Before we begin discussing the health benefits of gaming (if there are any), we need to issue this statement: doing anything, to excess, has negative effects. If you are looking for this article to provide justification for you playing games fifteen hours per day, forget it. Excess is excess no matter what the topic i.e. alcohol, drugs, hobbies, or gaming. Always play in moderation or the supposed benefits can easily turn into harmful detriments.
With that out of the way, here is just a partial list of possible benefits derived from gaming:
- Cognitive benefits: Video games can improve mental focus, spatial awareness, and estimation accuracy.
- Social interaction: Multiplayer games promote sociability.
- Life skills: Games can teach valuable skills.
- Mental health: Video games have been linked to improved moods and mental health.
- Eye health: Some games can improve eyesight.
- Empathy: Certain games can make young people more empathetic and helpful.
Breaking it all down
Please note, every single one of those benefits listed above could have a negative connotation if explained differently. Example? Eye health . . . some games can improve eyesight. That is true with specific games and specific eye conditions. However, playing games for too long can easily have the opposite effect and actually harms eyes.
Another? Empany . . . certain games can make young people more empathetic and helpful. However, it is also true that some games can increase aggression in children and make it more difficult for them to interact with other children in person.
Why would we tell you this?
After all, we are game developers. Why in the world would we essentially argue against our product?
Simply because some of us are parents, too, and the responsible thing to do is inform you truthfully and then allow you the freedom to parent as you see fit, armed with ALL the news, good and bad.
Do we believe our own combat simulator, Aces High, has benefits? Of course we do, but that does not prevent us from telling you that any combat flight simulator, played in excess, will have negative effects on a child. This is where responsible parenting comes in. We fully support limiting a child’s game playing time. Send them outside and have them play baseball or football when they have used their allotted time gaming. It’s the right thing to do.
A final word about HiTech Creations and Aces High
Aces High is a flight simulator, otherwise known as a flight sim game. It is a multi-player online game which has combat and war simulations. Is it bloody? No! Is it gory? No! Is it violent? That depends on your definition of violence. It does depict battle, but we believe it depicts battle in as sanitized a way as possible. If people want gore, they can find it in other games. Our goal, in developing Aces High back in 1999, was to make the best action flight sim game on the market, and we believe we have done that.
Strap on your helmet and fly the skies with Aces High. We offer a free two-week download of Aces High, a way for you to determine if it is the right game for you.
