The unsung benefits of gaming

Video game play has transformed from a solitary, sedentary activity into an interactive activity that has created a dramatic increase in game play across all platforms. Because gaming systems have added more physical activity and socialization to their games, an activity that used to require players only to sit on a couch by themselves is now losing its bad reputation.

The stereotype of the typical nerdy video gamer is being demolished as people everywhere are picking up the gaming hobby. A national survey conducted by Pew Internet and American Life Project shows that 97 percent of all teens play some sort of video game.

Pew research also showed that nearly 25 percent of teenage boys and 25 percent of teenage girls play video games at least once a week. More than 25 percent of teenage boys play video games three to five days a week along with 15 percent of teenage girls.

Many gamers are playing video games in order to interact with other people, through online play and family play. The interactive aspects of the Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and the Nintendo Wii each have developed an online network where gamers have the option to play with and against other gamers nationally and internationally.

Other games, such as Rock Band and Guitar Hero, allow multiple people to play different instruments as if in an actual band. By bringing in the capability to communicate and work together with other gamers, video games are proving that they can help build teamwork skills along with better communication skills.

The surge in video game play has also created a place for video games in the classroom. James Paul Gee, a professor at Wisconsin-Madison University, has conducted research that shows that video games can play an integral role in the classroom. Through simulations and role-play games, students are capable of better developing critical thinking skills. His research also shows that students don't just play video games. He found that if a student were playing a video game about mythology, the student is likely to go check out a book on mythology as well.

Nintendo developed Wii Fit to be played on the Wii system, which requires players to get up and exercise. Through aerobic games, yoga games, strength training games and balance games, Wii Fit has been shown to help its players lose weight.

Video games, such as Trauma Center: Second Opinion for the Nintendo Wii have been said to help surgeons become more skilled in tasks like laparoscopic surgery, leading to a less mistakes made on the operating table.

We also see the usage of video games as a therapy tool. Because the Nintendo Wii remote requires the player to move it in multiple directions, therapists are introducing gaming to wounded soldiers. Using gaming as a tool in occupational therapy also aids in relieving patients from the monotonous exercises of squeezing a ball, causing gaming to be a more enjoyable form of therapy.

Now that video gaming has become more interactive and more physically demanding, it seems like everyone is becoming a gamer. Thankfully, this change in the way that video games are played is proving that video games aren't as bad as they were once thought to be.

This writer can be contacted at opinion@theeastcarolinian.com.