Most people see video gamers as people sitting inside all day without lives playing nerdy games. But there's a lot more to the gaming world, and there's something out there for everyone. Whether its a wild-west adventure game such as Red Dead Redemption 2, a sports-based game like FIFA 18, games set in places like ancient Egypt or Greece like Assassin's Creed, a simple block-based open-world game like Minecraft, or an online battle royale game like Fortnite, there is something out there for everyone. And video games aren't just time wasters; they can benefit you too!

One great benefit of playing video games is that they give you experience with failure. No one is good at a video game when they first try it. There is a huge learning curve associated with all video games, and you only get better by playing more and spending time. But as you encounter more and more failure, you become experienced with it. Failure, with experience, is no longer a deterrent; it becomes more of a motivating factor, driving you forward to overcome that failure. I used to become very frustrated with failure. As a child, if I failed somehting on the first try, I used to just abandon it and simply give up. I still have my struggles with failure, as everyone does, but I can say for sure that I am much better at handling it than i was before.

Video games can also help you improve your problem solving skills. Every game requires problem solving and strategy; they are vital components of a gaming experience. In order to be victorious in any game, you need to test your current skills and strategy to outperform your competitors. At first, you will likely fail. But this failure motivates you to reform your current strategies and improve that skill. And with more experience, you start to understand the problems and challenges that may arise and improve your problem solving skills as well. These aspects provide many advantages to other walks of life, especially programming for myself. When handed a difficult coding task, I am able to more effectively break down a problem and look at different approaches to solving it, eventually to test and try different solutions to find what works.

If you feel your memory weakening, video games can be great tool to keeping your mind intact. Gaming requires A LOT of memory. Whether its an important map for strategy in Call of Duty, a secret chest location in Fortnite, the location of the fur trapper in St. Denis in Red Dead Redemption, or just knowledge of the specific mechanics of a game, memory is an important part of every game. Gaming requires you to put effort into remembering details and controls vital to a game, but in an enjoyable way rather than a tedious one. And by involuntarily using your memory during gaming, you are continuously improving it. Personally, memorization has always been somehting that come easy to me, and I think I can attribute a lot of that to my gaming. The amount of information in my brain that exists solely about video games is massive, and being able to store and retrieve that information during gaming has enabled me to strengthen my memory skills.

In addition, video games can keep your mind fresh. Video games are one of the best options out there for entertainment while also keeping your brain very active. When you watch television, you aren't fully engaging in the act; you are simply just sitting on a couch, mindlessly watching along to a show. On the other hand, video games are exceedingly interactive. You are in control of your entertainment and interact directly with the video game instead of simply just watching something, and you brain has to think and make decisions during your gaming session. So in addition to being entertained, you are keeping your brain working and active.

Above all, video games are simply fun. And if you don't enjoy one game, try another. I guarantee there is something out there for everyone, and there are many games with stories that appeal to everyone. If you are looking to relax, there's games for that too. The purpose of all video games at their hearts is for enjoyment.

And at the heart of it, that’s why I play video games. I am a fan of more engaging forms of entertainment. Sure, I like to watch a good movie or put on an episode of the Office, but when I play a video game, the interactive component makes it seem as if I am actually living the movie or TV show. That’s specific aspect of gaming is what makes it so appealing to me and why I prefer it.