According to Research: Why Video Games Are Good For You!
“Video games,” they say, “isn’t that stuff, like, super addictive and bad for your health?” Not necessarily. While video games certainly have a reputation of being associated with lazy, blank-eyed, wheezing basement-dwellers, the rising popularity of this relatively young medium has also led to an increased interest in figuring out how it really affects the human brain. In fact, many of the studies that have been made within the last decade actually prove that while video games do have an undeniably addictive edge, there are plenty of benefits to be gained from playing them as well.
So what can they do for you?
- They can power up your brain
There has previously been a tendency to describe the act of playing video games as intellectually lazy and sedative. However, instead of ‘dumbing down’ the brain, recent studies have shown that many video games actually improve not only eye-hand coordination, but also other cognitive abilities such as: memorization, spatial reasoning, visual processing, mental flexibility, and our ability to multitask. This is because video games are an interactive medium that requires our brain to be actively engaged (while television, on the other hand, is a passive medium that doesn’t require the user to do anything but sit back and relax). This is especially true for the type of video games known as “action video games” — e.g. Grand Theft Auto, Counter Strike, Skyrim, and Assassin’s Creed — where the player has to navigate through complex environments that include a lot of different and often fast-moving objects. In order to make any progress in these games, the player has to be able to make rapid, but accurate, decisions while remaining highly focused and keeping track of multiple things at once. The game rewards and encourages quick thinking and swift response, and this behaviour is then gradually retained and instilled within the player’s mind. In 2013, a study conducted at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Berlin demonstrated how this effect can be measured in the human brain by having a group of adults play Super Mario 64 for 30 minutes a day over a period of two months. Another group was told not to play any video games. At the end of the experiment, the brain pattern of the ‘non-player’ group remained unchanged while the ‘player’ group showed a significant increase of grey matter in the parts of the brain that are responsible for spatial navigation, memory formation, strategic planning, and fine motor skills of the hands.
2. They can help you deal with your emotions
When faced with stress, grief, anger or other types of negative emotion, people will usually attempt to deal with their troubles by turning to different types of media. Video games constitute one of these media types — and a very effective one at that. For example, studies have shown that puzzle games — such as Angry Birds or Bejeweled — which are highly accessible, have a user-friendly interface, and require little to no commitment, are capable of reducing anxiety as well as improving the overall mood of the people who play. You might then ask: “Oh, but don’t we also experience plenty of anger, frustration, and sadness when playing certain video games?” and you would be absolutely right. However, because the world of video games only seems real enough insofar as to make the goals it sets for you worthy of achievement, this world can basically function as a sort of emotional playground where the player can safely practice controlling or modulating his or her negative emotions. In fact, the emotional strategy of re-appraisal (i.e. the ability to reassess one’s situation in order to find a solution to a specific problem) appears to be at the heart of many video games and is a particularly useful skill that players can carry on into the real world.
3. They can connect you with others
Now more than ever, video games constitute a highly social platform. According to a recent report made by Entertainment Software Association (2016), over half of the most frequent gamers play a multiplayer mode at least weekly, while 53% feel video games help them connect with friends and 42% feel that the games help them spend time with family. Not only do many games offer the option to play with friends and family, but even the act of playing with strangers can provide the players with valuable knowledge on how to interact with others in social contexts. Whether they are competitive or co-operative, video games are a medium that make it possible for strangers to work together and bond across language barriers, cultural differences, generation gaps, and socioeconomic divides. The increased popularity of video games has also turned it into something that can draw people together in the physical realm: the massive amount of video game conventions that are held all across the globe every year are certainly a testament to this fact.
So, contrary to common belief, video games are not just a recipe for inactivity and addiction. Though, of course, we’ll always do well to remember that anything is bad in excess (you wouldn’t go for a 7-hour run every day either, now would you?). So do make sure to leave that controller alone now and then, but know that when you do pick it up, it has the capacity to do your mind a whole lot of good.
With thanks to Naomi Gilad
