In Defence of Videogames

by George Silver

Where other people might like to go to the park in their free time, or perhaps they might play football in the middle of the road, I like to spend time play videogames. As someone who enjoys playing games, a lot, it tends to annoy me when people look down on them, and say they’re a waste of time or something. But, I would argue that gaming is beneficial to people, or maybe it’s just me, but I hope it’s not the latter. You may think sitting in a chair indoors for hours and hours a day controlling a fictional character on a screen is very counterproductive, but that’s not the case.

Playing videogames makes me focused, which is why I do my homework after gaming, thanks for asking. It also inspires me some. I’ve started writing a fantasy book (although I am only thirteen) which has taken inspiration from multiple videogames that I play at home, and a lot of the vocabulary used in that book is very advanced, and I’ve learnt the majority from various videogames.

That brings me onto the next thing; knowledge. School is a great place with a large variety of subjects to learn, including history, maths and, of course, English. But a lot of the things I learn in school aren’t really that important or useful. I’m not saying this is bad, but I’ve learnt more useful information and handy life skills during my seventeen odd hours of Saturday videogames and such, than I have at school.

Of course, school has given me lots of useful information and skills. This year, I began the Year 9 Money Management course, and I joined the CCF and some other subjects that do come in handy, but I definitely spend more time gaming than I do at school, and it has been beneficial. Whilst Money Management is handy, I’ve learned more about money management by throwing around my Gil whilst crafting in Final Fantasy XIV. So I urge older people who look down on gaming to rethink their judgement slightly.

Also, I hear negativity about my “unhealthy” gaming life from people who watch television a lot. TV is worse for you, because videogames keep you focused and they stimulate your brain well, whilst watching TV does nothing, as the person watching TV isn’t doing anything, and they have to go along with whatever they’re watching; videogames allow you to make your own decisions.

So in conclusion, you’re more likely to learn whilst playing a nice, long session of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, than you are by watching the latest episode of Game of Thrones. And if you don’t know what any of the names in this blog post are, I apologise, and promise to get you a Super Nintendo first chance I get (maybe not that).