Video games can have an impact beyond the gaming session. Find out what your children can learn and the skills they can develop through play.
What can my child learn by playing video games?
Like other forms of entertainment, playing video games fosters affective, cognitive and relational development for people of all ages.. Video games are a source of entertainment, pleasure and fun! It can be a great way to spend quality time as a family. According to many studies, video games can help develop a great variety of abilities for players of all ages. The studies tend to highlight three main areas that video games can help develop:
- Cognitive abilities such as dexterity, hand-eye coordination, memory, 3D spatial orientation, multi-tasking
- Social abilities like cooperation, collaboration and team spirit
- Personal abilities like perseverance, self-confidence, creativity, empathy
The World Economic Forum estimates that 33% of the jobs we expect people to have in 2020 don’t even exist yet. New skills are needed to be successful in the 21st century, especially skills linked to tech literacy, interpersonal skills and problem solving. Playing video games is a great way to improve one’s tech and digital literacy, decision-making and stress management. As an increasing number of games offer multiplayer modes, they are also developing collaborative skills and team spirit.
Video games can also be a great way to learn new things: strategy, history, geography, culture, foreign languages, cooking, fitness, dance — you name it! When people have fun, they are in an ideal state of mind to learn and grow. In Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed games for example, players learn about key moments in history while having fun. For instance, in one of the Discovery Tour by Assassin’s Creed, players are invited to explore Ancient Egypt where they can take guided tours in order to discover historical sites without being interrupted by combat or quests. With Ubisoft’s Rocksmith, players can learn how to play a real guitar and with Ubisoft’s Just Dance, players can build self-confidence, get exercise and learn new moves for the dance floor!