What is the benefit in changing the contents of a variable further down? Would you not edit the original variable?

The example above has no real difference in whether you edit the original or just change it at a later stage.

You'd still get the same result.

But, then why not always work this way? We need to get used to changing data in our variables.

There is benefit in being able to alter data when we need to. Variables are meant to change in terms of what they contain.

Think of it this way.

At the beginning of a game

var highScore = 0 in your code

But based on certain conditions... Say a player scoring a point , it's good that we can change the content of the variable highScore.

Player scores and causes

highScore = 10

Otherwise we could have no game.