I jut found a cool video on a YouTube channel I'm subscribed to and thought I'd share it here. This video is from the channel Bright Side, which often features fascinating general knowledge. If you like learning new things, you should check it out.

Most of this video doesn't surprise me, but I have a couple of comments I wanted to make about it. I think video games are in part a distraction, a way to reduce stress. However, I find that sometimes video games can be incredibly frustrating. They can also help you concentrate, but I've noticed that they don't always completely occupy my mind. I think this often happens when I'm quite familiar with a game and no longer have to think so much about it. This is when a video game loses it's escape/distraction value.

The video also mentioned research and I have a great example for it! When I was playing CivVI, I did become much more interested in world history and just about everything included in the game such as famous world leaders, great persons, and nations. I most definitely did some research outside of game play on this topic and I found very fascinating. I think that if a game inspires you to learn more about "real life," then that's a huge success! Other than that primary example, I quite often do research on a game I'm playing. Often this is, because I've run into an issue and am looking for a solution. Or, perhaps there's something I don't quite fully understand about the game and I'm seeking help.

So, what are your thoughts? Does any of this surprise you? Game on!