Using gaming as a stress reliever? It’s good for your brain too

I’ve had a love of playing video games since I was a kid from my humble beginnings on a Coleco, handheld Quarterback. Moreover, even now in adulthood, gaming is still a love of mine, and it is also an outlet for me. After a hard day working or raising my sometimes moody toddler, I reach for the game controller to let things go. I find stress relief in completing missions while pulverizing zombies or strategically building a characters skill base in an action role-playing game. Come to find out is it not just a fun outlet for most of us, but we are also becoming smarter in the long run.

Why video games are good for stress relief

• You deal with your frustrations from the day through video game play
• You’ll recover faster from your daily stresses and get prepared for the next day’s challenges

These are two of the top reasons I love to play my current go to game Dying Light. It is my way of relieving stress and resetting my mind. All worries that are currently invading my headspace are completely forgotten, temporarily anyway. I become mesmerized by the game and totally immersed in the fictional world of Harran.

I think playing video games has helped me in a variety of ways while dealing with real life situations.

How can video games help you in life?

• You gain a higher level of learning skills which increases cognitive brain function
• By Playing fast-paced video games, you can develop better task management skills
• Increased ability to make better decisions sooner

I am mostly a first person shooter kind of gamer, but I do enjoy a good action role-player. When you are playing in the fast-paced environment of an FPS, you develop fine-tuned decision-making skills. You have to take action quickly without hesitating.

In an action role-playing environment such as Diablo III, you need to level up your characters abilities to be the most efficient in their specialty area. You are entirely responsible for a character’s success or failure during combat. You have to prioritize which skills to increase to get a character to his or her most powerful level rapidly. Skill leveling leads to you making the best decision possible for your character in a fixed amount of time.

So you see how gaming can be not only fun but also an outlet for relieving even the most stressful day while using your brain power?

I am a freelance writer who is also a mother, a gamer, and a lover of technology. I specialize in technical writing, blogging, and how-to articles. When I’m not writing, you can find me geeking out, playing video games or spending time with my family.