As I looked briefly at CNN's home page for a topic, I came across an article about how video games can help you make decisions in real life. As I read the article, which can be read HERE, I found it was only a sarcastic reply to a thought provoking question. The beginning of the article started that a study by the University of Rochester said that people who play action-packed video games have better decision making skills. I believe that this can be a very interesting subject to discuss, because I have learned a lot from some videogames, and the study's results make sense.
In video games, it is imperative to make quick decisions. If your character's life is in danger, it is important to do something quickly! This helps teach skills necessary for emergencies, or even driving, when split second decisions must be made. In some video games, history is a large part of the storyline. For example, playing Age of Empires taught me to tell the difference between different types of weapons, how structures were built, and other militaristic details of history. Playing video games also has been proven to help train surgeons because detailed surgery necessitates very slight and controlled movements of the hands, fingers, and arms. These all are used in video games, where smooth movements are always valued.
However, video games can become addicting, take a lot of time for no immediate real-world benefit, and take time away from other things that could potentially be more rewarding. While there is a definite argument in the defense of gamers, do these benefits justify the time spent?
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