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Video Games Enhance Social Skills

Photo by Bill Kralovec

There is an (informal) school of thought that believes in the idea that people who play video games a lot tend to become loners. The idea is that they spend too much time interacting with the video game and its corresponding machines instead of spending time with real people. This belief was quite prevalent many years back but today, studies have actually shown the opposite.

According to Amanda Lenhart, a senior research specialist at the Pew Internet and American Life Project, a lot of teenagers play a wide range of video games today and being a video gamer does not equal being a loner anymore. She is further quoted as saying that “three quarters of teens actually play these games with other people, whether online or in person. People who game on a daily basis are just as likely to talk on the phone, to email, to spend time with a friend face to face outside of school as kids who play games less.”

I believe that the change in the kinds of games and the playing experience that they offer is the major factor in the paradigm shift. Before, games were mostly an individual experience. Though there were multiplayer games, the social interaction they offered is nothing like what the games of today offer.

I like what Lenhart said about being mindful of what games teens and children play: “What we say to parents is pay attention to the games that your child is playing, see what they do in the games, and look for games that offer your child opportunities to have more civically-minded experiences.”

At the end of the day, it boils down to good parenting – and good parents should know how to make the best out of video games, right?

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