Did Video Games Ever Teach You Anything?

[GennGreymane]

Did you ever actually learn from playing video games? Whether its history, particular topics, philosophy, management, etc?

I can say that Runescape taught me how to type very quickly, business skills (I ran a few forum based businesses when I played, but my friend told me there is an auction house now), time management skills, and stuff like that

Assassins creed 2/Brotherhood def gave me great insight into Italian history and with what I already knew I got solid A+ in my Italian art history class (I got the top grade too muwhahah)

[zealo]

Touch typing skills + English, got pretty much straight A's in language studies because of games without really trying intentionally within that particular subject.

[Sharde]

same here

-typing. from 2 finger to blind 10 finger. mostly due to wow.

-english. from a 5 (fail) to 2 (b) in 1 year. without learning anything really. it was the year i shifted all my new games from german to english exclusively. and the year vampire bloodlines came out which has so much dialogue and slang it was a rough learning curve when your english skills were lacking.

-surrounding awareness. perhaps a bit specific but before wow i was pretty absent in the real world which resulted in many bruised knees, shins and especially toes. but lvling in classic on a pvp server (back in the days where ganking actually happened) made me looking over my shoulder and everything much more closely. even when daydreaming i always know where my body parts are, and also, when i am in the way of others (i cannot see it anymore when someone just stops in the mid of a hallway without stepping to the side. i always check where everyone else is). the hurt toes can be count on one hand in the last 10 years at most.
also works well with driving.

other than that i don't think so. i don't play games placed in reality. the most realistic ones i played is probably max payne. or mass effect. and also no management and group skills as i shun people even in multiplayer most of the time.

[Deleted]

Did you ever actually learn from playing video games?

- Some want playing games to be a burden
- Anonymity creates asshattery
- 'fun' is subjective
- Some have only fun in a game if its exclusive to a few only (see "asshattery")

[Grym]

- some people can be fucking retarded.
- some wants to try their best even when playing games, some just want to mindlessly press a few buttons
- you cannot please everyone
- there is no "everyone is a winner", if you are not a winner material, you lose.
- people will cry about every little details, just because they can
- I fucking hate the human race.

[Mask]

Playing video games taught me how long I can sit still in a chair before my legs start to cramp up.

[Santti]

I have learned a lot by playing video games. Think most important would be major improvements in my English language skills.

Can't be bothered to even begin to list what I've learned. I'd be here all night.

[enragedgorilla]

- Some want playing games to be a burden
- Anonymity creates asshattery
- 'fun' is subjective
- Some have only fun in a game if its exclusive to a few only (see "asshattery")

I will use these as well and put in....(I use lessons learned form chat boards about games I play as well....guess I have learned to take Liberties as well!!

-the He Man woman haters club is very much alive and well.

-Racism,Sexism(ok doubled up on that one) homophobia ...general intolerance is alive and thriving in the game rooms/basements of the world.

-Idealism is fact ..even if it isn't.

-Facts are subjective to who and how they are being used/twisted.

The positives

-Persistence with the added "skill" of seeing 2-3 (maybe more)possible ways to accomplish things.

-Adaptability to fast changing situations

-Focus while still being aware of the surrounding environment

-Typing (I still use 2 fingers but ..I am WAAAAY faster now...accuracy...meh.)

-Being an adult and trying to raid is not easy, it has given me more understanding and tolerance to "adults" in my situation.

-All the games I play are not made for my age "bracket" (wow cod,gta v etc.) and turning voice chats off saves your mind from shrinking and guts from burning.

-Most important for me ...I still love gaming.

[Joathen]

-Spelling and grammar, one of the first games I ever dipped into was Ultima Online and I quickly learned that to a lot of people on the internet how you spell and punctuate is one of the biggest impressions you can give.

-Typing speed! Trying to keep an eye on my health while chugging potions and speeding through hot-keys was a greater incentive to me than a star sticker in middle school Typing 101.

-People are assholes, and the best part is you rarely HAVE to interact with them again, such is the greatness that is the internet! Very quickly grew a thick skin and learned how to use Squelch/Mute/Ignore/Report.

-How to use a computer! I got my first computer, a second hand Compaq Presario in '98, and locked myself in my room for a week trying to get Starcraft to run. My parents were 100% computer illiterate, had never seen one before and had no clue how to even plug it in and turn it on. Started with learning how to set up Win 98 (was a fresh reinstall,), installing programs and about storage space and devices and drivers; all that good shit that piqued my interest and kept me involved in the industry till today.

-Most recently though? I picked up Kerbal Space Program and holy shit am I loving it and all that it teaches. While the numbers used in the physics aren't the same as ours the principles still carry over and I've spent dozens of hours looking up material about rockets and shuttles, or aerodynamics. First real flight simulator I've really put any time into, I think Nexus:The Jupiter Incident is the closest I've come- or the old Space Colony games but those were even Sim-lite if I recall.

[Volitar]

Typing and better spelling/grammar, THANKS GRAMMAR JERKS.

[Jester Joe]

The power of friendship and camaraderie

[Jester Joe]

Fucking liar.

Well, if I said Sardines and Camaraderie, it wouldn't be a lie. I played an entire game where the main character was obsessed with both (Disgaea 4)

[Deleted]

"Slow down, life is to be savored!"

[Faldric]

All my knowledge about mythology comes from the unit descriptions in age of mythology :-)

[A Chozo]

English, mostly. And lots of other stuffs. Even moral lessons!

[anveena]

how to type

[breadisfunny]

they taught me that draenei are evil foul creatures descended from succubi.

[Ciddy]

I won a spelling bee once in...either 5th or 6th grade. I was the only one who properly spelled "orchid" because I'd played Killer Instinct.

[May90]

In general, I think, video games vastly improved my ability to visualize and fantasize. Plus, of course, my reaction time and reflexes. In particular, some video game characters affected my personality in some ways, pretty much like some books and some movies.

[Emek]

Since I'm competitive and I like to accomplish\win\compete, i found myself in leadership positions more often than not, so playing MMO's i feel like dealing with the many different types of personalities and circumstances made me a better more effective leader. Also, playing games like runescape vastly improved my ability to multiply\divide big numbers, like I could always do it, but now at a vastly increased pace