It’s a nice spring day, you get home from school, finish your homework, and now you are ready to hop into a call with your friends and play some video games. Sounds like the perfect day, doesn’t it?

Some may argue that playing video games is a colossal waste of time, but could there actually be a positive outcome from hours spent playing?

Many people tend to associate video games with bad habits, such as laziness. Giving it some thought, are gamers truly lazy? No, not necessarily. When playing video games, gamers are motivated to win the game and they put in hours of hard work in order to do so. This strengthens their mindset and could possibly prepare them for future jobs.

“I think gaming can benefit work habits,” said Kevin Dennehy ’21. “It can help people realize their work ethic not previously known by giving them a taste of winning.”

Furthermore, some gamers could possibly create a future career based on playing video games.

Over the years, live streaming platforms, such as Twitch, or video platforms such as Youtube, have been the home to many gamers. Spending their day entertaining viewers through their gameplay, they could make a great income from ad revenue, sponsorships, donations, or subscriptions. Teenagers can begin youtube at any age and they can begin streaming on twitch at the age of thirteen.

In 2019, Fortnite streamer, Tyler Blevins, or Ninja, signed a 20-30 million dollar contract with Microsoft’s streaming platform: Mixer. His plan was to stream the platform Mixer, however the company shutdown during 2020 and he was allowed to keep all the money.

On top of their multimedia careers, gaming competitions could greatly increase their income. Skillful players can be paid millions of dollars just to play for a team in esports, a form of video game competition, or they could compete in free tournaments within the game’s community.

“I’ve heard of some thirteen-year-old winning a couple of million dollars during a Fortnite tournament,” said Kevin Zeng, a freshman at Stony Brook University. “It’s crazy how that’s like years of hard work won within one competition.”

Along with possible careers, playing video games could also have a positive impact on social life.

Gaming allows players to connect with each other in order to be victorious, and it also enables players to meet new people online. From meeting possible local players to meeting players around the globe, gamers can make new friends and socialize. This is especially important during the pandemic, due to social distancing and being fixed at home.

The pandemic has created a stressful and depressing environment for many teenagers. Being able to spend time, talking to friends and playing video games with them after a long day at school, really helps.

“Being able to play games with friends after coming home from a long day at school definitely relieves stress,” said Zeng. “If you have no other way of connecting with your friends, especially during quarantine, doing it through a video game is definitely viable and could help to ease the sense of loneliness as a result of quarantine.”

Additionally, gamers may develop skills from hours of playing. Certain games require quick thinking and fast reaction time and training yourself in these types of games, especially at a young age, could drastically improve these skills, which could be used in real-life scenarios.

For instance, consider the game of soccer. It is a fast-paced sport that requires a load of teamwork. Playing video games could prepare your brain for quick decision-making while playing with others.

Furthermore, there are games out there, such as Growtopia, that are economy-based. In these games, players trade with others, farm for certain materials, and overall, just learn more about the economy.

“I have learned some things from playing games, like the basics of economy and how to effectively communicate with others,” said Zeng.

In conclusion, playing video games is not as bad as it is stigmatized to be.

“With proper education, video games can without a doubt prove beneficial,” said Dennehy. “Any video game you have ever played is just an abstract version of a puzzle, allowing the player to arrange the pieces to their own will.”

Having a possible career path, developing new skills, and even social interactions are great things to have on top of the education students receive from school.

Some other opinion stories on whether video games are good for you or not and some benefits are shared in the following articles:

Video Games are Good: ID Tech 

Benefits of Video Games For Kids & Adults

10 Reasons Video Games is Good For You