Do Video Games Really Do More Good Than Bad?

When I was growing up, the most prevalent games were Subway Surfers, Minecraft, Clash of Clans, and other things like Bloons TD. Looking back, playing those games with my friends of that time were some of my fondest memories, and I will always cherish them. I truly believe that there are many good things that come with playing video games as a child. The person playing the game, whatever it is, is faced with some form of challenge that they must complete in order to do well. From an early age, children who play often will quickly develop critical thinking skills, which they can use for many different parts of their lives. For example, my little brother, who is 9 years old, plays Minecraft with all of his friends. I sometimes play with him and I remember watching as he tried to figure out how to connect red stone together to make an automatic door. It took him a few different runs of trial and error, but he eventually figured it out. I can’t help but think to myself what a tremendous help this is for kids his age in their journey to learn the art of critical thinking.

One variation of a red stone door in Minecraft

Another important skill video games teach kids from an early age is the ability to think creatively and come up with their own designs. In games like, Clash of Clans and Minecraft this is especially required. In Clash of Clans, the goal is to upgrade your buildings to be able to fend off attacks from other players. But the key aspect is that the design of your base must be created by you, the player. The better you design your base, the less likely people are to destroy it. The level of creativity required for Minecraft is astronomical. There are so many blocks that it would take weeks to learn all of them, and each one has a different purpose. To show how many possibilities there are in Minecraft, there is a server of around 1,000 people who are currently building earth. Literally building earth. Like every building, street, forest, restaurant, and mountain that there is in the world. They are doing this through google maps and other references. This means that people could hypothetically recreate a Minecraft server the size of our world, but change everything so it is a completely new variation of our planet designed by the person placing the blocks. This is absolutely something I would want my kids playing. The creativity skills it teaches them are incredible. Looking back on my time as a developing child, I was so excited to play these games because I felt as though I could create whatever I wanted. On top of all of that, I got to play with my friends and family. I remember in fourth grade, everyone started to play Clash of Clans. People would sneak their phones into their backpacks so they could keep building their base during the hours of school. We were all in the same server and it felt like a community. Looking back, I wouldn’t have traded it for the world. I truly believe video games created a foundation for me that would have taken much longer to develop had I decided against playing. They helped me gain a set of skills that I still use to this day, and they will continue to provide these skills to children of the next generation.

Clash of Clans Base

How The Battle Royale Gaming Experience Created a New Social Environment During the COVID-19 Pandemic

In the midst of my senior year of high school, the world shut down. As I recall, NBA star Rudy Gobert started the domino effect that lead to the COVID-19 national shutdowns. Quickly, my high school years came to an end (although I am not complaining). Like many people around the world, my friends and I suddenly had a LOT of free time on our hands. Being stuck indoors, there weren’t a lot of things for us to do together besides play video games. Not just any video games though, battle royale video games. More specifically, Fortnite and Call of Duty Warzone.

For those who haven’t played these games, the basic premise is simple: you and a large group of other players are dropped onto a map and must fight to be the last person or team standing. Along the way, you can scavenge for weapons and supplies, build structures, and strategize with your teammates. It’s a fast-paced, adrenaline-fueled experience that can be both thrilling and frustrating.

One of the things I love about these games is the sheer variety of experiences you can have. Sometimes, you’ll drop into a match and be immediately taken out by another player before you even have a chance to loot a single weapon. Other times, you’ll find yourself in a heated battle with multiple players, each one trying to outsmart the others. And then there are those rare moments where you’ll make it to the final circle, heart racing as you try to outlast the remaining players and secure the victory.

Even with the variety of good experiences, there’s nothing quite as frustrating as spending 20 minutes looting and scavenging, only to be taken out by a camper hiding in a corner. Or worse yet, being killed by a player who seems to have an unfair advantage, whether it’s due to hacks or simply being better than you.

Fortnite Gameplay Shot

But despite the frustrations, my friends and I kept coming back to these games. There’s something addictive about the rush of adrenaline you get when you’re in the thick of battle with your friends, knowing that your survival depends on your skills and a bit of luck. But there was more than just the adrenaline that made it fun.

What made playing these games with my friends so fun wasn’t necessarily the games themselves but the new social environment that was cultivated through gaming during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since we were all stuck at home, gaming was one of the few ways we could really connect with each other. What once was lunchtime banter soon turned into roast sessions over the mic on Play Station party. And battle royale games, like Fortnite, required constant communication between you and your friends to win. So naturally, my friends and I would talk and game for hours and consistently look forward to doing it all again the next day.

Because of the pandemic, battle royale games inadvertently became a new form of interactive social media. Everyone was always online playing. Even when my friends weren’t on, I would join a random squad in Warzone or Fortnite, only to end up chatting and joking with new people for hours. The games were just a new medium for social interaction with friends and random people from around the world.

Call of Duty Warzone Gamplay Shot

Since then, the new battle royale video games have not had the same pull as they once did. People are always complaining how they miss the old Warzone and Fornite and how they feel like the new battle royale games lack the “fun” and “thrilling” aspect of the old games. Personally, I think people miss the social interaction these battle royale games once had during the pandemic. Not the content.

With life back in motion, people don’t have the time to play games as frequently as they did during the pandemic. As well, people are back out socializing in person! So it makes sense why the thrilling interactive aspect of these battle royale games have died down quiet a bit.

While at times I miss the gaming and social culture of battle royale games during the pandemic, I certainly do not miss the pandemic itself.

-Diego