Hi, me again. I’ve taken over Shelly’s blog to finally talk about something that really matters, gaming, and why it’s not only something that should be tolerated… It should actually be encouraged. I would even go as far as saying that gaming (in moderation of course) has helped me be a better father and husband. I know, I know… this sounds like propaganda. I can literally see Shelly rolling her eyes as she reads this. Okay, I know you don’t believe me yet, but you will in a few minutes. I heard that you guys like lists, so here are 5 reasons why you should encourage gaming, and even get started yourself.

Gaming can recharge and revitalise you.Â
It all starts with personality types, specifically being introverted, or extroverted. I’m not referring to how easily you can chat with people or how outgoing you are. That doesn’t actually have too much to do with extroversion, it’s much simpler than that. Extroverts get energised when they spend time with other people, introverts get energised when they spend time alone.
I’m an extreme introvert, but I can be talkative in the right circumstances. The problem is that my energy levels start to drop as soon as I’m around people. When I feel drained, I crawl into a shell (yes, I did have to throw in a Shelly pun). I don’t feel like talking or being around people, I get snappy and irritable, I’m not the father and husband I should be. Gaming allows me to recharge my batteries. It allows me to shift my focus outwards and spend time with my extroverted wife and play with my daughter.
The best thing about gaming is that it can recharge you whether you’re an introvert or an extrovert. Introverts get to do something that allows them to spend time alone. Extroverts get to link up with their friends and feel like someone is sitting right next to them, when they’re halfway around the world. That’s an absolute must in our new world of self-isolation and lockdowns.Â
Recently a game developer passed away, so they created a digital version of him and had a funeral procession in-game. And can you believe that millions of people signed on and formed a virtual guard of honour! How’s that for community.Â
Gaming allows you to escape
So, this one is a bit of a double-edged sword, and why moderation is so important. You can disappear into another world where everything else disappears and it’s important to be able to escape sometimes. When I fire up the PlayStation, the bad day I had at work, the person that cut me off in traffic, all that disappears. When I come back, I’m not complaining and taking out my bad mood on my family. Instead, I’m talking about how beautiful the ending of NieR Automata was.
Gaming helped that little kid who was always alone and felt invisible, to feel like a hero and save a princess… Even though the princess he was looking for was in another castle. It helped the kid who was bullied feel as strong as a kung fu master. And those few hours in another world made this one just a little more bearable.Â
It can actually be affordable
Yes, I agree that gaming can be an expensive hobby. The PS5 is $400, a gaming computer is more than $2000, and we’re not even talking about the games. However, you get 50 hours out of a game, and only 2 hours from a movie. Then you’ll tell me that you have Netflix, but now we also have those for gaming. And some even work directly from your TV! Better yet, don’t pay anything. I found plays.org recently and not only was I hit in the nostalgia (yes, that’s a thing) when I found games I used to play as a kid but there were no ads or registration. I literally opened the site, clicked on a game, and started playing. And I spent more time than I would ever publicly admit landing planes on Flight Sim and serving customers in Open Restaurant.
It can strengthen your relationship
My brother is two years younger than me, we fought a lot when we were younger, and our fights always ended the same way. One of us would start gaming, the other would eventually pick up the other controller and join. 20 minutes later and it was if there had never been a fight. Gaming expands the things we’re able to do together. We can laugh at each other when we get a fright playing a horror game. We also have to communicate and strategise when playing co-op games like tank wars or Overcooked.Â
I don’t think I need to explain how good it feels when your partner goes out of their way to show an interest in the things that you like. When Shelly started making an effort to take an interest in something that I liked and looked for a way for us to spend more time together gaming I found myself subconsciously doing the same with her. This is how, even after 53 seasons, we’re still watching Grey’s Anatomy.
Gaming is something that you can get lost in, but we can get lost together. The best adventures, the most memorable stories and the funniest inside jokes come from the things we can do together.
It can actually help you with things outside of gaming
Gaming can be incredibly powerful when used correctly. You see, some of the things from a game are really helpful in the real world. Games can teach you how to play an instrument, I learnt the basics of playing drums from Band Hero. I burnt 350 calories in 20 minutes in Beat Saber without feeling like I was exercising.
I was surprised when I won my races when we went go-karting as a team-building event, even though I hadn’t done it before, all because it felt similar to my game. My soccer coach put me and a friend playing together because we actually carried over to the field the way we played FIFA together.
I’m not saying that I can join a SWAT team because of Call of Duty, but if Zombies were to invade I know exactly how to set up my plants. Ok, seriously though, I think we all knew this to some extent. We know that surgeons that are gamers make fewer mistakes and have more accuracy, you can train your brain, and VR games have helped people overcome PTSD.Â
Let’s sum it up
I always say to Shells that I don’t believe people can overreact. We just can’t see everything that they’re reacting to – everything that built up to that point. The same applies to gaming. On the surface, it may look like a waste of time, a hobby that doesn’t have any benefit, but it goes so much deeper than that. Gaming is something that’s deeply rooted and really important to us, and we want nothing more than to be able to share that with you.
More by Nuno DS:
Gaming is great! It gave me something to bond with my siblings over as well. I’ve been wanting to plan Beat Saber for some time, but can’t bring myself to get virtual reality for one game.
I’m not much of a gamer unless it’s specific games and I’d say Beat Saber is worth the VR set 😅 especially since it gives one hell of a workout!
It looks so fun too 😃
i am a terrible gamer, but love to try to make my grandies happy
Awww that’s so sweet of you! They must love you so much!
Nice
Not a gamer, but I definitely remember it was my son’s favorite thing to do when he was a kid. He was a multi task gamer as I used to read novels to him at the same time he was playing.🤣 By the way, he’s 28 now and still loves gaming and reads a lot too. He’s got a master’s degree and a good job. Gaming did not turn him into a couch potato. I think the bottom line is anything in moderation is okay as long as it doesn’t affect one’s important relationships.
Your son sounds like my husband … except mine is older and has lots more responsibility but still finds a way to incorporate gaming into his DNA. Definitely does less harm than partying or doing drugs 😅
Fun post! The idea about nobody being able to over react was very insightful too. Thank you!
Thanks for reading! 😊
I’m not much of a gamer but my daughter swears she wouldn’t have survived the pandemic without her Twitch stream. She has made friends from around the world and it has been a lifeline for her.
Hahah your daughter sounds so adorable! At least she found a way to make the pandemic more bearable!
Thanks. She actually made a short documentary about her experience as a college project last year. If you have 5 minutes to spare, have a look. https://youtu.be/A1IMoyox8_c
I love gaming – but I only tend to play long-form playstation games – I will become immersed in them for a while and then not play again for months. I think it’s one of those things that are good if you can limit how much you play – otherwise it can become super addictive.
Wow don’t you get bored? I can’t imagine playing anything with a long storyline 😅
No way. The bigger games are extraordinary. It’s like being in a movie with optional storylines and entire worlds to explore. Of course I have limit how much I play otherwise it can get out of hand.
Not really a gamer unless occasionally playing Tetris on my phone counts but interesting post! I think gaming can be great for people who are into it.
We’re a gaming family, too! My husband and son are the main gamers, but I definitely have a few favorites that I love to play. We will even play games all together, including Isbe, as a way to spend some family time together.
Oh wow that’s amazing! I’m so glad you guys found a way to bond while still doing something you each like 😊
I love this! There are lots of positives to gaming. I used to stay up late on a school night gaming with my brother – which might sound like an irresponsible thing, but we were both going through a really tough time with various things and gaming with him is actually one of my favourite memories of that period. It gave us somewhere else to go for a bit, where we could build empires or fight off bad guys (or even ‘be’ the bad guys, if we wanted) and not have to worry about real life for a little while.
I keep thinking I should get back into gaming and you’ve persuaded me! I’m a fellow introvert and it’s really helpful to have a way to unwind from a day at work. I just went and found a really old game I used to play when I was about 11 or 12 (Lemmings!) Thanks for a great article 🙂