Did you know, playing video games can actually improve your life contrary to the popular belief
of the opposite! So, fire up your consoles and get ready to improve your skills! But before you grab
your controllers and indulge in your favorite games, be sure to subscribe to our channel if
you haven’t already and press the notification bell so you don’t miss any of our future videos!
Now, video games have mostly been associated with negative impacts on players such as addiction,
depression, time-wasting, and aggression. However, according to recent studies,
games can actually be good for you when played in moderation of course.
Scientists have been able to identify many cognitive, emotional, as well as social
benefits of playing video games. Let’s take a closer look at some of these benefits of gaming.
According to a 2013 study on longitudinal relationships between strategic video games,
High School students who played strategic video games had better academic performance
than those who did not play any games. Researchers found that strategic games
allow players to explore all possible options and consider new strategies that
enhance their problem-solving skills. Furthermore, some strategic games encourage players to gather
information and think of an appropriate strategy before putting it to the test.
This teaches the players to think critically and become better problem solvers.
Playing first-person shooter video games can improve the player's vision by improving their
ability to recognize different shades of grey. Professor Daphne Bavelier at the
University of Rochester found that people who played these first-person shooter games
improved about 58% in their ability to detect changes in shades of grey. This was previously
considered to never improve without eye surgery or prescription glasses. She also found that this
improvement lasted for months even after the gameplay had stopped, leading to the
conclusion that first-person shooter games help in processing visual information more efficiently.
According to a recent study conducted at the University of Toronto, people who played action
video games such as “Assassin’s Creed” or “Call of Duty” have better hand-eye coordination than those
who do not play these games. The objective of this study was to determine whether playing these games
has a long-term effect on sensorimotor control. The findings of this study imply that gaming
may become a way of treatment for those who struggle with sensorimotor tasks in the future.
Researchers at the University of Rochester found that playing action video games allows
the player to have a heightened sensitivity to their surroundings helping them to make
decisions faster. This, not only helps the player perform better at video games but also extends to
improvements in their daily activities such as reading, writing, driving, multi-tasking,
and more. When action game players were compared to strategic game players,
the results indicated a 25% faster response rate from the action game players.
This makes action games a very good option if you want to improve your decision-making skills.
A 2015 study on "Virtual Environmental Enrichment through Video Games" at University of California
analyzed three different groups each with a different type of game.
The first group played 3D games, the second group played 2D games
and the third group played no games at all. The experiment showed that the group who played
3D games were better at recalling their memory and perform memory-related tasks better than
those who played 2D games or no games at all. This was due to the complex 3D environments in the game
having a positive effect on the brain's neural connections leading to improvements in memory.
According to a 2005 study, playing games allow people to work toward meaningful
goals and learn to face challenges and failures before celebrating the rare moments of victory.
This teaches players to be better motivated even when faced with failure.
Of course, different types of games will have different impacts on players,
but generally, some games can contribute to players' overall motivation levels.
Gaming today is completely different than what it used to be when it was first introduced. Today,
around 70% of people play video games with a friend and participate in large online
gaming communities. This is where they learn social behaviors like leadership
and other social values which can be very beneficial for their social lives.
Playing games can simply improve the players’ mood by promoting relaxation.
According to Isabela Granic, a Ph.D. from the Netherlands, video games can help build
emotional resilience in people who play. This is because they are constantly facing failure
and are learning to cope with it and move ahead. Furthermore, if gaming makes people happy and
helps lessen anxiety, then it is definitely worth considering in Garnic’s point of view.
And those were some of the benefits of gaming we thought were interesting!
What other benefits come to mind when you think about video games? What are your favorite video
games? Let us know in the comments down below! Also, make sure to subscribe to our channel and
hit that like button if you liked this video! Until then, we'll see you in the next one!