Video Games for Life

Healthy Living and Active Video Game Play

Video gaming is becoming an important activity for keeping our population healthy, and for helping all ages from kids to seniors to develop and maintain their mental abilities.

With the introduction of video games, pre-school children are gaining ground in visual thinking, distinguishing shapes, and basic literacy and numeracy.

School aged children are becoming more oriented to problem-solving, and long-term application to reach a goal. Goal-oriented thought patterns help children to understand competition and cooperation.

Links to Healthy Video Gaming Sites

Many reference and links relating to how video games can help for improving health and wellness in our society.

Games for Health

What they Play: Healthy Balance

10 Ways Video Games are Good for Kids

Video Games that Beef up the Brain

Generation Lap: Video games put the young way ahead

Video Games: Key to the Future of Healthcare?

Reasons Video Games for Good for Kids

The following are 10 reasons cited by Andrew Bub on the iVillage parenting website. They are summarized here for your easy reference.

Education - kids learn from games; rules, strategies, etc
Reading - they require reading
Fun and Play - don’t need to elaborate here
Exploration and Observation - can explore new worlds, both real and simulated
Hand/Eye Coordination - quick thinking, fine motor control, spatial relationships
Competition - completing a challenging game, winning at something
Surviving and Winning - developing strategies and survival techniques
Healing - helps calm kids going through tough times, awaiting surgery, etc
Exercise - DDR, Wii, kids don’t even realize they are exercising
Social Development - brings kids together in real space or online, in collaborative challenges

Reference: www.ivillage.com

Case Study: True Gaming

This innovative summer day camp first opened the summer of 2010. In its second year, True Gaming Day Camp is located in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada and was started by student entrepreneur Andrew Reimer.

True Gaming Summer Day Camps are a unique alternative for kids to have a great summer camp experience.

True Gaming offers one-week day camps for 7 - 14 year olds, beginning this summer in Fredericton New Brunswick, promoting a healthy balance of video game play, along with a great combination of creative projects, physical activity and social interaction.