Since 1940, the electronic games industry has continued to shape our reality and our life. They have impacted our way of perceiving and interpreting things, especially that of our kids. Video games are generally the fruit of technological advancement and we are currently living in an era where using technological tools is an integral part of our daily lives.

A brief history timeline of video games

In the 40’s, computer scientists invented the first video game that debuted at the World’s Fair in New York. Edward U. Condon designed a computer that plays a game called “Nim” – a simple combinatory game with finite possibilities, involving the use of matchstick and the player who takes the last match loses – that attracted many people at that time. In 1967, Ralph Baer – a German and American inventor and game developer – conceived “the Brown Box”, a television video game allowing users to play tennis and other games on TV screen. The first home video game console was designed in 1972 and “The Magnavox Odyssey” was launched, always based on Baer’s “Brown Box”. That same year, the video game “Pong” developed by Atari, an American video game developer and home computer company, came out along with the first arcade video games.

The industry of electronic games has rapidly evolved despite some failures in video game market. In 1985, Nintendo – the Japanese multinational consumer electronics and video game company – released the “Nintendo Entertainment System” (NES), a home video game console. Since then, gaming meets the real world and the gaming market has not stopped to expand. With the Tech which kept on growing up, new innovations have also followed up. In 1994, the legend and famed “PlayStation” by Sony or Sony Interactive Entertainment (SEI) – a multinational video game and digital entertainment company – was born. The platform has brought shift in gaming and technology until the present day. Today, video games continue to pave the way of innovation through different entertainment hubs as well as of education and of other spheres.

The benefits of playing video games for kids

Many parents consider only video games as an entertainment like any other technological tool. As so, education has nothing to do with playing a video game, because it is only a source of distraction and that it is most likely to impact negatively the academic performances of kids. What some parents ignore is that playing video games may be beneficial for kids and help them develop mentally, emotionally, and academically. Here are how video games can help your kids.

• Video games boost kids’ reading skills. In most video games, there are instructions and rules to be taken into account before or throughout the game, which sometimes occurs in the form of text. So users are assigned to follow and read them to play. It is a fact that today’s kids are not so fond of reading, especially traditional books; but video games would definitely force them to read and improve their reading skills.
• Video games increase kids’ problem-solving skills. While playing, users may face challenges at the heart of the game, depending on the kind of game they choose to play. Sometimes, they need to use their brain and knowledge to solve an enigma or to provide solutions to complete or win the game. So, video games give them a hint to be able to take on good decisions and solve any problems they may face within the reality.
• Video games help kids become more creative. In fact, games encourage creative thinking and increase kids’ curiosity. This is because almost video games provide something new to discover and to learn. They do not run out of surprises and discoveries, which may help the kid become more interested in learning.

Sources: The Strong National Museum of Play/ Understood (understood.org)