Have you ever imagined that what some people might consider a “waste of time” might be beneficial? When people are bored, they tend to rely on playing video games because they are a wonderful way to pass the time while at the same time enjoying it. This has led to many people challenging the idea of playing games and saying that video games are harming today’s teenagers and society. Some people may argue that playing video games is a complete waste of time because you are not getting anything out of it. While excessive playing might be harmful, video games are beneficial. Playing video games can improve the amount of concentration a person has, it makes you more creative and open-minded, and it also leads to great multi-tasking abilities. 

Video games rose at the beginning of the 1950s when computer scientists began introducing and developing computer-engineered software games that could run on computers. Later on, many gaming companies started introducing new consoles to the public and new improved games which led to gaming becoming more worldwide and popular. With the immense technological improvements, video games and consoles started to receive it was inevitable for them to not become one of the highest forms of entertainment. Not many people would deny that life has gotten more stressful over the last couple of years. Video games supply a great form of stress relief. They can also increase a person’s concentration skills. Lastly, playing video games can also lead to great multi-tasking abilities. 

Whenever something gains popularity there are always those challenging and critiquing it. While others may argue that playing video games is a waste of time because “Playing video games has no benefits only negative effects”. They argue this because many health organizations such as the game quitter’s organization like to say that “Gaming can lead to poor emotional regulation.” In other words, the media is feeding parents with obscure information saying that video games can contribute to mood and emotional problems which negatively affect the youth. Since parents like to listen to anyone else besides their kids they tend to negatively critique gaming due to things they hear and because they didn’t grow up playing video games. This is understandable, but video games are beneficial. Playing video games can improve the amount of concentration a person has. The prestigious university of Arkansas, which has held many social experiments related to the development of the brain addresses the topic of video gaming and the increase of focus and argues that playing video in fact does increases one’s focus and concentration skills. They support this claim by testing the concentration skills of students who play video games and those who don’t. With the data they collected, they came up with playing video games, increasing performance of concentration and focus. They said that “Research reports playing video games increases performance on visual selective activities. Players had increased focus on relevant visual information while suppressing less relevant information”. Arkansas University’s purpose in writing this is to inform people that playing video games does infect improve one’s concentration skills to bring awareness to the community and those related to gaming. They adopt more of an analytical tone using data for their readers, the readers of one very well-known college, and others interested in the topic of gaming.  

Playing video games makes you more creative and open-minded. Many of the new games introduced to the gaming community form a way which encourages players to practice some levels of creativity and strategic thinking. Lina Becker, A very well know journalist and writer, in her personal narrative, “How gaming can help your creative flow”, published in November 2021, addresses the topic of video games, creativity, and benefits of gaming argues that playing video games increases your creativity and more open minded. She supports this claim by writing a personal narrative/blog in which she says “Ample research has shown that video games can stimulate creative thinking and problem solving. And they help to keep your cognitive abilities sharp as well. Gaming can also have other big benefits when it comes to creative problems and work”. Becker’s propose is to provide people with the knowledge and correct information about gaming and how it makes people more open minded and they can sharpen your abilities. She adopts a analytical tone to for her audience, the readers of her blogs, and others interesting in the topic of gaming and ways to become creativity. Her claims also connect to what the University of Arkansas said because they both shared similar ideas. Becker’s statement that playing video games help your cognitive abilities sharp back up the research that the university of Arkansas made because it proves how playing video games can improve your concentration skills since playing video games makes your mind more sharp and more strategic when it comes to different scenarios. 

Playing video games leads to having great multi-tasking skills. You can develop many valuable skills through video games, one of those being having grater multi-tasking skills. According to a Getting Smart research done in 2010, titled “Video games boost brain power, multitasking abilities”. In which they focused on many studies related to video gaming and skills, they concluded that through video games people gain many essential skills and greater multi-tasking abilities. They said “Gamers can switch from task to task much faster than a non-gamer, making them better multitaskers. We can see that typically people who don’t play actions games tend to have a less reaction time than gamers. They’re able to detect, for example, the latest information coming at them faster. So as a result, they are more efficient”. In other words, what this is trying to prove is that through video games you can gain many beneficial skills along with greater multi-tasking abilities since a gamer’s brain can understand information much faster than non-gamers. A main point they were trying to prove is that with all the skills that you can obtain through video games can be used in our daily lives as well as in a working environment to further your career and increase your skills and leadership opportunities. The claims done by this source also relates to all the other sources I used in this article to prove my point because they each back up each other’s claims since they center around the idea of how playing games is greatly beneficial since it can make you a better person and more skillful. 

Overall, even though many people may argue that video games are a waste of time, I have disapproved of their claims and accusations because video games in fact are beneficial in many ways and forms. A related idea shared throughout all my sources I used to prove my claim is that the skills you can gain through video games can be valuable for everyone and they can make a person more efficient and able to adapt quicker to different scenarios. The skills you gain from gaming can also increase your brain abilities and leadership opportunities With this I can conclude and dismiss accusations and say that video games are beneficial. Playing video games can improve the amount of concentration a person has, it makes you more creative and open-minded, and it also leads to great multi-tasking abilities, and make your brain sharper and adapt quicker. All the skills you gain through gaming can be used in your daily lives and improve a person.