Video Games: Do you think you actually know all about them?

By Ilya Kreider

Have you ever sat for hours there on your couch or sitting at your desk playing video games? Well, I think that most of us have. But do you actually think about the ways that these games can impact you?

For starters I would like to talk about the different types of video games that are out there. The most popular one in this school is something that you may not have guessed. It turns out that the amount of people whose favorite game is Minecraft is equivalent to the amount of people who say their favorite game is Roblox. 27% of people that I asked said that Roblox was their favorite game.

Then in third, you have Fortnite which I guess that you were totally not expecting. The game that had the most people watching an event in gaming history twice in a row with the Fortnite World Cup and then the End event on October 13th, you would not think would be third on the list. They had a total of 6 million people watching this past event, which is a record for the gaming community. My sister, Nino, thinks that the trend of different video games will be a cycle. For example, it was Minecraft at first, then Roblox, (I would link it in but it is blocked by the NYCDOE) then Fortnite for a while, and now it is back to Minecraft and Roblox.

Another thing that I want to talk about is people’s enjoyment of video games. Most kids, if not all kids in middle school have played a video game before. But how much do people in this school actually enjoy video games and what type of games? “I interpret video games as a form of entertainment that has been around for decades giving kids and adults enjoyment,” says Gabriella Wilson, an HPCMS student from class 802. In addition, an anonymous 6th grader stated, “Video games are my digital home away from home.” This shows just how important video games are to people.

You know how your parents are always saying that video games are rotting your brains and all that stuff? Well, that is not completely true.

A study by the Radboud University in the Netherlands can determine that. Their study, published by the American Psychological Association last year shows that video games, even violent shooter games, can help young gamers develop learning, health, and social skills.

Now you actually have something to tell your parents when they say “get off the video games, it’s rotting your brains!” Just tell them studies show evidence against that. “Video games mean to me as a fun experience learning to expand our mind. It has been proven that by playing video games, we are expanding our brain knowledge of strategic thinking and problem solving,” says Jaylene Rodriguez, a student at HPCMS in the 8th grade.

Not only do people love playing video games, they also can help you develop life skills. One example of such a game is Overcooked. Overcooked is a game where you and three other people have to work as a team to serve orders to others. This helps people build teamwork skills and possibly learn how to cook. Another would be Lumber Tycoon 2. Lumber Tycoon 2 is a game on Roblox with over 15k different players each day. In this game you start by chopping down trees and selling them. Overtime you can grow your base and buy more things. This helps kids learn because it shows them the skills of teamwork in Overcooked when you are working as a team to make the different orders. In Lumber Tycoon 2 though, people are taught the skills of real patience and hard work when they have to go and get your own wood, make money, and build your own base.

Just remember that it doesn’t matter if you are a boy or girl, black, brown or white, apache attack helicopter or not, you can play whatever video games you want, (besides your parents decisions) and you shouldn’t let anybody judge you based on what you like to do in your life. If it is writing or reading for hours and hours, or gaming day and night, it is what matters most to you.