Hello, my name is Omar and I am a Robotec teacher at Utsunomiya base. I am from Vancouver Canada and this is the first Robotec blog entry in English! I hope any English-speaking Robotec parents or students will find it informative and that any Japanese-speaking parents or students can use it for English practice.

Ever since I was a child I have loved playing video games, but I was always told by adults that video games are bad for you or a waste of time. I think most gamers from my generation will have similar memories. I always felt playing video games was fun, especially on rainy days and in Vancouver, it rains a lot!

Let’s talk about some of the positive things about gaming, we all know that gaming in excess is not suitable for your health but there are many benefits to gaming that I think many parents don’t consider. The following are three benefits I found interesting. I have attached links to articles for further reading.

Video games are great for hand-eye coordination

Did you know that there are special video games designed to help stroke victims regain control of their hands and wrists? Gamers usually develop good hand-eye coordination and faster reaction times compared to nongamers. Although there is a limit to how much one’s ability can improve simply playing your favorite games helps!

https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2008/08/video-games

Gamers develop better social skills

Gaming is fun but gaming with friends is more fun! Gamers tend to develop better social skills and great communication skills. So many games are online these days and gamers have a chance to play with people from around the world. Gamers who play strategy games or team-based games usually have to learn to communicate very well in order to be successful. I like to play a lot of FPS (First person shooter) games, I often play with random players and it’s always interesting because even though we may don’t speak the same language we always find a way to communicate. Most games are online now and anyone who plays games needs to learn to communicate well if they want to win.
https://www.independent.co.uk/games/video-games-children-learning-intelligence-social-skills-study-a6920961.html

Problem-solving skills

Video games also teach you to be a problem solver. Most video games have some puzzle elements to them. You must find a way to solve the puzzle to advance. For example, you have to find the enemy’s weakness or time your movements correctly to clear a certain area. All of these activities are problems that need to be solved. While some video games require more problem-solving skills than others most games require the player to think about a problem and solve it in order to advance. Along with problem-solving skills playing games teaches children persistence. Most gamers do not give up playing a game when it gets difficult! On the contrary, they keep trying until they are successful.
https://www.businessinsider.com/video-games-that-help-improve-problem-solving-skills-2015-10?op=1

While I was writing this article I had a lot of memories of fun times playing video games.

One memory that includes all three of these benefits is when I first got Nintendo (Famicom). The first game, list most people, I had was Super Mario. The first time I played it I couldn’t jump well and I kept losing. Eventually, my hand-eye coordination improved and I was able to finish the first level. Eventually, I got the first boss and I did not know how to win. I tried several different ways to win but I was unsuccessful then I came up with a strategy and finished the first world. The next day at school I remember talking with my friends and talking about how to finish the game and any tricks that we had discovered.

I hope this blog entry helps parents consider the benefits of gaming and maybe turns some parents into gamers! 

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