ABSOLUTE ASCENDANCY

Commencing operation . . .

Overview

I thought before I talk about any of my favourite games, it would be a good idea to highlight the many benefits of gaming. There has been a lot of debate and controversy in the past about games, especially video games, with regards to how harmful they can be to people, particularly children and teenagers. While I feel that some vigilance should be upheld with regards to gaming, something I will write about very soon, I also believe that gaming, in general, is hugely beneficial, more so in cases with people who are less outgoing in nature. I am a prime example of such an individual. Gaming is a great hobby to improve many useful skills, so in no particular order, considering the following fifteen benefits.

1. Boosts Brain Function
2. Promotes Adaptability
3. Fuels Persistence
4. Harnesses Coordination
5. Processing Speed
6. Stimulates Learning
7. Increases Concentration
8. Trains Memory
9. Hones Dexterity
10. Incorporates Exercise
11. Managing Risk
12. Inspires Competition
13. Fosters Cooperation
14. Improves Socialising
15. Develops Leadership

 1. Boosts Brain Function

Games by nature, have elements of logic and creativity intertwined into a single package. This promotes a healthy balance between working both hemispheres of the brain, which I believe is of vital importance for all healthy humans to maintain. Being too logical can restrict your thinking. Take it from a guy who has a degree in Mathematics and has suffered from an overuse of logic with human relations in the past. That being said, having too much creativity can also be dangerous as you could fall into the trap of disillusionment. This is why strengthening both sides of the brain is beneficial, as like many things in life; each augments and supports the other. Gaming trains individuals to be logical enough to make rational decisions and also creative enough to think outside the box to find a solution to a given problem.

2. Promotes Adaptability

Those who are incapable of adaptation will soon find their progress impeded in the world of gaming. As you progress through a video game, you will find that you will often require new strategies and different ways of thinking to overcome the various challenges presented. Board games are not so different either as many offer immense replay value by changing certain mechanics. Also, playing the same game with different people can require a varied approach as no two individuals are the same. Therefore, individuals will have different playing styles, which you will need to adapt to win.

3. Fuels Persistence

There is nothing more rewarding than finally triumphing against the toughest boss in a video game or claiming your first victory in a board game after numerous defeats. I think I spent eight hours staggered throughout a weekend trying to defeat the Mysterious Figure with Terra in Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep. I devoted a similar amount of time to claim the Platinum Relic time for Stormy Ascent in Crash Bandicoot. With both of those games, the final victory takes only mere minutes, so let us assume three minutes to win and retries averaging one minute. If we also accept that it took me eight hours to win, then that means I made roughly almost four hundred and eighty attempts to succeed in those challenges. Pretty damn persistent if you ask me. Just be cautious not to let other areas of your life slip away from you while trying to grind down these absurdly difficult gaming challenges.

4. Harnesses Coordination

Video games, primarily action based ones, are very useful for training hand-eye coordination and the ability to multi-task. Often the case, a player will have to manage micro-manage multiple aspects of a game in real-time such as ammunition, the number of hostiles, remaining health, and so on. Players may also have to input specific buttons in response to circumstances occurring on screen, such as evading fire, guarding and counter-attacking, jumping over an obstacle are just a few examples.

5. Processing Speed

Again, fast-paced action games focus the brain on processing information at a rapid rate. First-person shooters, fighting, and racing games are all solid picks for video games. XCOM, both the video and board game emphasises a fast-paced gaming environment. This naturally aids individuals in making decisions in a prompt manner, which, in most circumstances, is an excellent trait to develop. The quicker you can assimilate information, process it, and make a decision, the more time and freedom you will have for other things in life. You probably know someone who seems to be able to process information very quickly and has fast reactions. Gaming may be a contributing factor for that increased speed!

6. Stimulates Learning

For young children, simple games can help them develop basic arithmetic and logical capacity. Splendor is an excellent example of a simple card game that can aid young ones in colour coordination as well as elementary addition and subtraction. Pandemic is another straightforward game that can help kids learn the names and locations of various countries of the world. Valkyria Chronicles is a video game based on World War II, so players can learn more about the concepts and tragedies which took place during that dark period. People tend to learn more effectively when they do not realise they are studying!

 7. Increases Concentration

You do not have time to be dozing off or distracted in a fast-paced game. Your attention becomes naturally glued to the present moment in a highly concentrated state of being. This can help alleviate pain as there is no room for depression and anxiety, which stems from thinking about the past and future, respectively. Gaming can also release a pain-killing response from the higher cortex, which can alleviate pain. Developing high levels of concentration can help with many mental disorders such as ADHD, autism, and dyslexia, as well as the aforementioned depression and anxiety.

8. Trains Memory

Many games require players to have an awareness of what resources other players have chosen in previous rounds. Drafting style games a good example such as Blood Rage and Citadels for board games. Adventure-style video games can also feature memory puzzles or learning the lay of the land in the gaming interface. All of these aspects help train either our short or long term memory capability, leading to higher information retention.

9. Hones Dexterity

Various board games require assembly of some nature as well as handling varies kinds of gaming pieces and other apparatus. Some objects may be unusual in shape like SUPER STAR DESTROYERS, and it is this process of holding and moving various sized objects around a board, which helps improve dexterity.

Unlike watching the television, video games very much require the participants to be switched on rather than off. Pressing buttons, rotating joysticks, and mouse clicks all aid in improving dexterity. A single motion not so much, but it all adds up. We can take this a step further by introducing the concept of virtual reality and third-dimensional gaming, which requires gamers to use a broader range of their bodies to play. Which leads nicely to the next point . . .

10. Incorporates Exercise

Not so much board games, but certainly in the past decade, video games have begun incorporating technologies that allow the body to interact within the gaming environment. Wii Sports is an excellent example of a game that can help people exercise while having fun at the same time. Sure, they are not as effective as dedicated exercise routines and playing sports, but studies have shown that the calories burned by playing exercise-based video games are on par with walking on a treadmill. I believe in the future, there will be more technological advances that will allow the gaming and fitness worlds to blend further. There are already apps on the market such as Strava, which promote a healthy sense of competition among other users., by using leader boards, earning points to claim rewards, and so on. Gamification is a term used to apply gaming concepts and theory to the user experience, such as the aforementioned leader boards and collecting points. I expect gamification will continue to be a growing trend going forward, so expect to see more fitness based products utilising gaming methodologies to appeal to the market.

11. Managing Risk

Virtually all games will have an element of risk management involved. Many board games employ random factors such as dice or cards to determine the probability of success for taking a particular action. Players naturally then learn how to assess and manage the risk in specific scenarios. Do I send my War Sun through the Gravity Rift and hope it does not collapse under the immense gravitational convergence? Do I risk sending my fleet out to attack another player but expose my home planet for a turn in doing so? The risk assessment principles garnered through gaming are directly transferable to real-life scenarios also. The underlying logic processing is the same, just a difference in circumstances.

12. Inspires Competition

Healthy competition is a good thing for humans. The grandest of feats and accomplishments probably would not have been possible without some form of rivalry to spur the champions onward. Gaming is a great environment to build competition among players. Through the act of exchanging pleasantries with your opponents, a flame will ignite within you, which will drive you forward. Towards victory or defeat, it matters not! For ultimately, a game is a game, and each encounter provides a unique experience with the chance for glory once more!

13. Fosters Cooperation

Just as there are competitive games, there are also cooperative based games. Aeon’s End and Pandemic are two board game examples, and there are plenty of team-based video games out there as well, such as Halo and Borderlands. These games teach players to work with others toward a common objective. Even competitive based games may require players to form temporary alliances to stop the player who is the current point leader. Twilight Imperium is a fantastic example of a board game that requires great skill in diplomacy and negotiation. Early in the game, your neighbours tend to be friendly and willing to trade and help you out. As soon as you start to pull ahead; however, you will find that such alliances begin to crumble, and only a genuinely skilled diplomat will be able to maintain positive relations with the other players.

14. Improves Socialising

You know, there is this very absurd social stigma that people who game are basement dwellers who dare not to see the light of day. I assure you that while this may be true for some, it most certainly is not the case in the vast majority of circumstances. Pretty much all gamers I know are competent and social people. Sure maybe a couple of people I know have some unusual tendencies, but then who the hell does not? I know I certainly have my share of quirks, but that does not make me socially inept.

Anyway, both gaming online and hosting a gathering of mates round the table are social activities, and each will improve socialising capability. I much prefer gaming face to face with my friends as some things you have to be there to appreciate fully. Imploding my War Sun through a Gravity Rift is an excellent example. But understandably, it might be difficult from a logistics perspective to have frequent face to face meetups, so gaming online makes for a reliable alternative.

15. Develops Leadership

Cooperative based games usually require a hierarchy of some nature, a chain of command if you will. This provides players with the opportunity to assume positions of leadership within the group, issuing commands and advising a strategy for the other players to utilise. Adventure-style video games also harness a sense of leadership as the protagonist character that is often controlled tends to take the leadership mantle in the group party. Doing quests such as defending a city and providing aid all encourage leadership qualities that can transfer over to the real world through volunteering and career progression toward management positions. 

Conclusion

The degree, of which these attributes and others are developed, depends on the type of games you play. Video games promote dexterity and coordination more so than board games, which tend to be more inclusive and therefore foster growth in the human relations department.

As corny as this may sound, when all is said and done, this world we live in can be attributed to one giant chessboard. Many of the skills you pick up through gaming are easily transferable to other areas of your life. So gather your tribe and bust out the games because they are good for you!

Mission complete – Overlord Drakow signing out.