We’ve all been there: Your once-active child, the one who filled the backyard with soccer goals and lingered in the kitchen for snacks, suddenly vanishes down the basement stairs as soon as he gets home. Those LEGOs, Frisbees, and magic sets seem to have disappeared overnight. In their place? A tween who occupies his every waking hour with an Xbox.
You might find yourself wondering: How does a kid who still hugs a stuffed cheetah manage to obliterate zombies? And how can he nail every goal in FIFA 15 while you’re still struggling to figure out passing? Yes, your son is officially a gamer, complete with a fancy gaming chair and a wireless headset.
As moms of boys, we sometimes feel guilty about this shift. The media bombards us with images of “bad moms” because our kids are glued to their screens. Those screens are often tucked away in basements or bedrooms, far from our watchful eyes. Plus, the games they play can be violent, leading us to question whether these activities will negatively influence our impressionable kids.
But what if video gaming isn’t such a villain? Research is starting to challenge our long-held beliefs about the effects of video games. So, before you consider snatching that controller away, think about this:
- Enhanced Vision: Gamers often outperform non-gamers in visual perception. Those who play first-person shooter games like Call of Duty or Halo can recognize patterns and draw conclusions from less visual information.
- Cognitive Boosts: Studies show that playing real-time strategy games, like Starfall, can enhance cognitive flexibility. This means gamers can switch between tasks more effectively and do them faster and more accurately.
- Therapeutic Potential: There’s a fascinating field called “therapeutic neurogaming,” which utilizes video game mechanics for therapies aimed at conditions like ADHD, anxiety, and depression. The video game environment can actually help kids train their brains to concentrate and minimize distractions.
- Skill Development: Video games can improve reaction times, spatial reasoning, and hand-eye coordination. I once convinced my parents that Tetris was helping me learn to parallel park, and it turns out, I may have been onto something! Spatial reasoning is crucial for success in math, science, and engineering, and games like Tetris and Minecraft can nurture these skills.
So, rather than worrying about your tween’s gaming habits, why not embrace them? Who knows? You might even find yourself joining in on the fun!
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Summary: Embrace your son’s gaming habits instead of worrying about them. Research shows that video games can enhance visual perception, cognitive flexibility, and even aid in therapy for conditions like ADHD. So, maybe it’s time to join him in the gaming world!