Why you should push Start, X, Triangle, Square and Circle

“Get up!!!” My mum screamed, as if I had to report at the battlefront at 0500hrs. “Maa, just 2 more mins”, I said, trying to make puppy eyes, but failing miserably. “That’s it”, she said, and snapped the adopter cable from the TV. “Nooooooooooo”, I howled, looking at the blank screen. I was 13, at Mario’s 8^th world, dragon’s stage, where I was supposed to finally meet the princess. I sat crying for the next 3 hours, my mother trying to console me for 4.

I have been a gaming addict for the past 20 years. As most of you, my initial fixations started with playing Mario, Contra, Tetris and Excite Bike on a ‘cassette’ chip, on the ‘Media’ console. I was so obsessed with getting the Mario princess that I sat straight for 14 hours just to get a glimpse of her, and then paused the game there for another 5 hours so that everyone in my house, when they came back from work, could see her.

I got my first game console when I was in class 9, and since then, there has been no looking back.
Today, I own a Playstation 3, a Playstation Portable, an iPad 2 and a laptop, which all house to my various ‘gaming’ needs.

But, you would ask, why this fixation? After all, what good can a game do except make Jack a dull boy, since there is a low possibility of any physical exercise? But with the advent of technology, the question has become null and void today.

Today, The Video Game industry is pegged close to $15 billion an year. Each month, about a 100 new titles hit the market. Sony and Microsoft have sold closed to a 100 million consoles, and I am not even talking about the hand-held versions. Gone are the days of pixelated, sub-par images. Games like L.A. Noire and Batman: Arkham Asylum use motion capture to record facial expressions of characters, and sometimes take 7 years to complete one single game.

Video Game Expo in the US

Now, there must be something that has led to this incredible growth. And if people are buying it, then there must be a reason. Let me give you some points on why should join this bandwagon:

1. Games help children who are ill or have injuries. Absorption in a game distracts the mind from pain and discomfort. Many hospitals are encouraging children and others undergoing painful treatments to play games.

2. Many medical departments are using computer games as a form of physiotherapy. Games help people who are recovery from physical injuries gain motor skills and coordination too.

3. Video games and computer games are known to improve hand-eye co-ordination and help players gain many skills.

4. Games induce decision making and tech players to think on their feet.

5. Games create team players and hone social skills too.

6. Games are known to enhance creativity and inculcate a taste for graphics, design and technology.

7. Many games improve language and math skills as players have to move at a great speed along with the heroes of the game.

8. Make it a family affair. Ask everyone to join.

9. Video and computer games help you gain self confidence and many games are based on history, city building, and governance and so on. Such games indirectly teach you about aspects of life on earth.

10. Games teach players problem solving, motivation, and cognitive skills. Most games inspire players to strive and reach more difficult levels presenting challenges at each stage.

11. Be what you want to be. Leap off buildings, be a thug, win a car-chase, kill 15 monsters in one shot, beat the computer at boxing, etc etc. Play James Bond, Superman, Harry Potter, Lara Croft, or my favourite, Stewie Griffin from Family Guy.

A classic case-in-example is the Dualshock controller of the Playstation 3. There are two joysticks that need to be moved simultaneously because one controls the player movement, while the other controls the camera. Hence, a person is able to move both the joysticks, push buttons and decide the path (for ex, to go left or right in a car chase) at once, greatly evolving the hand-eye co-ordination.

Sony Dualshock 3

On the other hand, with the coming of next-gen controllers like Microsoft Kinect and Playtsation Move, which are dependent on the physical movement of a player, the question of physical exercise is also eradicated.

Stop the monotonous regime of your daily life. Buy a video game.