Do video games have any practical use?

[Thomas51471]

I for one feel they do. Not only do they improve problem solving within developing minds, but video games improve eye/hand coordination as well as improve ones reflex skills and helps with multitasking in the real world.

 

What do all ya'll think?

[Dagobahn Eagle]

Problem-solving: No

Eyes: No. Extensive playing DAMAGE your eyes.

Multi-tasking: Uh.. No.

Coordination: Unlikely. The mouse and keyboard kill your hands. Enough said.

Problem-solving: I'm lost. Explain how in Heck blasting stereotyped Russians in Red Alert or gunning down TIEs in XWA has any resemblance to any problem you encounter in real life.

And before someone adds it: Educational value: No. For the 1000th time. Don't make me explain why. If you really want to learn something, buy an encyclopedia.

 

Athletics[bi], which haven't been mandatory since the USSR, and should be mandatory, helps your body better

 

Board games like chess, and puzzles such as crosswords are better than any video game at improving your IQ and coordination skills..

 

Gaming is fun, but not good for you.

[Admiral Odin]

It really depends upon what game your playing. I believe editing games are more beneficial then actually playing them. (There you have some real puzzles).

[Crazy_dog no.3]

Well, after some time playing Civ2 I got tempararily interested in World History for the next 8 or so months.

Then MOH:AA and BF1942 got me interested in WW2 which still continues to this day.

 

Games are educational.

[Dagobahn Eagle]

No, they're not.

 

As you said, they got you interesed in history, they didn't teach you much about it except from "Vikes fought Brits at x", "Brits fought Nazis at y".. I guess most of your knowledge about World War 2 comes from books and documentaries, right?

 

Puzzle games are helpful, sure, but why buy them on computers?

[Breton]

Games does have a certain education value, because to win in most games, you must rely on tactics and strategy. And these may help you increasing your logic sense, especially RTS, spears beats cavalary, cavalary beats archers, achers beats slow-moving infantry and much, much more. But even FPS requires tactics to win. Also, many games might increase your knowlegde of computers, especially when they don't work and you'll have to spend 5 hours fixing it;) .

 

But perhaps the greatest education value of computer games, if you aren't from an English-speaking country) is probably to learn English from them (since I have learnt half my English from games)

[Darth Homer]

Originally posted by Dagobahn Eagle

Problem-solving: No

Eyes: No. Extensive playing DAMAGE your eyes.

Multi-tasking: Uh.. No.

Coordination: Unlikely. The mouse and keyboard kill your hands. Enough said.

Problem-solving: I'm lost. Explain how in Heck blasting stereotyped Russians in Red Alert or gunning down TIEs in XWA has any resemblance to any problem you encounter in real life.

And before someone adds it: Educational value: No. For the 1000th time. Don't make me explain why. If you really want to learn something, buy an encyclopedia.

 

Athletics[bi], which haven't been mandatory since the USSR, and should be mandatory, helps your body better

 

Board games like chess, and puzzles such as crosswords are better than any video game at improving your IQ and coordination skills..

 

Gaming is fun, but not good for you.

 

I must differ on several points,

Problem-solving: yes...blasting Russians or space aliens, etc may never be something you encounter in real life, BUT it does startyou thinking...how do I do this?, what do I need?...it begins the connections...granted continual exposure to the same types of games with little opportunity for interpretation or real learning will do no good

 

Eyes: no, not really...hand-eye-coordination yes, motor skill development, yes, pure eyesight, no....

coordination: yes, it's like your chess example, chess teaches you how to think strategically, so do video games, albeit in very different fashions...I believe that chess is superior to video games, but games are much more engaging

 

Educational....yes and no....early development is a great time for the Edu-games...kids are interested b/c it's presented in a fun way....now, people our age will not find these as stimulating...and I can see why you hold your beliefs, so you can save the explanation.

 

Lastly, games are meant as fun, side effect can be good or bad. It's all in how you look at thing...as a wise man once said, "You're going to find that many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view."

[Tie Guy]

Yes and no, i think.

 

Games do help your hand-eye coordination. Really, playing a game with a controller is the embodiment of hand-eye coordination. That is, you see something with your eyes and must instantly react to it with your hands. Thats one aspect of hand-eye coordination, but there are others it doesn't help with.

 

Games sorta help your problem solving skills. You do have to solve problems when playing a game, whatever they may be. Sure, it may not the best way or any use in life, but then again, chess doesn't help you with life problems either, nor does advanced mathematics for thar matter.

 

Education, no. Games don't really help here at all, but thats not the point of games, so who cares?

 

 

So, i can only conclude that while games do have practical use in some ways, they also are worthless in other ways. So gaming isn't the perfect activity, but what is?

[WolfmanNCSU]

Hmmm, Interesting topic. I think video games are mostly just for the entertainment value. There is little development that is obtained from then. You develope little strategy tactics to accomplish challanges of the game or counter AI algorithms. Additionally, you do not develope much motor skills other than your thumbs pretty much.

 

An interesting fact that I learned is that this generation is way more developed in their thumb motor skils due to applications that require them to use more of their thumbs, such as video games. Check it out, for example, dialing on a phone....older generations tend to use there index finger to dial while the younger generation will be more intuned to using there thumb to dial.

 

Anyway, I just thought this was an interesting find, but back on topic, there is little sufinificant development due to video gaming.

[Sherack Nhar]

Isn't entertainment a practical use in itself?

[Admiral Odin]

Originally posted by Dagobahn Eagle

No, they're not.

 

As you said, they got you interesed in history, they didn't teach you much about it except from "Vikes fought Brits at x", "Brits fought Nazis at y".. I guess most of your knowledge about World War 2 comes from books and documentaries, right?

 

Puzzle games are helpful, sure, but why buy them on computers?

 

Sure the games didn't teach history but it did spark an interest in it. Is that not in itself beneficial? By doing that a person may begin doing research, and reading up on the topic. A topic that they may not have even bothered with had they not been introduced to it by the means of a video games.

 

Games have the potential to make people interested in topics. Granted they may not teach them about those topics, but they can inspire them to further explore that paticular topic. By doing so they learn and gain knowledge because of games.

 

Hence some video games are beneficial.

[Zygomaticus]

Apart from the extremely good points already mentioned, games stretch the imagination, and people, sometimes, do great things when their imaginations go wild.

 

And again, like mentioned earlier, games force you to think strategically, which is very useful in life.

 

Plus, like Sherack mentioned, games provide entertainment which in itself is a practical use

[Boba Rhett]

What homer said.

 

 

Gee, it sure is easy to win an arguement when all you have to write is your opinion and then tell people not to ask you why it's correct. Right Eagle?

[Rogue15]

ya games make people serious serial killers and all that, but hey that's why i play them!

 

*returns to turok evolution*

[Crazy_dog no.3]

Originally posted by Dagobahn Eagle

No, they're not.

 

As you said, they got you interesed in history, they didn't teach you much about it except from "Vikes fought Brits at x", "Brits fought Nazis at y".. I guess most of your knowledge about World War 2 comes from books and documentaries, right?

 

BF1942 is based on real battles and with auethentic weapons and vehicles....

[Surfnshannon]

u are asking a "gaming" community whether or not they feel like they are wasting their time?? hee hee.

 

NE ways

 

Yes I think video games do serve some sort of practical use. Take for example Simulators. For space flight, for flying Airplanes etc. These train the Astronauts and the Pilots. They are in essence a VIDEO GAME. They don't score points...and they don't get "extra lives" but they do learn some valuable stuff that could save lives.

 

Also, I read this article the other day on cnn about the use of PS Ones in classrooms. Yup some school out there is loaning out PS Ones so that children can use Educational Video Games in order to improve on their math and language skills. I don't know if you remember but I remember playing "educational" games in the computer lab. Where in the World is Carmen San Diego...Word Munchers etc. I think those video games have a practical use.

 

As far as does playing Spyro the Dragon has any practical use. Um no. For entertainment purposes only. Video games are watching cartoons. Sure there is some educational ones out there that help you learn stuff...but...really what the Flintstones teach you?

[Artoo]

As previously stated it all depends in what type of game. This is a very important point which must be recognised.

 

You cannot say that video games do not improve hand-eye coordination. It has been documented that they do, not necesarily that mouse keyboard set-up, but controllers definately.

 

Also most games require brief logic skills which can be a large lateral thinking stimulant. Such as learning how to put things together, things that would be painfully obvious to us, but that a child may not have learned yet. Also the benefits of planning-ahead learned from some games is invaluable.

 

Multi-tasking is another talent that simple games like The Sims teach us very well, you can have to manage up to eight people at once, that requires some serious multi-tasking, even for me.

 

And in case you haven't been around the block, physical education is required in U.S. high schools. I should know, I'm taking it right now, (no not that throw-away class Fergie!)

 

How does doing crosswords help build up your coordination?

 

And also you buy board games for the computer because then you can't cheat! Which is why I hate board games, it's too easy to cheat.

[Zygomaticus]

cheat codes

 

Anyway, apart from what i earlier stated, i do agree that it does VERY much depend on the game that you're talking about.

 

Also, games have different effects on different people due to their own unique upbringing and education. (no - two people in the same classroom do not have the same education).

To me personally, if there's one thing that games did, it's made me smarter...made me interested...made me look...made me find...made me see the light! If there's two things it did, it's that, and provide me with a source of entertainment. If there's three things it did, it's that and that and made me a little more able to bear loneliness. Honestly, i feel that's a practical use! (maybe i can be an astronaut). I took a survey recently, which asked, "Would you rather be lonely or bleed to death" and i chose, lonely. Two years ago, i would have chosen the latter.

 

No, i'm not a "loser," i'm a lone wolf, but then playing games like MOHAA, and using talk clients while playing has made me a kick arse team player *or so it shows from THIS...

[Jon Snow]

Do videogames help? Well they've helped me a lot!

 

Without getting personal, I basically had certain development problems as a child (that's why I'm a friend of Phil ) and video games were a release for me, a way to get into a "happy" part of "my own world". And although I was anti-social, it still gave me a coping technique which has been really helpful. I look back in thanks for having them there, even though I don't play very much now . I think the only thing I look back and wish was different was I don't have fond memories of certain video game themes, but I think it's been worth it in the end.

 

For the type, although most do have *some* value, I think RPGs especially have a huge value for reading development for younger children and then vocabulary development for older children. I think games like Might and Magic, Ultima, Tactics Ogre and ESPECIALLY Dragon Warrior 7 (I admit the game sucks, but I learned cool words like abhor and viscous) has enriched my vocabulary.

[Jon Snow]

Stupid webmaster here... I get error message saying 90 second delay, and then it posts it anyways, I go back to retype it again and it doubled post! I'm so mad I have to get up in less than 7 hours and I have a long day

[Tyrion]

Originally posted by Jon Snow

Stupid webmaster here... I get error message saying 90 second delay, and then it posts it anyways, I go back to retype it again and it doubled post! I'm so mad I have to get up in less than 7 hours and I have a long day

 

Um..there's an edit button at the bottom of your posts. Use it.

 

As for the game thing,again it cannot be based generally. Age of Mythology or Math Crunchers will definitly be more educational than Quake.

 

Of course,games help with hand-eye coridination. I just suck at shooting.Then again,I do really great passes...

 

And Age of Mythology has actually been educational to me. I was reading all the info on the different gods,myths,and units. It made me want to learn more about mythology.

[Crazy_dog no.3]

Eh, try editing ur posts and don't double-post please.