The Benefits of Video Games for Child and Adolescent Development

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Introduction
As children grow up, they need various supporting elements that can help them to relate
to the reality of their environment and the physical world. Parents have increasingly focused
their attention on the potential negative effects posed by video and electronic games, neglecting
the vast benefits these games contribute to the effective development of the child and adolescent
behavior. Video games are important to the children and adolescent as they can enable them to
develop a host of skill set, help teachers to supplement their teaching, and enable parents to
choose leisure activities for the kids. Organizations such as Games for change are developing
programs that facilitate the use of games as a learning tool. A study has revealed that those
children who take part in video games exhibit high social interactions tendencies, great education
achievement, and positive mental health.
Video games have been linked with facilitating the cognitive development of the child.
Some of these games played such as ‘Skrill,’ need the use of cognitive skills such as searching,
planning, negotiating, and employing different strategies to achieve a particular goal
(Eichenbaum, et al., 95). These skills can facilitate the child and the adolescent to make
important life decisions. The child is able to develop the skills of strategies and planning while

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making key decisions in life. It also enables them to understand that there are different
approaches to tackle difficult situations in life, and patience and perseverance are important for
success.
Video games are also an initiative building activity. This means video games can enable
the child and young adolescents to develop certain interpersonal skills (Brezinka & Veronika
104). Most of the modern video games have levels that the player has to complete. The
completion of one level results in the unlocking of the subsequent one. Each level is more
competitive than the previous one. The player proceeds from level one, which is mostly the
amateur stage and follows each stage until he reaches the topmost level which is the legendary
phase. By completing these levels, the kid develops intrinsic motivation. This kind of motivation
is an important life attribute that boosts self-esteem, confidence, and developing the ability of
achievement. Some of the games require partnership such as the one with multi-player
capability. This develops teamwork among the children. Additionally, the rules and challenges
set up in the games help the children to understand the importance of following rules in real life.
Among the key elements in the gaming, activity is the ability of the kid to persevere and try time
and again despite the challenges and obstructions involved.
Research in psychology states that human being learn by emulating skills and experience
from watching others. We tend to copy most of our behavior and condition them as our own.
Similarly, children can emulate activities in video games and get encouraged to exercise. This is
realized as they try to copy the activities they observe while playing the game (Green, Shawn &
Aaron R. Seitz 109). Sport video games like soccer, basketball, and cycling can spark new
interest among the kids and some end up taking the sport after the virtual interaction in the video