It has been proven that video game with illustrations improves reaction time, critical thinking and creativity of gamers. They can also help you to destress, socialize, and distract yourself from work and other life pressures.
But can games make you a better programmer? Many programmers would certainly hope so since it gives them an excuse to play more. And they might be in luck.
Thinking Strategically
Programming requires you to think strategically. While there are many ways to code an application to make it work, some are more efficient than others. Factors like code maintenance and time constraints also need to be considered.
Thinking strategically gives you the ability to plan ahead and design a system that meets all of your requirements.
Games like chess can help you think more strategically as you’re required to think ahead and anticipate the moves your opponent will make while also planning your own attacking moves.
Poker is another game that requires strategic thinking. It’s enjoyed by people of all backgrounds, from chefs to programmers and from teachers to professional athletes.
A well-known example of the latter is MS Dhoni. The former Indian international cricket player is a regular at the poker table, using his trademark focus to help him stay on track. He also recently became an ambassador for PokerStars, leading the company’s “Are You In?” promotion that lets users play for free.
Success in poker requires rational and logical decisions, which are also requirements for programmers if they’re going to develop bug-free and functional applications effectively.
Learn From Others
Video games need to be created by a programmer (or a team of programmers). Therefore, by playing them, you can examine the way that the game functions and work out how they programmed it.
This is easier to do on older 8-bit and 16-bit games where the logic of the code is more apparent. More modern games are more complicated and are often not designed by programmers, meaning the logic isn’t always as obvious.
If you’re just playing games because they’re fun, then you’re unlikely to get any benefit in this regard. However, if you spend time trying to understand the coding process behind the game, you may glean some benefit.
Additionally, some games have coding requirements built in. For example, Minecraft has its Redstone circuits and Space Engineers has code blocks. These specifically require you to use and develop your coding skills, albeit with a different language.
Improves Concentration and Focus
Getting distracted while we code can make our work sloppy and mean we spend much longer than we need to get it finished.
Games can help us learn to focus as failure to do so in many titles will result in losing. In a first-person shooter, a loss of concentration for even a fraction of a second could see you die, while in a racing game you could end up crashing your car or making a mistake that loses you precious time.
Promotes Team Work
Some games require you to compete against others, while some other games have a co-operative element that requires you to work together. Games like this help you to develop your team working skills, something that is essential to modern programmers.
While in decades gone by, programmers could often work on their own to build a functioning piece of software, most commercial applications today are too big for just one person.
Instead, large teams of programmers each work on individual elements, pooling their work together. Internal stakeholders, project managers, and clients can also have a lot of input on the direction of a project, and it’s important for programmers to be able to work with these people directly.
Helps to Reduce Stress
Programming can be a very stressful job. There are many types of error that can stop your application from working, even the smallest of typos like a single symbol in the wrong place can break hundreds of lines of code. It can also sometimes be difficult to troubleshoot what is wrong.
Therefore, it is often important to find ways to destress. Research has shown that we are much more productive and are able to function better when we’re well-rested and not as stressed.
Playing games that we enjoy can be a great way to reduce stress, allowing us to push the problem out of our mind and come back to it later with a clear mind.
