patience and the ability to hide your intentions. Oh, and memory; rather apt that that’s almost forgotten.
Hundreds of books have been written about poker, not to mention articles and blog posts, such as those that can be found on 888poker. Although primarily about playing the game, such literary efforts say a great deal about real life too – the skills they teach have as much of a place in real life as they do at the poker table.
Simulation games
In the real world, simulation games are not so much an advantage as they are a necessity. Even their use for entertainment has its benefits. While many simulation games are designed with an express aim in mind, such as medical training, teaching business strategy, providing retail experience and simulating flight preparation, others are subtler when it comes to to
transferable skills.
Games such as The Sims, Farming Simulator, FIFA, Transport Tycoon, SimCity and Theme Park teach players problem solving, holistic thinking, conflict resolution and methodology, as well as educating them on a certain subject matter. All these skills are useful, if not essential, to our understanding of the world around us, and some of the challenges it presents.
So, the next someone suggests you spend less time gaming and more time in the real world, you can inform them that your hobby is the reason you now have a comprehensive knowledge of European football, have a reasonable idea of how to pilot a passenger plane circumnavigate the globe and know how to solve complex mathematical equations. They may scoff, but you will definitely know better.
