Gadgets & Science
A modern teenager would play around for about 10,000 hours by the time they reach adulthood. That’s the same amount of time kids spend in middle and high school. It’s a lot of time, is what we’re saying.
According to certain knowledgeable people, the teenage brain is shaped by any memorable experiences and repeated activities. This means all those games you’ve played as a kid, basically, molded your adolescent mind. And depending on the genre, you’re getting different results.
1. Shooting games
You hone your reaction skills and hand-eye coordination, shooting up enemies and targets. Some people think that shooters make you bloodthirsty killers, but they are the dinosaurs whose opinion is as outdated as rage memes. If your kid likes shooters, he values precision and teamwork over going ham.
2. Strategy games
Strategy and tactical games affect the brain areas associated with logical thinking and event planning. It means that nothing bad will come to those who like playing XCOM or Warcraft, as they will be ready for any possible option.
3. Sports, racing and fighting games
Scientists call them useless since the skills developed while playing these games are in no way applicable in reality. But what if we told you that playing these games professionally can make you a wealthy person? Yes, they may not have any “real” benefits, aside from improved critical thinking, but if you can get paid for playing them, how is it not the same as becoming an athlete?
4. Casual games
Even mindless timekillers have their niche. Something like the Fall Guys, for example, will not help you develop any useful skills at all, but by just snatching that crown, you get that sweet dose of dopamine, which is more than a cubicle job can ever get you. Taking breaks is very important!.
5. Adventure games
Escapism is not always the best answer, but you can’t knock it just because your life is going well. People dive into adventures for many reasons: boredom, research, trying new things, etc. One of the most marvelous games of this generation has to be Minecraft. It’s a place where everyone can show off their creative thinking by building monuments, cities, and even countries. Tell me this is not worth the effort, and you might as well be spitting into the face of every artist ever.
6. Educational games
There is a wide variety of educational games for different ages, and as the name suggests, they are used to educate people on different subjects, from math and grammar to astronomy and physics! But the real benefit from these games is possible to achieve only if enough time and attention are given to the subject. At this point, they’re more like extra work, which ruins the fun, so keep those two apart if possible.
7. Virtual Reality games
Today, the technology is advanced enough to simulate reality. It’s not perfect – far from it – but there have already been cases where people faced their greatest fears in VR and came out to be much stronger. Some VR games can help people deal with the fear of heights, spiders, depth, etc. while others can give you a sweaty workout. It’s an incredible therapeutic tool that should not be overlooked.
