There is wide controversy over the world of gaming and how it affects the brain and the user overall. Yes, video games do take time away from being outside or maybe even being a social human being, but is there a positive side to them? Of course! It is proven that playing video games is extremely beneficial to the consumer as it promotes critical thinking, decision making, creativity and vocabulary growth. Next time you contemplate playing a video game or going outside, you might want to pick the video game. Your brain will thank you in the end!
There are millions of different kinds of games available, all having diverse goals. Some games are strategic, some are puzzles and there are creativity games and even time management and simple leisure games. Of course, too much of a good thing can lead to bad, but it is scientifically proven that if an individual plays strategic and decision making video games for a maximum of three hours a day, he/she will be more well suited to excel in adult life. 63% of parents believe video games are a positive experience in their kid’s life. The strengths and weaknesses of the gamer generation will have a huge effect on society as this population includes over 90 million and growing gamers.
Some games include multi player mode which allows for players to team up and work together towards the same ultimate goal. These games promote teamwork and group decision making and also allow for communication skills to be used while working together to solve the game. Video games allow for consumers to be creative in their thinking as they try to think of new ideas, plans of action and pursuit of their thoughts as well. Some games even allow for verbal communication with other players through headsets which provides a personal and very real game experience.
Search and find games have recently been proven to be as successful at learning vocabulary as reading a book, maybe even more so. In this type of game play, the user is given a list of words she must locate and identify, then the word is taken away and a new word replaces it. In this case, if the individual does not know what a word is he/she may get help with finding the object and as a result, she is learning the word. When reading a book, 90% of readers will not stop to look a word up. However, when playing a video game, where the goal that is to locate the items, it is more likely to look up the word, and a 43% increase of vocabulary is achieved as a result of these games.
Drawing games and working out stimulation games also provide creativity and growth of the brain. Drawing and artistic games allow for the player to create her own art from her head, which is easier and less messy than painting an actual picture. Exercise games such as the Wii and Kinnect allow for the gamer to actually get up and move! The exercise provides excess oxygen to the brain and allows for more activity and learning to be achieved. An individual gamer burns as much calories playing Just Dance for Wii for 1 hour as they do running 1.5 miles. Why run over playing a video game if you lose the same calories? Interactive exercise games are a great way for families to come together as well without having to even leave the house and are becoming more and more popular every day.
Video games and multimedia learning are to some distracting and destroying our youth, but if you ask science, they have a different answer. Video gaming not only promotes brain growth and creativity, but also allows for interaction of others and involvement as a team player.

Cite: http://www.academiccommons.org/commons/review/learning-from-video-games