Why Video Games Are Good For You

Before we start going over this topic and getting ahead of ourselves, notice that too much of everything can damage your health. Even broccoli. I'm not kidding, too much broccoli can seriously affect you.

1. Relax.

2. Try going outside.

3. Admire the nature.

4. Take some friends for a drink.

5. Make new ones.

6. Talk to a psychologist.

7. Talk to someone really close.

8. Get a dog and walk him outside daily.

9. Learn an instrument.

10. Plant a tree.

    
    

    
    

Phew. OK. Let's make a list of stereotypes about people who play video games.

• They are lazy
• They are bad at school
• They can't take care of themselves
• Their families suffer
• They were naughty kids
• They don't accept it
• They are fat sometimes
• They are anti-social
• They are dumb

NO! Gaming is much more! It can

• increase brain functionality,
• problem solving skills,
• spatial reasoning,
• memory,
• attention span,
• strategic planning,
• even social skills sometimes (if they play multiplayer games... :D)

It is a thing!

There are numerous tournaments all around the globe right now, and there are people earning a TON of money playing video games professionally.

Here is a list:

Park 'Lyn' Joon - $317,610.95 from 77 tournaments

He is a guy playing World of Warcraft since the beginning of this game, the highest prize he ever earned was 25 thousand dollars in 2009.

Jonathan 'Loda' Berg - $355,514.05 from 47 tournaments

He is a DotA 2 professional gamer, he took first place in 23 tournaments! 23... God, I'm a noob at DotA compared to this guy...

Danil 'Dendi' Ishutin - $455,615.83 from 43 tournaments

Also a DotA 2 gamer, he earned 200k dollars in a 2013 tournament... Jeez...

Puzzle games

Improves: Brain function, IQ

These brainteaser games are meant to give your mind a workout. Puzzle games like Angry Birds. Additionally, the platforming aspects (jumping from place to place, avoiding projectiles, moving around obstacles, etc.) of some games can also improve motor skills and reaction time. These kind of games can improve problem solving skills and IQ.

Role-playing games (RPGs)

Improves: Problem-solving, strategy, logic, reasoning

Mass Effect, Final Fantasy, Dark Souls are just a few games to mention that are RPG games in which the player assumes the role of a character. Typically, RPGs focus on player-driven choices, dialogue options, and the consequences of player actions. In essence, RPGs are much more customizable than other games, which leads to unique experiences and no two games being quite the same.

Real-time strategy games (RTS)

Improves: Planning, Multitasking, Prioritization

Sometimes you have to think on your feet, a useful lifelong skill that can be developed and exercised in RTS games. As the name suggests, these games use strategic planning in order to accomplish a task, defeat an enemy, or work with other players (known as a co-op) to win. Games like StarCraft, Age of Empires and WoW (World of Warcraft) are the best to this category.

Of course, there are many other type of games, but these are the most helpful to our brains.

• Become a streamer. Streamers are people who film themselves while playing video games for an audience, while being live typically playing games at a high-skill level or nearly professional. A good streaming platform is Twitch.
• Become a let's-player. These are gamers who also film themselves, but they are not live, meaning they can publish a video whenever they want. They play a game, test it, and give it a review for other people, which can help them decide if they want to buy the game or not.
• Test games. YES! This is a real thing, you can apply to become a game tester at big companies that produce games, like EA, Ubisoft, Valve and many others. Now you may think this has to be easy. It is not. You have to play the same level over 50 times to discover bugs and improvements that can be made.
• Become a professional gamer. This is the hardest one. You have to be really good at a game, then apply for joining a team, and if the team doesn't succeed, you don't earn money either. Sad.
• Sell your characters. If you invested enough hours in a game, and you are really good at it, and you created an overpowered character, you can sell it for a lot of cash, there are collectors who are really into this.