How games can help the world

While I started making games purely for fun, I have since realised that games have so many positive effects on people. From simple indie games to massive open world landscapes, each game teaches you something new in its own way.

In fact, game development has four main ways it impacts the world:

  1. Education - games are an amazing way of teaching players of all ages about key concepts. They also give players the chance to experience complicated ideas they might never encounter in real life. For example, Kerbal Space Program is a game where you launch rockets into space and explore the solar system, teaching everyone who plays it a little bit of real rocket science in a fun way.

  2. Problem solving - almost all games help to develop problem solving skills, allowing you to overcome challenges in an efficient way. A study was done into the effects of games on people's problem solving abilities. The result? Games were found to have beneficial effects on the cognitive functions related to problem solving. This shows that playing games can help strengthen your problem solving abilities.

  3. A way to relax - we live in a world that is more and more riddled with mental health issues and people overworking themselves. Games act as a way to escape from this social pressure people may feel. Furthermore, this safe space can help people build up the confidence they need to make new friends. Despite sometimes being known as a waste of time, research shows that games can even be known to help neurodivergent people to develop social skills and a sense of empathy.

  4. Communities - while the communities vary a lot between games, there are thousands of supportive and close-knit communities around games, and these new connections can help players build up their confidence, improve their teamwork and learn from others. Furthermore, these online spaces can bring a sense of belonging, emotional support and friendship.

From teaching new concepts to providing a safe space to talk, games are an amazing tool for everyone to use, with a far reach and the potential to make a real difference.


Thank you for reading!