Something to think about, Video Games
17 Reasons Why Video Games Are Good For You
If you have ever been caught in a debate on whether video games are good for you, you are in the right place. Most parents see video games as a bad influence and a distraction to their kids.
Video games are also believed to affect people’s mental and physical health negatively. However, there is no scientific evidence to support this fact. On the other hand, video games have progressive benefits to gamers. Here are the reasons video games are good for you.
1. Video Games Slow Down Aging
According to a study by Frederick. D. Wolinsky, older people were found to have a stabilized or better mental state. Getting old can be useful for some people due to the wisdom and experience that comes with it. Unfortunately, aging comes with its problems that include weak mental health.
Another research conducted at the University of Iowa also supported the theory of improved speed and quality of mental processing capabilities from playing video games. These capabilities could delay the inevitable decline of different cognitive skills.
As such, video games are recommended even for aged individuals to keep their minds sharper. I wrote an in-depth article about seniors and video games here!
2. Video Games Improve Your Social Skills
The most common misconception with video games is that individuals who engage in them are socially awkward. While that may be partly true, it’s also not mostly the case.
According to Linda A. Jackson and her colleagues’ research at Michigan University, kids who engage in video games, are more pro-social and tend to have an increased positive outlook.
Different studies have also concluded that video gamers who participate in live social experiments are the friendliest and most communicative people out there.
3. Video Games Boost Your Learning and Memory Abilities
Video games can enhance one’s brain flexibility, and learning abilities are suitable for children. Certain video games will continuously challenge your brain to think. As a result, you will tend to devise ways to beat a score or a mission. Whether you realize this or not, you gradually turn into a fast-learner with superb memory abilities.
According to research conducted at the University of Iowa and reported in the PLOS One journal, a few adults were asked to engage in a specific video game that involved their memory. After the 10 hours, it was noticed that they could gain three years of cognitive reserve.
Fast-paced games can help us transform into better learners and entertain us in the process.
4. Video Games Are a Pain and Stress Reliever
According to Dr Charles Friedman of the Pain Relief Centers, playing 3D video games improves one’s moods. When playing video games, the brain indulges itself in utilizing senses like touch and vision. In the process, endorphins are released, which are natural mood-boosting hormones. As such, video games lighten the mood and make players to become jovial (Source)
According to The American Pain Society, another benefit of video games is reduced pains in patients recovering from minor or major recovery processes. This is because the patients’ brains are focused on other matters and not the current pain. This makes video games the perfect inducers for the placebo effect.
5. Video Games Boost Physical Activities
Video games induce physical activities, leading to a fit and healthy lifestyle. According to this analysis, active video games can improve physical performance. The Nintendo Wii or Xbox 360 Kinect video games are examples of video games where players have to be physically active. These gamers will strive to be physically active in real life to match expectations when playing.
Teens who engage in sports-related video games are mostly inspired to play the sport in real-life. This means that the more video games young ones play, the greater their chances of embracing a physical lifestyle that will keep them healthy and fit.
Playing motion-control games is just as helpful as walking on a treadmill at a moderate speed. I wrote an article about the best VR games for exercise here.
6. Video Games Also Improve Physical Therapy Engagement.
Getting physical therapy patients to participate in treatment sessions can be challenging. Video games can help patients engage more with their physical therapists and encourage them to participate. The games can make them move around or even make motions with their hands and other body parts which is a form of theraphy.
7. Video Games Unite People
Playing video games with friends and family brings people even closer. The added advantage of creating unity is that kids who play video games with their parents and friends develop better mental health than kids who play independently.
8. Video Games Improve Hand-eye Coordination
Hand-eye coordination is required in different professions currently. Surgery, for example, involves precision and attentiveness. A study conducted at the University of Texas Medical Branch showed that most time people spent playing video games helps them with better body coordination. Video games help to improve hand-to-eye coordination, reflexes, and confidence. For example, playing motor-related video games can positively influence one’s driving skills.
9. Video Games Improve Focus and Attention
Most parents are usually worried that their kids are distracted by video games, even when in class. In another research, the theory that video games help kids become more attentive by elevating perception and cognition was proved to be correct.
This research involved two types of experienced gamers, each conducting several perceptual tasks like pattern discrimination. The result showed that professional gamers end up outshining the less experienced gamer group.
The more experienced a gamer is, the higher their focus level. Playing video games increases several abilities, for example, paying attention.
10. Video Games Help Improve Problem-solving Skills
Playing games with challenging levels can be a stiff challenge. Having to think and devise different strategies to defeat levels continually keeps your mind sharp so that you have an easy time making decisions. If you fail a video game level or mission the first time, rest assured you will be thinking of a different way to beat the challenge. As such, you will employ the same level of problem-solving expertise in real-life situations.
11. Video Games Improve Creativity
Video games are designed to optimize creativity development while retaining entertainment values. This means that besides improving creativity, video gaming is also entertaining and is educational. It spikes interest in history, mostly if the game story is based on ancient settings.
According to Michigan State University’s research, indulging kids in video games increased their creativity, for instance, in writing stories and drawing pictures. In the same study, video games’ creative benefits were greater than using the internet, cell phones, and computers. Video games seemed much better since they exercised the brain more.
12. Video Games Stimulates Growth of New Neurons
Grey matter is a sign of intelligence in the brain. Studies have been conducted to support the theory that engaging the brain in new, exciting, and challenging ideas, for instance, video gaming, can increase grey matter in one’s brains. The long-term benefit of neurogenesis is an increased mental capacity and more cognitive abilities.
13. Video Games Make People More Patience and Persevering
Generally, a video game is a challenging set up that most gamers don’t want to give up on. You will want to fight over again to beat the system. This teaches you tenacity and makes you relentless in your daily quests and activities.
If you have played Counterstrike or GTA, you can surely relate to this. Video games with vast open worlds help you navigate better. Gamers get to explore landscapes on the scale of up to thousands of kilometres in video games. With time, they become experienced at navigating their daily environment.
15. They Promote Risk-Taking
The majority of video games are pro-risk. Games are designed to reward risk-takers. You feel relieved and joyful by implementing the toughest solutions to the most challenging problems.
As such, you become pro-risk by implementing calculated strategies. The more risk, the more reward.
16. Video Games Improve Teamwork and Cooperation
There is nothing as better as being able to work as one unit with a common goal. If you have played Counterstrike or Dota with your friends, you can certainly agree that there is communication and cooperation with your teammates.
Such coordination and communication go more profound than the everyday banter gamers have with their conventional teammates in a real-life setting.
17. You Get to Earn Money
There is nothing as satisfying as getting paid to do what you love. Have you ever heard of the International Dota 2 Championship? A Pakistani and American-Indian duo with the aid of other players won a cool $6 million when they won the International Dota 2 Championship.
E-sports is revolutionizing the future of video gaming. Tournaments are being organized, with audiences being awarded prize money, fame, and the chance to make international friends.
I wrote a post how to become a professional gamer and also delved into how e-sports teams earn money in the past, so make sure to check them out.
Bottom Line
Video games are good for you in ways you never knew before. Evaluate your options the next time you are conflicted about whether to play or not. Video games have positive effects that stretch from mental, physical, cognitive, social, psychological, to financial.
Finally, it’s worth noting that having superb knowledge of video games can give you talking points the next time you decide to run a blog or YouTube channel.
Dana
I’m a 30-something year-old woman and more of a gamer than I’ve ever been before. Ever since I was a little kid, I’d play games on our PC. I'm here to help you find great, quality video game merchandise and talk about your favorite video games and everything related to them. :)
