You, as a parent, have a lot of problems with your kid’s gaming habits; I get it. But what you don’t realize is that gaming is actually a great hobby. Before, in our generation, we used to play on the playgrounds with other kids. Not only it helped us to build a good social life, but also we stayed active more than today’s kids. Nowadays, kids are not that much physically active because they get what they want easily on their mobile and laptop screens. But not just kids, we as adults, spend equal amount of time in playing video games like PUBG and Call of Duty, etc.
As a parent, it’s natural for you to be concerned about your kid’s gaming hobby, or just a gamer guy like me, today, I will take you through some considerable benefits of pursuing gaming as a hobby.
First, Know What the Definition of ‘Hobby’ Is
What do you consider as a hobby? Ask yourself, what is your hobby? Is it cooking? Reading books? Watching movies? Or talking to strangers? A hobby is an activity that we pursue out of interest or for pure relaxation. And your hobby may or may not be involved with your occupation, but it is something that you actually enjoy exploring. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be your hobby.
However, the definition of ‘hobby’ depends on individual perspectives. Many people categorize ‘shopping’ as their hobby, but it does not make much sense. But if you choose to game, today’s generation will get the idea. Some think that people obsessed with gaming are nerds as they know a lot of things about tech. And some think that playing games is a waste of time which does not take us anywhere. The latest category of people is mostly parents.
But if gaming is something you really enjoy on a daily basis, then you may consider it as a hobby. You can add gaming as a hobby to your professional or personal resume.
Know The Difference Between Hobby and Occupation
Occupation is something which you do for a living. On the other hand, your hobby does not necessarily have to be lucrative, but it should be something that you really enjoy doing. For example, you are a fashion model, but you like to play different video games in your free time. In this way, you can also make money. You can create a website or a YouTube channel, sharing your own ideas about gaming, teaching other gamers tutorials, sharing reviews about video games, and so on. Of course, it will take time to pursue a full-time career, but it can also work.
If people can open a book-review site or an Instagram account to make money and can earn a handsome amount like a full-time job from just an entertainment channel, then why would gaming be useless?
5 Thoughtful Benefits of Gaming You Didn’t Know
Whether you enjoy gaming or not, you should definitely consider its benefits, which are statistically proven by researchers. Let’s find out why gaming is so popular in middle-aged men and children.
Gaming Stimulates Our Imagination Skills
Statistics show that most of the gamers are 34 years old. Now, I am not going to that study, but you need to know that gaming stimulates our imagination skills and creativity, no matter how old or young we are. If you have not realized it before, but most actual jobs in today’s world depend on creativity. Creativity is not only entertaining, but it also boosts our intimacy and relationship skills.
Shooting and battle games don’t make us ruthless people, but they teach us time-management skills, help us become more attentive. Likewise, not every video game serves the same purpose. For example, hidden-object games improve our eye-to-detail; interior or fashion designing, etc., games challenge us to think outside the box. And there are many similar examples of the context, but you got my point.
Gaming Helps in Improving Our Concentration
All parents try almost everything to boost their child’s concentration and focus. But have you ever realized that playing video games can improve your attention and concentration as well? When you are playing a video game on your laptop or mobile, you can’t play it nicely if you are not paying full attention. You will have to eliminate the sources of distractions so that you can concentrate on the game properly. Thus, the possibility of you winning the match increases.
Gaming can increase your ability to focus like no one else because it itself needs a high amount of concentration. When you are gaming on a daily basis for at least an hour straight, your brain adapts to the tough skills of keeping your eyes on the match. This skill can help you in your other professional and personal work as your brain already registered the benefits.
Games Teach Us How to Solve Difficult Problems
Playing games regularly boosts our problem-solving skills, and you don’t even realize it. Solving a difficult puzzle in the gaming world is not simple. Likewise, being able to resolve the difficult problems in your life, whether it’s work-related or a personal thing, feels as same as solving a tough puzzle in Candy Crush. Solving a tough situation requires various types of skills, including logic, attention, determination, critical thinking, deduction skills, and so on. And when you play your favorite game for a few hours in a week, you are more likely to be able to adjust yourself in different situations.
When you make a mistake in your favorite game, and that costs you the entire match, you proceed to think of a better way to win the battle. You think about all the different techniques that you could use to save the quest. The same thing happens to you in reality, but you didn’t even know that your favorite game made you that smart.
It Improves Your Eye-Hand coordination and Reflexes
Video games, especially shooting games, improve our hand-eye coordination along with reflexes. As a parent, one may think that shooting is a violent game and unhealthy for our brain. As mentioned before, shooting games can actually boost your time-management skills and help you become attentive. Along with that, it also trains our reflexes so that our brain can act fast in certain situations. When you are playing battle games like PUBG, Call of Duty, etc., you are focusing on the shooters, your enemies, and the environment at the same time. And simultaneously, you have to prepare your hands so that they can shoot your enemy before you get killed.
If your reflexes aren’t fast, your brain couldn’t work well in situations where you have to make a quick decision. By playing your favorite shooting games in your free time, you can build this skill and become smarter than your parents.
Your Brain Becomes More Flexible
A flexible brain does not grow overnight. It needs practice and training, and there is no better way to do that than playing games. People who play strategy games every day are more skilled cognitively than people who don’t even know what video games are. Cognitive skills help you with multi-task and creative problem-solving. When you play games regularly, your brain becomes flexible in handling different situations at once without stressing too much about it.
Choose Your Game
So, you are now are about the gaming benefits, I know you are not going to run away from it. If you want to add gaming to your list of hobbies, go for it and be proud to show it on your CV. But before that, you should be aware what type of video games are there and how they can be beneficial for your personality development and mental health.
First-person shooting games:
FPS games are one of the most popular games that can be played at any age. Here, you see everything through the character’s eye and make a decision on who to shoot and who to save. They are based on a lot of shooting and fun. If you can’t shoot properly, then you won’t be able to qualify to the next level.
Role-playing games:
Role-playing games contain beautiful storylines and amazing fantasy and science-fiction realms. Here, you get to participate in various missions and quests to boost your ranking.
Multiplayer Online Games:
In multiplayer games, you don’t have to play alone anymore. You can play with various online players from different parts of the world, or you can also play with your friends. They boost your teamwork skills along with social skills.
Board games and sports:
Board games such as carrom, ludo, chess, monopoly, etc., are also very addictive, and you can play them with your friends or alone. Billiards, backgammon, Chinese checkers, mahjong, connect four, dominoes, draughts, etc., are popular board games that can be played in multiplayer mode. On the other hand, basketball, tennis, cricket, football are also very popular online.
That’s everything you should be aware of while pursuing gaming as your hobby. If you have any thoughts, feel free to write them down below.
