Everywhere you look, you see people blaming video games for all sorts of problems: the short attention span of kids, violence, lack of people skills – the list goes on and on! At CodeREV we believe it’s not about the video games – it’s about how they’re used! When kids play games in moderation they can actually have tons of benefits.

One of the biggest surprises for many parents is that video games can actually help your child’s brain development. They have to search, plan, negotiate, and try different approaches to beat each game. Some role-playing type games require players to customize their characters in a way that allows for self-expression. Virtually all games require kids to learn and respect game rules and structures.

Some games can also encourage kids to become interested in history and other cultures. Popular games like Civilization, Age of Empires, and Age of Mythology can all get kids interested in world history, along with international relations, geography, and even ancient cultures.

While parents may see video games as a way for kids to isolate, the reality is that many kids see it as a social activity. Playing popular video games gives kids a common ground they can use to make friends, hang out, and have structured time with their new friends. Research shows that games are one of the most frequent topics of conversations among peers.

If you want your kids to get interested in sports, starting them off with video games may just be the gateway you’re looking for. Research focus groups have shown that some kids get interested in sports via video games and then take up the interest outdoors. Those who are already passionate about sports can learn new basketball moves or discover new strategies for the favorite sports.

As the parent of a kid who loves video games, you may also be heartened to know that playing games is the first step toward an incredible future in the IT industry. If your kid can’t get enough of their favorite games, an afterschool online class may be the perfect opportunity for them. They’ll learn useful skills that could benefit them for the rest of their lives, and you’ll get the satisfaction that their gaming skills are being put to good use.

According to a report out of Scottsdale, Arizona, it seems as if the spreading of the love of coding is beginning to have a serious impact on children. Fields Moseley of AZ Family addresses this in a recent article titled “6th grade girls spreading their love of computer coding.”

Moseley writes, “The 6th grader at Rancho Solano Preparatory School and her friends love computer coding, so they created a club where they could express themselves. ‘Our club name is the GOCC, which stands for the Girls Only Coding Club,’ said Sophia Trujillo. ‘We have a sticker and everything,’ said Sanya Agarwal with a laugh. ‘It’s GOCC, code like a girl.’ No art, cooking, or dancing, but creativity through code. ‘You can really express how you feel through your coding,’ said Dillard. The three friends are acutely aware their peers are not as comfortable with computers.  So, they make the lessons simple and fun and give away prizes.”

Not just is coding becoming infectious among children, but it’s taking over one of their favorite forms of entertainment, animation. Joe Li of the Daily Pennsylvanian looks at this in a new article titled “Coding usurps art in animation industry.” Li writes, “Mastering painting and drawing is no longer enough to succeed in the animation industry — coding and scripting are essential requirements for a position at a top animation firm. ‘Right now almost all animations are made by computers. Fields such as movies and video games absolutely rely on computer graphics,’ Computer and Information Sciences professor Norman Badler said. Badler is the director of the Center for Digital Visualization as well as a digital media design major in Engineering. Badler pointed out that many students in the major who work in the animation industry usually end up becoming ‘technical directors,’ who develop and improve software applications for the firms to help with animation production. ‘There are typically two paths that you can go with computer animation. One is the traditional route of learning fine arts and work as animators, but we are in a technology heavy environment, so we go more with the other path, which is [to] do programming for animation firms,’ Badler said.”

Clearly, coding is becoming more essential to our lives as each day passes by. That’s why children need the informative yet fun coding education provided by CodeRev Kids. We offer a variety of after school programs and summer and spring camps that allow kids to develop apps, video games, robots, and more.

Consider this: By 2020, 1 million computing jobs will go unfilled in the United States due to a lack of appropriate preparation of our future workforce. Students are currently graduating from excellent universities without the ability to obtain positions that utilize their expertise, yet someone who graduates from college with a computer science degree is very likely to obtain a desirable and high earning position immediately. Those who possess these highly valued technology skills will have the opportunity to work in any field they want as they depart college because every field will certainly contain positions that require expertise in technology.

If you’re looking to get your child ahead of the curve in the evermore technological world, look no further than CodeRev Kids!