Video games are often labelled as just another hobby, but often, they can be much, much more.
Our games writer Keith Stuart spoke in depth about the positive influence Minecraft has had on his son, who was diagnosed with autism. For him, its creator Markus “Notch” Persson helped give his son a voice:
But most important was the way in which, after talking to each other while playing, they came to talk to us. Zac never really tells us much about what he does at school; his short-term memory isn’t great and a lot of it doesn’t seem to filter through. Or perhaps he doesn’t want us to worry. We know he doesn’t play with other children at break times or lunch, he sits by himself – the other kids grew tired of the fact that he couldn’t deal with team games. But he talks to us about Minecraft. He talks and talks. We were getting bored of it, to be brutally honest, but then my wife read an article that said if you listen to your children when they’re young, they’ll tell you more when they’re older. It’s sort of an investment of care. So we always listen, even though we don’t really get what the ender dragon is, or why it matters.
With so many playing video games today, there are bound to be more stories out there: and we’d like to hear them. How was video gaming changed your life? Have games improved it in some way? Or perhaps they’ve introduced you to a new community?
Let us know via GuardianWitness and we may feature the best on theguardian.com.
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