It is popular today for the media to report on the negative aspects of online gaming. Too often the focus is put either on children spending too much time in front of screens or the problems that can arise from adults taking part in online gambling.
Instead, they should be focusing on the positives to come from online games. There are many benefits both to the individual and to society as a whole from gaming online. Two such benefits are the environmentally friendly action of moving games online and also the vast range of educational games (which can also teach about ecology) that are available to our children.
When we think of online gaming, we tend to think of the kind of games and attitudes the media portrays. For example many associate the term online gaming with things like World of Warcraft or playing violent games against friends and strangers.
However online gaming contributes to far more than just an outlet for unwashed teenagers holed up in their bedrooms every night. There are screeds and screeds of games for adults and children alike which provide the opportunity to learn, improve IQ and concentration levels, and help change attitudes for the better.
For instance, many schools use educational games in all aspects of teaching to help kids learn about anything from history to the environment. There are also loads of educational games for pre-schoolers too, based on the fact that more and more young kids now have access to computers and tablets from a young age. Through their simple yet informative games, TV favourites like Peppa Pig and Dora the Explorer can teach your kids everything from how to grow flowers to speaking basic Spanish!
This obviously has a great impact both on the individual and society as a whole. These games can help individual children realise their potential from a young age, and can help create some of the highest contributors of our future society. The games also have the potential to shape children’s attitudes towards ecology and the environment, ensuring they learn good habits from a young age and practice them well into adulthood.
As well as having the potential of turning your children into brainiacs, online games can also provide harmless fun and hours of entertainment, whilst still being environmentally conscious. Even if you’re not a fan of new-fangled games or online gambling, you’ll be sure to find a whole host of your own favourite childhood games now available to play online.
Traditional board games like Scrabble and Monopoly can now be played on hundreds of different websites across the globe. And the beauty of the internet is that you can still play alongside others, be they best friends or strangers – just without sitting cross-legged on the floor beside them.
This can be said of most childhood favourite games, with perhaps the exception of Twister. With the rise of smartphone devices and tablets, and growing widespread WiFi access, playing these games on the go is now easier. You no longer have to lug board game boxes to your friend’s house, as you can simply play on their computer or on your own portable device.
This not only makes life inherently more convenient, but it also does wonders for the environment. We are no longer cutting down as many trees to make these board games, let alone in games like Yahtzee which also use a lot of paper in recording scores and points.
Another gaming sector which has proved to be intrinsically more environmentally friendly is bingo. The game which is most popularly known for taking place in large halls has now been widely adopted online. The great thing about online bingo is that it remains a highly sociable game, playing against others, competing in links games, having chat areas and side games, whilst still proving a more environmentally friendly alternative to playing in bingo halls.
Just think of all the paper that is saved by having digital bingo tickets as opposed to all the printed ones in bingo halls – and that’s just for starters!
In addition to this, there are other environmentally friendly positives to online bingo. For the most part, playing online involves using online payment methods which are also less wasteful or damaging to the environment. For instance using cash to pay for bingo in halls, or paper vouchers from Ukash or Paysafecard can be seen as a waste of paper.
Paying by online methods like Neteller and Paypal can be much more friendly. There are plenty of sites which encourage Paypal bingo, not only as an environmentally friendly way to play, but also as a secure method which protects your own personal details. There’s even a whole website dedicated to providing you with information about these sites. See paypal-bingo.org for more information.
So in conclusion, it is clear to see that games – and in particular online games – still have a bit of a reputation for being wasteful of time and encouraging bad behaviours among adults and children alike. Yet there are glaring positives which are not highlighted nearly enough. There are loads of ways which online gaming contributes to our ecology, creating a more environmentally friendly and environmentally conscious society, by educating people through gameplay and also improving the ways games are provided to people.
There is still a way to go in ensuring that the gaming industry can become more environmentally friendly – there is no doubt that there is a lot more the industry could contribute to our ecology. For the mean time though, the right steps have been taken to get on the road to green gaming.
Hopefully with more articles like this one, the right message and attitude can start to circulate about the gaming world. This can help to highlight the positives and ensure that people understand all the benefits online gaming can bring, and hopefully it can be rewarded and recognised for contributing towards a greener environment too.
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