Why Video Games Are Good For You

I often find that the media tends to focus on bad and negative news rather than good and positive news. You only have to switch on the TV or flick a page of the paper to discover there's been another several tragedies around the world.

Sometimes video games are blamed for their levels of violence and foul language and are said to be the cause of some crimes. Well I can say I have played some of the most violent games out there and they have never made me want to go and rob a store or punch some random stranger in the face. Maybe Super Mario Bros made me jump on a mushroom once but that was it!

Although I do agree that young kids shouldn't be playing certain games until they are of an age but there are games out there that are beneficial to society.

So why are video games good for you?

Well let's take a look at the educational side of things. There are games featuring levels that take you to different countries of the world that portray their way of living and their customs. 

For example there was a Mario game for the NES called Mario is Missing! Mario has been kidnapped and Luigi has to travel to different countries to retrieve stolen artifacts and answer questions about the artifact and the countries landmarks. This would definitely help increase your knowledge of Geography and History.

Final Fantasy 8 had you take quizzes based on events in the game causing you to pay attention to the story or read up on your notes to answer them correctly. Many games feature this and usually you will be rewarded with a special item at the end of it. Is it not the equivalent of reading a paragraph in an English class and then answering questions about it?

What about puzzles? There are a ton of games out there featuring puzzles which you have to solve in order to advance in the game. How about the Monkey Island series? Point and click adventure games offering a whole ton of puzzles in which you have to use logic to solve. How am I going to reach that object when it's so high up? How can I make this plank stronger to support my weight? How do I cross a broken bridge? Wait! Let's look in my inventory and see if I can come up with a solution!

I love using logic and it's because of these games that I'm not too shabby when it comes to solving problems these days and if I am stuck then I'm not stuck for long.

Scribblenauts is a great game for using logic! Every level presents you with a problem and you have to write a word (usually an object) which will then appear on the screen. A cat stuck in a tree? How about using a ladder?

Games are educational, test your knowledge and cause you to think while being fun! Sometimes school was so boring.

They also greatly help with your reflexes. There are scenarios where you have to hit the right combo of buttons at the right time and sequences you have to memorise and then repeat.

If you find yourself running away from a crumbling cave you have to time your button press exactly to jump over a gap or face falling to your doom.

How about party games? The Wii has brought families together of an evening to compete with each other on the likes of Wii Sports or quiz games. There are a ton of mini games that offer endless hours of entertainment! 

So yes, games are good for you and I could go on. Of course I recognise some games out there aren't, but the point I'm making is that not all games are blood, gore and swearing and the positive side should be broadcast more often.

One could argue that some parents stop their kids from playing fighting games yet allow them to watch Power Rangers? Isn't there fighting in that?    

This has been Mathew Jones reporting live from Matropolis and wishing you all a great day!