1. Many people believe that gaming is violent, and brings out the worst in people/kids.

The majority of the games that are violent, do not make the player violent. They do make them more irritable at times, but the so-called “violent” games help distract the children from the pain they may be feeling. It is able to put them into another reality for a brief amount of time so they can get their mind on something else. It helps many children with their anxieties and if they are in the hospital having a procedure done, it helps them think it was shorter than it really was.

It also helps kids with dyslexia, because it helps strengthen the brain pathways that process visual information. Researchers have noticed that “active” game-playing kids made great reading progress than in traditional dyslexia therapy, in which the results were long-lasting.

2. The friends you meet online, aren’t your “real friends."

This one alone irks me, and is why it’s so high up on my list of why gaming/MMOs aren’t bad. I’ve met many people through gaming, or just the internet in general discussing our mutual interests. I have remained friends with people I’ve met through the internet, and my first boyfriend I had I met through World of Warcraft, an MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-playing Game). The guild I was apart of on that game is something I still consider to be apart of, and I’m friends with many of the people who I played with on Facebook.

I had a few of there numbers when we all played together, and I would text them when I could. I considered them close friends, and I knew they felt the same way. Online friends are the best kind of friends I have ever had, because they will literally let you sit there and rant on and on about your personal life. The best part? They don’t know who you’re talking about! So, you rarely ever have to worry about that stupid drama between friends.

3. The games help improve your eyesight.

No, really, it does! One study found that healthy gamers who played games for long hours over a month helped improve their ability to distinguish the symbols on an eye chart more easily. Playing FPS (First-Person Shooter) games helped players pay attention to action from all sides, forcing them to retrain their range of vision. After 40 hours of playing, the researchers said patients improved their ability to sense the motion and to see detail in low-contrast settings. The players were able to read an additional one to 1.5 lines on the optometrist’s eye chart more than before.

4. It keeps you sharp.

There have been many studies on this certain subject, saying that the gamer’s reflexes have been more responsive after playing for a few hours everyday. There have also been studies on how surgeons and surgical residents who have gaming in their pastime, performed faster and made significantly fewer errors than the ones who never played video games. The study shoes that gaming helps improve fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, depth perception, and computer competency.

5. Helps cognitive development.

Cognitive development is the thought process, which includes memory, problem solving, and decision making. The part in which video games comes in to play is that it keeps your mind active. It helps your memory because you never really come to a halt in your thought process. The older generation uses gaming as a way to re-teach themselves how to multitask, since that is a skill that is often lost in age. They often find it too stressful to drive or have trouble when in loud areas. It helps you process information easier, you retain your knowledge, the ability of reasoning, and the language development. It especially helps senior citizens, keeping their brain active and able so they can continue through their days at a better rate than usual.

6. If you like reading, gaming is just another form of book.

I’m an avid gamer and reader, and I feel the same wonder and amazement reading a book as I do when I play a good game with an awesome plot. I’ve played World of Warcraft on and off for years, along with Star Wars: The Old Republic, The Guild, RuneScape, League of Legends and many others. There are so many games out there that I could play for hours and never get tired of re-playing it after I’ve already beaten it. It’s like re-reading a book that you’ve read so many times, that you don’t even need to read the full paragraph. I especially love the RPGs of the world, because who doesn’t like creating their own stories?

Tying this up with the meeting new friends who love the game just as much as you do, makes it five times better. Just how going to a book club with your fellow peers who absolutely loved this week’s book. It’s just something that people can bond over, just like sport teams. We can get together and have hour long chats about last night’s raid where we finally downed the Lich King and someone even got Invincible’s Reins.