By Axel Wo

I believe that video games are good, but can be hazardous depending on the amount of time you spend and your mental state. As long as you play an adequate amount depending on your responsibilities, you should be fine. 

I believe that video games can be a good stress reliever and a source of recovery for your mental health. According to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation,  they stated that a professor called Regan Mandrk from the University of Saskatchewan found that video games allowed you to separate yourself from reality into another world. This would allow you to “feel like you're in control of your surroundings'', becoming relaxed, comfortable, and easygoing.

In my own experience, after a tiring day, I usually play so that I can leave reality and have fun. People in very demanding professions (medicine, construction, law etc.) may benefit from unwinding with the help of video games. Video games can also be a confidence booster as when I win in competitive games it allows me to feel proud and confident in myself. 

Secondly, I believe that video games are good because of the significant rise in popularity for the video games industry.

Due to the high accessibility, and entertainment factor from watching video games and gamers. Additionally, video games have turned very competitive which has allowed it to develop into a competitive, sport-like industry. Due to the competitiveness, this has led many to admire various video game talents, allowing video games to become a television sensation like the NBA. Also because the video game industry is easily accessible by people from any background, and because it is highly lucrative, a career is one that is highly competed for.

The video game industry is a very large and profitable industry that has allowed for a large variety of jobs involving video games, such as live streaming and physical jobs like video game testing, or being a shareholder, developer or salesperson. According to Forbes, the video game industry is predicted to reach revenues of $300billion by 2025, surpassing both the movie and music industries.

Video games can also provide positive effects towards different parts of your brain, such as judgement, hand-eye-coordination, and memory. A study by the University of Toronto showed that gamers were able to learn sensorimotor skills like hand-eye-coordination. By comparing 18 gamers and non-gamers in a test where they had to track an awkward moving square using the cursor, it was found that gamers were far more precise and accurate. Comparatively, non-gamers were unable to precisely follow the square.

In my experience, especially in shooting games, you have to focus on a crosshair and move your hand accordingly. Not only does this train your hand-eye-coordination in-game as you must coordinate your hands and eyes to hit opponents, but it also improves your coordination in real life

However, video games can be seen as antisocial due to it appearing as a solo activity. Usually video games are physically played by themselves leading parents and guardians to believe their children are antisocial. But, this is actually the opposite. From my own experience, as an introvert, I am able to connect with others through video games by utilising them as a topic of discussion, similar to how other hobbies and interests are used in conversations: to connect to others through a shared interest.

I believe that video games allow you to be more social both physically and while playing, as the most popular games are multiplayer and usually require you to work with one other person. For instance, in a basketball game, you must coordinate very well, communicate, call-out and help each other to succeed. 

In conclusion, I would like people to stop looking at video games as bad or disruptive, especially by parents. I would like the benefits of video games to be acknowledged and recognized by people as it is not as terrible as you think, since they are able to provide benefits to your sensorimotor skills, or ability which affects things like vision. Video games can also act as a stress-reliever after a tough day where you can have a laugh, or even grind to the top of the billion dollar video game industry.