Have Video Games ever helped you in real life/taught you anything?

[retrolinkx]

For me, playing games like Pokémon helped me to read, especially when I was young. I'd usually ask my mother if I didn't understand a word and that helped. I still remember asking her what "Crisis" meant after you help the head of Devon Corporation has to run since he has a "Crisis" on his hands. In a similar manner, playing games in general helped to improve my vocabulary at a young age for better or for worse.

Of course, random tidbits of information as well. Such as Albion being one of the oldest names for Great Britain thanks to Fable, even though they will be no use but weapon names/attachments/magazine's/ammo and other assortment of weapons.

Also, according to Fox, I can imitate an American accent very well, mostly due to playing with Americans throughout my teenage years on Xbox Live. So that's always something.

How about you guys, or have Video Games just been a massive time sink for you?

[Prince Ricard]

Off the top of my head, I can't think of any times where videogames taught me anything quite so literally as in your Pokemon example. If anything, I'd say that playing a lot of RPGs has helped me practice my mathematics, but I'm already really good at math and I just find that aspect fun more than anything else. However, I'd say that some games have helped me on more personal levels -- helping me to understand myself and the world around me, just as any media with a good story is capable of doing. One example would be the Persona series -- these games practically revolve around the idea of one's "true self," and I've found that they help to pose personal questions that have made me reflect on who I am. They also usually contain stories (even if just through the minor subplots) that I've been able to relate to the real events in my life, and it's kind of helpful to see that kind of stuff play out in fiction, yknow? Of course, there's lots of games I could say similar things about -- what I'm really just trying to say here is that the stories of some games can make you reflect and really think sometimes, which I think is definitely a good thing.

[BlackLuigi7]

Just like with you, pokemon helped me learn to read and do basic math. It also helped me learn how to properly cope with things, too, in a roundabout way.

Arma and other sim shooters taught me the basics of using weapons and first aid, too. And video games as a whole teach people some abstract concepts and mechanics.

[Dr. Roivas]

no.

[Chaos the Light Chao]

Wind Waker helped me learn to read, then games like Pokémon cemented the ability.

I've learned more about stress' effect on the psyche and how we cope with it from playing League than I ever learned in Psychology, granted it was only given a chapter in the book.

I guess the more difficult games proved that you can climb even impossible looking mountains if you ~persevere~. It's a very common theme in just about every media, but there's knowing something, and then there's believing it.

Then there's the games' themes, of course, but that just comes with storytelling.

[BlackLuigi7]

no.

Praise the Sun?

[Dr. Roivas]

tru

[Jeffery Mewtamer]

Hard to give any concrete examples of playing games helping me in real-life, but I do like to think that games like Pokemon helped trigger my love of reading, that puzzle games help improve pattern recognition skills and quick thinking, and other such generalities. Also, I doubt I would've gone into Computer Science if I hadn't spent most of my life playing video games.

[XiconDestoroyah]

Definitely Phoenix Wright for me. Evidence is the key!

[Lamby]

i mean i've been playing games as early as 1996 but i didn't really take it as more than a sophisticated toy until i was about 12 or 13, then i kinda stopped caring from like age 15 to 18 (I thought gamer culture was like insufferable and whiny so i followed the industry but avoided the gaming community) and didn't really pick it back up until spring 2011 at 19 after an emergency surgery and obviously had to like literally play everything from 2007 to 2011. it's been an actual hobby since

but no i'm a literature and music girl so i learned to read around age 3, 4 before kindergarten and before even seeing a video game because my parents stressed reading, and my real dad's horror punk obsession also umm marilyn manson, it was the era ok. and everything else i learned kinda on my own

i guess you could make the argument it's an escape from my depression and mood disorders and disability though

[Pumpkinium]

the first 2 games ive ever played were sonic the hedgehog 2 for the gamegear and sa2b on gc. i want to say theyve given me a lot of ability to have patience but sometimes when i think about it im not patient all the time, but sometimes i am? its weird. im not really sure what video games taught me because i have terrible memory, i just know theres some games i grew up with that are near and dear to my heart. i suppose the vocabulary/math is always a part of it.

although,
i think sonic games gave me the inherent desire to be running everywhere all the time.

[Tsui]

Video games develop hand-eye coordination and make children into better human beings.

[taco chao]

Pokemon really helped my reading skills as a child, then all the EV/IV/Nature/Egg Moves nonsense taught me a lot about planning things out later.

On a less serious note, playing games online while other people in the house were sleeping taught me a lot about keeping my anger back, may have made me a bit of a calmer person.

[EvilPinkamina]

Video games have done a lot for me. When I was learning to read, I played a lot of Pokemon. This helped me learn a lot of words and helped with pattern recognition later on (like noticing the professors were all named after trees). Currently, I'm learning how to be responsible and helping me become more social because I own and moderate multiple discord servers for smash 4 (though that's not directly video game related, it spawned from video games so it counts i think). I'm also finally being taught how to study, since melee is deep af and I gotta learn, grind, and memorize this **** in order to be at a competitive level (thank video games for my competitive spirit). Multiple video games are also helping me get motivated to improve myself.

Overall, video games are p good, even if they do spawn **** talkers and ragers.

[Gaon]

I learned english from playing pokemon, it sucks that from 6th gen onwards the games let you play the game in Spanish/Other languages it killed the original purpose the english versions of games released around latinamerica and most of the people I see playing play in Spanish and the translations of moves and words are strange for me since the game is translated terms from Spain and its completely different to what's used in Mexico.

Persona 3 and 4 helped me on not being an antisocial guy and speak english more fluently.

[strawberry-boyfriend]

Mass effect taught me them good dick down city moves

[moonsoul]

My video game experiences constantly help me with trivia. You'd be surprised what little tidbits become relevant while watching shows like Jeopardy.

[retrolinkx]

Video Games has also helped me to make some great friends online and offline. So I can always give them that as well.

[Ivogoji]

Not the games themselves, but Sonic fanfiction convinced me I wanted to be a writer.