We often hear about the negative effects of video games. These are talks largely related to false beliefs that, day by day, experts in the field are dismantling one by one. However, there are studies on the actual benefits of playing video games that have nothing to do with alleged ludopathy. Let’s go find ten of them!
Video games increase hand-eye coordination
Playing video games increases hand-eye coordination and the speed with which tasks are performed. In fact, a study of surgeons showed that those who played video games were faster and more skilled than their colleagues.
Not only that, but some video games have been adopted to regain use of the hand and wrist after injuries and strokes.
They improve orientation
In many video games, especially with the rise of open-world ones, one of the primary goals is to explore all the world available to the player. Knowing how to orient oneself in video games also enhances the ability to do so in real life. Visuospatial skills, therefore, increase in parallel between digital and real.
Playing will improve your ability to answer problems and logical questions
Many video games incorporate challenges that require real-life thinking skills, such as logic problems. That can go even further to cover social skills and abilities like lying – think about video poker or blackjack. These games are powerful ways to hone your skills, even if you’ve never set foot in an actual casino. Logic puzzles, thinking challenges, and bluffing skills – the world of video games is full of them. These activities have been found to develop more connections in the areas of the brain devoted to problem-solving. Who knew a round of poker could be good for your mind?
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You get the opportunity to learn new skills
As the video game market has developed, game designers have applied more and more useful lessons to real life through careful research. Examples are the historical recreations found in the Assassin’s Creed saga or Sid Meier’s Civilization.
We also see this in something called applied games – video games whose primary purpose is to teach the player something. One example among many is the recent Behind the Light, a video game about the life of Luca Comerio, made by IDRA Interactive Studios.
Video games improve teamwork and make people sociable
So many video games offer multiplayer modes in which one can challenge or collaborate with others. This social aspect, as some studies show, leads child gamers to have better social skills and to be able to forge better relationships with other students. Ever wondered if your weekly poker night is good for your “social meter”? It is!
This concept of multiplayer mode gave rise to e-sports, in which teams of real athletes come together to excel in tournaments. In addition, research has shown how people who have played video games together work better as a team. Plus, there’s the option to do things like selling skins on the digital market and joining forums for your favorite games, potentially creating new bonds with other players.
Digitally exercising is more fun
Many people think that video games and sports are polar opposites. Nothing could be more wrong: several titles, in fact, spur the player to exercise. One example is Niantic’s Pokémon GO, in which in order to catch pocket monsters, the player is required to move around the city. Other more hands-on examples are Wii Fit and Ring Fit Adventure, where exercises such as push-ups or squats are required to proceed.
Video games are a useful tool for fighting disease
Many people claim that video games induce depression and isolation, but it has been shown that there is actually a close correlation between gaming and good mental health. SPARX is a video game created by a group of researchers to help fight depression, and from studies, it has had a good response. Another example is Re-Mission, which has been shown to help people cope with cancer treatment.
You can keep your brain active by playing
A study conducted by the University of Iowa has shown that video games keep the brain active and help combat the traits of senility. In fact, video games train the mind and help people think outside the box, even with just a few hours of gaming per week. Whether you’re making your brain focus on a challenge like blackjack or poker, or going for more traditional video games, you’re doing those synapses a favor.
Video games train people to receive stimuli and sensory data, interpret them, and make decisions about them. This was demonstrated in a University of Rochester study that compared action-seeking players with more strategic ones. With peripheral images appearing and disappearing in action games, gamers are able to translate stimuli into decisions accurately and quickly.
Video games bring people together
In addition to creating moments of sharing and places to make friends, for example in MMORPGs, video games can help people stick together through difficulties. One example is That Dragon, Cancer by Numinous Game, in which the player is put in the role of a parent helping his or her child fight cancer. Being autobiographically based, the interactive work has helped people who have gone through similar experiences to connect and support each other.
Conclusion
Video games have these and many other beneficial effects on people. Certainly, playing too much can be bad for you, just like overdoing sports, reading, or watching television can be. People often point to video games as the cause of all digital ills, yet the roots lie elsewhere. The hikikomori or NEET phenomenon, although it finds an outlet in video gaming, can be blamed on the strong constraints that society imposes on young people, who are increasingly lost in a world that is no longer their size. So, if you enjoy playing video games, keep doing it, but of course, keep it in balance with other activities!
