Video Games get a nasty rap as the lead cause of laziness in youth today, but that is not entirely true. There have been many studies that show that video games can positively affect one’s skill learning ability and mental health. For example, video games can help with hand-eye coordination and mental mapping skills; they can lower symptoms of depression and even provide new training opportunities in our more modern digital age.

A University College of London researcher studied the effects of video games in pre-teen life and depression in teenage boys. They found that 11-year-old boys who played video games regularly displayed fewer symptoms of depression at the age of 14 than those who did not.

Video games can also be the future of training in dangerous fields. With virtual reality on the rise in the past few years, we can implement it into our training seminars for jobs that are possible of a more dangerous or heavy risk nature, such as surgeons practicing surgery on a simulated patient or pilots in simulated planes etcetera.

Certain games can help develop social skills through chat rooms or dating sims. These social skills can help in day-to-day life. For example, those suffering from extreme social anxiety often feel more comfortable expressing themselves online, improving self-confidence and self-concept.

Of course, all good things can be harmful if not done in moderation; video games should never be the only contact with other people, and they are not the be-all-end-all of learning skills or learning in general