Many people tend to associate paying video games with no benefits at all other than keeping lazy people engaged with mind-numbing activities. That’s a very mistaken and unreasonable judgment.
Video games are, in fact, a lot more beneficial than you might be thinking. To the surprise of many people, scientific research has actually proven that playing video games can have a few positive effects on our daily lives.
Apart from the obvious benefits —those being: mental stimulation, improvement in problem-solving abilities, and stress reduction —, playing your favorite game might benefit you more than you think. So, don’t feel so bad about spending a few minutes playing!
Here are some of the benefits of playing video games for children and adults:
- Games can help you develop your problem-solving skills
Games that are based on missions that have complex puzzles to solve, which require really smart thinking sometimes are quite helpful for your problem-solving skills.
Games like the Legend of Zelda and God of War are two great examples of such games that need some brains to complete. One has to be a critical thinker who pays close attention to details to progress in these games.
A correlation between youngsters who play video games and having problem-solving skills is without a doubt something not surprising. As long as playing video games doesn’t interfere with other duties, playing them might improve your brain skills IRL.
Playing video games helps you develop your brain
Since playing video games, some more than others is an activity that requires using lots of neurons in your brain, it has actually been proven that they improve brain connectivity.
Abilities like muscle function, strong memory, mind-body connection, and vision are all can be improved slightly if you play video games.
Playing video games improves manual dexterity
Hand coordination is something necessary in life because, we humans, explore the world with our fingers. Unlike dogs and cats, which use their sense of smell to explore the world, for us, humans developing manual dexterity can be a matter of life and death.
If you don’t believe that, you should know that surgeons who pay for video games are actually a lot better at doing advanced procedures without making mistakes.
Another medical fact about playing video games is that they can help stroke patients to regain control over their hands, wrists, and fingers, which is a fascinating and fun form of physical therapy.
Video games are a source of fun learning
Speaking of fun, video games (some more than others) have a thin line that separates between learning and having fun. If you’re into developmental psychology, you know that learning while having fun at the same time is quite what makes people advance in their learning pursuits.
In our world with the thousand, even millions, of learning apps, finding a game that helps you (or your child) learn a subject in a fun sort of way is no big deal; you can easily type what you want to learn, and you’ll probably find an app that offers a game that helps you learn it.
Gamers have better social skills
The stereotype of the socially awkward gamer who is always shy and acts all nerdy and stuff is something that we all have seen in movies and series. But that’s quite not an accurate depiction of gamers.
Gamers who enjoy online games are as far away from a social misfit as anyone can be. Research has actually proven that the youngsters who play video games are better at socializing with their peers.
These gamers are better at forming relationships and connect with people.
- Video games improve your vision
Popular belief says that staying in front of a screen does harm your vision, which is not quite true.
Contrary to that belief, playing video games actually improves your vision in the sense that it makes noticing minor details quite easily.
Video games are beneficial to your mental health
The effects of video games on your mood are beyond doubt positive. All you need to do is play your favorite game to see how that positively affects you.
Numerous studies have proven that video games are quite the anti-stress-anxiety remedy.
If you’re feeling stressed out or in a bad mood, play your favorite video game for a few minutes to improve your mood.
Video games when enjoyed in a positive, reasonable, and responsible manner yield lots of positive effects on your well-being. There are thousands of ways to spend your free time, some of which are not very beneficial.
Video games are among the best past-time activities for people who want to boost their brains and enjoy time with friends. Just don’t get too attached to the controller, and don’t make gaming the center of your identity and life unless you’re a pro gamer who makes money out of playing.
