The Reasons We Play

 I'll start by saying that I am an avid gamer – video games, board games, you name it – and I have been since I could first hold a controller or a set of dice. I also rely heavily on games as a teaching method in my current role, teaching English in Japan. I've encountered a lot of people who don't understand how I can sit for hours in front of a video game console, pore over a board game with friends for the better part of a Sunday afternoon, or use games to teach effectively, so I felt the need to explain why we are designed to play games, and how doing so truly does enrich us, both intellectually and yes, socially.

 As children, we learn many of our core social and motor skills through gaming. Games and play in general are a way for us to learn without really realizing we're learning, and that is part of their beauty. In many cultures we have come to accept the idea that for “real” learning to occur we must put away the games and hit the books, but this is not necessarily true. While I'm also a huge fan of books, I don't believe that they are necessarily a superior medium, as everyone has their own learning style. While books are an invaluable resource, some people are simply more suited to interactive styles of learning. I have seen ample evidence that complex skills can be effectively taught and reinforced through games; they simply require well-designed game platforms to make learning the skill-sets fun and challenging. Well designed activities and computer programs can aid in learning a wide variety of subjects, and allow us to increase our learning capacity by extending our attention span and engaging us more fully. It is simply a matter of adapting your technique to the subject matter, in my opinion - I see it working in my classroom all the time.

 If you don't believe me, there are actually a number of studies that have been done that show how playing games enhances our cognitive skill sets. Hand-eye coordination, recall, problem-solving, multitasking, sustained attention, and audio/visual processing are all abilities that can be challenged through gaming, and indeed as gamers are challenged, it has been shown that these skills do improve. Furthermore, recent studies have shown that in older adults, gaming can help to maintain these skills longer, holding off the cognitive effects of ageing and even blunting the symptoms of disorders such as Alzheimer's disease. The term “use it or lose it” applies just as much to the brain as it does to the body, and as we stretch our capabilities and develop new skills through gaming, we are in a sense working out our brains. George Bernard Shaw put it best: We do not stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing.

 This being said, a major drawback with gaming as a hobby is that it is typically very sedentary. Spending hours on end sitting immobile and staring at a screen is not the best way to stay in shape, and this was probably the main criticism that my parents have leveled at me over the years. Lately however, this is becoming less true. Thanks to motion-tracking systems like the Wii, games are now becoming physically as well as mentally interactive, and a happy side effect is that gamers are, in general, getting more exercise. As this sort of technology improves, we will no doubt eventually be able to immerse ourselves in virtual realities and engage in any matter of physical activity, much like in the holodecks on Star Trek. As this happens, perhaps exercise will become less of a chore for many, and more of a fun and engaging experience. It will also allow those who are uncomfortable with their bodies to exercise easily from the comfort of home, probably one of the most significant challenges that obese people face when they decide to start getting in shape. Using games and virtual environments to promote physical activity could be society's best new secret weapon in fighting off the pounds.

 As someone who has been a lifelong gamer, I'll pass along a little anecdotal evidence here. Despite spending more time gaming than some people spend watching television, I'm happy to report that my eyesight is just fine, I remain capable of staying in reasonably good shape, and I genuinely believe that gaming does help to keep me sharp, in a way that passively absorbing television isn't able to, particularly in the areas of strategic thinking and problem solving. Furthermore, most of my close friends are gamers, and are among the more intelligent and rational people that I know. While there is admittedly a subset among gamers who can be obsessive and petty, this does tend to get stamped out over time, as a sore loser, or poor winner for that matter, will soon find themselves without other people willing to play with them. The gaming community in general encourages fairness, good manners and honesty, and when one compares this with the social norms portrayed in most popular television, you may see why gaming is something that we should encourage. It is, like any form of media, simply a tool, and one that has great potential if used wisely.