Gaming is good for you? A surprising lesson from my teenage son

Gaming might be fun. But wouldn’t you be better off focusing on your homework? Or helping around the house? Until recently, you’d often hear me repeating these words to my teenage son, as I encouraged him to get off the computer.  

Last year, he sought to prove me wrong by preparing a school presentation on the benefits of gaming. It explained that games relieve stress, foster mental agility, and teach players to co-operate. Nice try, I thought.

Yet over the last few months, I’ve had a change of heart. During lockdown, I’ve watched my son use PC games to stay busy, maintain connections with friends, and develop critical thinking skills. So, perhaps that school presentation wasn’t just an elaborate ploy to get out of doing his studies. Perhaps there is something to be said for gaming after all.

We’re all gamers now

My son isn’t alone in using games to stay active and connected during COVID-19. While many industries are suffering from the current crisis, the gaming sector is an interesting exception.

The trend began in China, as sales of the nation’s most popular video games surged 100% between January and February. The USA soon followed suit, with a 75% spike in gaming traffic across the country in the first week of lockdown.

Across the world, gaming companies are seeing unprecedented demand, with global game sales increasing 63% as of late March. And it’s not just gaming die-hards dialing up their use – many who have never played before are joining in too. As people from all walks of life use games to connect with their communities, relieve tension, and build mental agility, they are discovering that gaming is about more than just unwinding. It’s becoming part of a lifestyle.  

Staying connected

What I’ve realised in the last four weeks while we’ve been at home is that gaming allows my son to safely interact with his friends. PC games like Call of Duty, which are multi-player games, allows him to share experiences such as camaraderie, collaboration, and cooperation – not something he can necessary get over a video call, and more like a physical interaction while playing a sport. 

Gaming also helps him relieve stress – an emotion we’ve all become more familiar with lately. He says it’s a bit like meditation. I’m tempted to make a face, but he might be onto something.

Gaming technology has come a long way since the clunky consoles of my own adolescence. While a full sensory experience isn’t always possible on a mobile device or an older console, PC gamers enjoy state-of-the-art sound effects, high-quality graphics, and smooth frame rates -– which all contribute to the feeling of total immersion. And because PCs are upgradeable, gamers can take advantage of evolving software and accessories to create more immersive experiences.

As Mike Jacobs of Sports Interactive, which produces the popular Football Manager game, recently told the BBC, “Video games are a pretty good place to escape to. They are an escape from the normal world, and the normal world ain’t that great at the moment.”

Boosting cognitive skills

As I become more convinced, I’m discovering I’m not the only one to change my tune. Even the World Health Organization (WHO) now recognizes the mental health benefits of gaming.

But what about the educational benefits of gaming? Can the skills you need to battle mobs in Minecraft really be useful in a workplace? When I start expressing these reservations to my son, he cuts me off. “It’s not about battling mobs,” he says. “It’s about problem solving, cooperation, thinking on your feet – you get the skills from the game, but you can use them in other places.”

This is what my colleagues at HP call ‘play to progress’: the exercise and development of our cognitive abilities as we strive to reach the next level in a game. I decide to investigate the matter myself.

As with many controversial topics, it seems like there’s a study to support every point of view. However, I soon find a gem in the American Psychological Association’s Psychological Bulletin, summarizing 15 years’ worth of research into the cognitive effects of action video games. It turns out there’s a strong positive correlation between the amount of time an individual spends gaming and their likelihood of scoring well on perception, spatial cognition, multitasking, and mental flexibility tests.

Getting the most out of gaming

It seems all my arguments against gaming are futile. But there is a right way to game and a wrong way. So, I asked him for his three top tips for getting the most out of gaming.

Take a balanced approach

Too much of anything is bad for us, and gaming is no exception – even my son will admit that. There has been wide-spread debate about the potential addiction of gaming and while the WHO have recently endorsed gaming amid the current pandemic, a balance is required. Game by all means, but remember to make time for other forms of interaction, like conversations with family and friends, as well as other types of leisure or engage in hobbies for which you never got time in past.  

Stay safe

Because online gaming involves the Internet, be sure to protect your personal and financial details. Use strong passwords, two-factor authentication, and regular software updates to keep your system safe from hackers. And take particular care when you’re using the same device for gaming and work or studies.  

Choose the right device

For the most immersive experience and the best ergonomics, my son prefers to game on his PC. As well as faster frame rates and better-quality graphics from a monitor, the mouse and keyboard let gamers move with more accuracy and precision than a controller. And on the PC, it’s easy to create a setup that doesn’t damage your back, which is especially important during long gaming sessions.

When he’s sitting upright at a desk in a comfortable chair, I don’t have to worry about my son’s posture. And the larger screen saves his eyes from the strain of concentrating on a small mobile device – eyes that might come in handy if he ever gets around to his homework.

With these caveats, I’m happy to call myself a convert. And the timing couldn’t better. The demand for immersive, challenging games is spiking as more of us embrace the gaming lifestyle. So, here at HP we need all hands-on deck to keep developing the state-of-the-art devices that help gamers of all levels stay connected, entertained while learning new skills that help them play to progress.