 

{"id":8127,"date":"2022-08-03T12:55:48","date_gmt":"2022-08-03T17:55:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ablegamers.org\/?p=8127"},"modified":"2023-05-19T10:57:34","modified_gmt":"2023-05-19T15:57:34","slug":"the-benefits-of-playing-video-games-for-people-with-disabilities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ablegamers.org\/the-benefits-of-playing-video-games-for-people-with-disabilities\/","title":{"rendered":"The Benefits of Playing Video Games for People With Disabilities"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><b>The Benefits of Playing Video Games for People With Disabilities<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Video games can be a divisive topic, particularly between parents and children. Parents often view video games as a waste of time and think that no good can come from them. On the other hand, gaming can be a big part of a child\u2019s life and one of their favorite hobbies. But video games aren\u2019t just for kids, and they aren\u2019t a waste of time either.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In fact, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.statista.com\/topics\/1680\/gaming\/#dossierKeyfigures\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">38% of gamers in the United States are between the ages of 18 and 34<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, proving that video games are for everyone. But what about the misconception that video games are simply a waste of time? Well, there are actually many <\/span><b>benefits of video games<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for those who play them. We know that video games are not a waste of time as <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.statista.com\/statistics\/1235068\/online-gaming-social-aspects\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">84% of gamers around the world<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> report that video games help them connect with other people that share similar interests. Additionally, video games have proven to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.statista.com\/statistics\/1133150\/positive-experiences-video-gaming\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">help gamers discover new interests<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, learn about interesting topics, and even learn more about themselves.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These benefits are particularly valuable for a certain group of people: people with disabilities (PWD). In this article, we\u2019ll highlight the <\/span><b>benefits of playing video games<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for people with disabilities.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Who Are People With Disabilities?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">People with disabilities are individuals who are disabled in some way. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), <\/span><a style=\"font-family: var(--typography_font_global); font-size: var(--typography_size_html);\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/ncbddd\/disabilityandhealth\/infographic-disability-impacts-all.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">nearly 1 in 4 American adults have a disability<\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014that\u2019s over 60 million people. There are also <\/span><a style=\"font-family: var(--typography_font_global); font-size: var(--typography_size_html);\" href=\"https:\/\/www.census.gov\/library\/stories\/2021\/03\/united-states-childhood-disability-rate-up-in-2019-from-2008.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">over 3 million children under the age of 18<\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that have disabilities. Disabilities can range in type and severity, but the <\/span><a style=\"font-family: var(--typography_font_global); font-size: var(--typography_size_html);\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/media\/releases\/2018\/p0816-disability.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">6 main categories of disabilities<\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> are:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mobility (difficulty with walking, getting around, or moving)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hearing (difficulty with hearing and audio cues)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Vision (difficulty seeing)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cognition (difficulty with things like remembering, making decisions, and concentrating)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Independent living (difficulty performing necessary tasks like running errands)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Self-care (difficulty performing <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/books\/NBK470404\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">activities of daily living<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">People with disabilities often need some sort of assistance in their daily lives. They may have a more difficult time performing certain tasks or activities. While most people would think of assistance as using a wheelchair, having someone else help with certain tasks, or using an alternative form of communication, there are also other things that benefit people with disabilities, including video games. So, what are the benefits of playing video games for people with disabilities?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>How People With Disabilities Benefit From Playing Video Games<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Increased Opportunities To Experience the World<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; Individuals who have disabilities that limit their mobility may not be able to easily explore the world. However, with video games and new technologies, they can experience the world through their screen and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.lonelyplanet.com\/articles\/best-video-games-for-travel-lovers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">explore new places<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. While most places in video games are fictional, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.lifewire.com\/virtual-reality-tourism-4129394\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">virtual reality (VR) has made exploring the real world possible<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, even from your own home.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Improved Mental Well-Being<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; There are also some <\/span><b>health benefits of video games<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, primarily the improvement of mental well-being. Depression and disability are correlated, and the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC5376337\/#:~:text=The%20prevalence%20of%20depression%20in,5%5D%20observed%20in%20normal%20adults.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">prevalence of depression in adults with disabilities is estimated to be between 25% and 41%<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Video games can provide an outlet for people with disabilities to de-stress, allow them to be whoever they want to be, work toward a specific goal, feel a sense of accomplishment, and even help improve their self-esteem.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Help With Learning and Cognitive Skills<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; Additionally, there are <\/span><b>cognitive benefits of playing video games<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which can help people with disabilities, especially when those disabilities affect learning and cognition. Many video games involve critical thinking, reading, writing, decision-making, and more activities that can help PWD learn new things in a fun, easy-to-understand way, improving their cognitive skills through the decisions they make during gameplay.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Improved Fine Motor Skills<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; Another one of <\/span><b>the benefits of video games <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">for people with disabilities is that they can help to improve fine motor skills. Nearly all video games are played using some type of controller and require hand-eye coordination, so playing them can help individuals develop and improve their ability to control and manipulate things. Additionally, research has shown that <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/abs\/pii\/S1440244017304115\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">active video games<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in particular benefit people with disabilities with motor skill development.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Reduced Social Isolation<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; One of the main benefits of playing video games for people with disabilities is that it reduces social isolation. Around <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.statista.com\/statistics\/1082853\/loneliness-and-isolation-by-physical-or-mental-health-condition-us\/#:~:text=Loneliness%20and%20isolation%20in%20the,physical%20or%20mental%20health%20condition&amp;text=In%20the%20United%20States%2C%2040,experiencin\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">40% of individuals with a disability or chronic illness<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> report feelings of loneliness and social isolation. Because of these disabilities and illnesses, many of these individuals have difficulty meeting and connecting with other people. However, playing video games provides them the opportunity to meet new people from all around the world\u2014instantly. This way, they can talk with others, play together and be a part of a team, build friendships, and become part of different communities. The <\/span><b>social benefits of video games<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> are valuable for all gamers, but they are even more impactful for PWD who may struggle to interact with others.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At AbleGamers, our mission is to create opportunities that enable play in order to combat social isolation, foster inclusive communities, and improve the quality of life for people with disabilities. We know that video games can be the perfect gateway to community participation, lifelong friendships, and unforgettable shared experiences. That\u2019s why it\u2019s crucial to ensure these experiences are developed with accessibility as a priority and inclusion as the goal.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>We are working every day to make sure people with disabilities have the same opportunities as everyone else for positive experiences through play. With our nearly two decades as pioneers in inclusive play, thousands of hours working with people with disabilities, leading developers, and engineers, we create opportunities for players to find inclusive places to play and connect with family and friends. Learn more about what we do <a href=\"https:\/\/ablegamers.org\/our-work\/\">here<\/a>, or help continue our crucial work by <a href=\"https:\/\/ablegamers.org\/donate\">making a monetary donation<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/ablegamers.shop\/collections\/all\">purchasing something from our shop<\/a>!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"entry-summary\">\nThe Benefits of Playing Video Games for People With Disabilities Video games can be a divisive topic, particularly between parents and children. Parents often view video games as a waste of time and think that no good can come from&hellip;\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"link-more-container\"><a href=\"https:\/\/ablegamers.org\/the-benefits-of-playing-video-games-for-people-with-disabilities\/\" class=\"link-more\" aria-label=\"Continue reading The Benefits of Playing Video Games for People With Disabilities\">Continue reading&hellip;<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8134,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","inline_featured_image":false,"wp_popup_display_lightbox":0,"wp_popup_suppress":"","wp_popup_trigger":"","wp_popup_trigger_amount":0,"wp_popup_disable_on_mobile":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[44,43,243,172,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8127","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ablegamers-blog","category-ablegamers-news","category-articles","category-news","category-uncategorized","entry","entry-type-post"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ablegamers.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Training-on-use-of-headmouse-scaled.jpg?fit=2050%2C2560&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ablegamers.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8127","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ablegamers.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ablegamers.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ablegamers.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ablegamers.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8127"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/ablegamers.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8127\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9960,"href":"https:\/\/ablegamers.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8127\/revisions\/9960"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ablegamers.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8134"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ablegamers.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8127"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ablegamers.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8127"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ablegamers.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8127"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}