Video games are generally brushed aside as nothing but entertainment and of negligible value otherwise. Playing video games involves sitting in front of a screen for hours, it is often looked upon as a domain for lazy people, but that’s not the case. Did you know that several common elements of these imaginatively designed universes provide tangible benefits in real life?
Some of the intrinsic benefits of video games for both children and adults include enhanced brain stimulation, assimilation of problem-solving skills, relief from undue stress, and so on. It’s high time we understand online gaming and its advantages in detail.
The next time you switch on your console or pop open a game on your smartphone, you need not feel like you’re doing something that’s designated for lazy people.
Understanding the Benefits of Playing Online Games
Video games may improve manual dexterity
Playing games on your smartphone, console, or PC involves the continued use of hands. A research study involving a group of surgeons says that those who played video games were quicker in performing advanced procedures and committed 37% fewer mistakes than those who didn’t.
Playing games is also used occasionally as physical therapy to aid stroke victims. Games can help them to regain proper control of their fingers and wrists. When it comes to playing online games that cannot be paused, you need adequate control over the movement of your hands to keep up and win.
Video games can augment grey matter in your brain
The grey matter in the human brain enables people to exercise control over movement, memory, and emotions. While different brain sections are responsible for various bodily functions, grey matter plays a vital role in several aspects of human life.
We consider gaming to be a workout for your mind disguised as lots of fun. Through studies, researchers found that playing video games regularly may help grow grey matter in the brain and improve brain connectivity. This contributes to more robust muscle control, perception, memories, and spatial navigation.
Gamers may display better social skills in the real world
Playing online games is stereotypically associated with people who are shy, reserved, and less social. The average gamer is perceived as a couch potato who doesn’t like the outdoors or making new friends. This particular stereotype, especially in kids, is now overlooked owing to recent research studies. It says that the ones who play games abundantly stood greater chances of connecting with others and performed better in academics.
Many games played online involve coordination and completing missions together with other players. This requires them to communicate (by text or audio), which indirectly adds to gamers’ communicative and social skills. The collaborative component of games involving multiple players also helps adults, as teamwork gets the job done faster, better, and more prudence.
Games can strengthen your problem-solving skills
These days, online gaming involves layered characters, sophisticated missions, vast open worlds, and multi-level bosses. Such online games are designed in the form of complex puzzles that require many hours to solve. More often than not, these games require action-based solutions. They’re catered to both the adult’s and the child’s interest in trying to think all possible ways out when a problem arises, be it virtually or in the real world.
Understanding how to think independently and strategise in a racy fantasy environment is a skill that can effectively translate into the real world. Extensive research found that children who played strategy-based games displayed a remarkable improvement in solving problems, thus acquiring better grades while also having fun.
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Physical activity is now a part of gaming
Gone are the days when playing online games meant sitting on a bean bag or a couch for hours at a stretch. Advanced 21-st century consoles come with the technology requiring gamers to be on their feet and physically move their bodies. Games like Dance Dance Revolution and Knockout League are great examples. Right now, the future of VR gaming looks more exciting than ever.
Even online games played on a smartphone have begun incorporating the usage of physical spaces or real-world environments. For instance, look at Pokemon Go or Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, which urges players to enter the real world and complete objectives. Sports games have also become highly interactive with different consoles and smartphone applications.
Video games can improve your vision
Remember when the senior folks in the house kept telling you to sit as far away from the screen as possible? That was quite the unscientific statement to make, research says. Games that involve sudden movement of objects on the screen and firing with accuracy (first-person action games) are said to improve your vision, not strain it.
In one particular research study, ten straight weeks of play were associated with a more remarkable ability to identify different shades of colours. Another study involved participants who played games using their “lazy eye”, obscuring the “good” one. All participants showed substantial improvement when it came to the eye in question. It is worth noting that the gaming sessions were adequately regulated and not one continuous stretch.
Reap mental health benefits of playing games
Now comes the most crucial part. Playing video games helps build social skills and plays a role in determining the general mood and de-stressing. There’s a solid reason why video games are used for therapeutic purposes – the stress relief you get by playing games is immense. Many studies corroborate the same notion.
Playing video games creates an analgesic (pain-relieving) response in our higher cortical systems. The more immersive the game, the better — this is why we might see virtual reality systems in hospitals as typical as a hand sanitiser shortly.
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Play games and learn new things in the process
Video games cover multiple genres, languages, storylines, devices, and even personalities. Is there a more fun way to learn than by playing? The developers of online games realised early on that players can also learn while being entertained. This saw many online games being used to improve reading, phonics, math skills, coding skills, and more.
Right now, there are plenty of video games that discuss world history, current affairs, politics, design, travel, lifestyle, entertainment and more avenues that you wouldn’t have been previously exposed to. In the early stages of adulthood, one realises that the world is a lot bigger than imagined, and gaming is indeed a gateway to learning and assimilating new things.
Video games can inspire you to be more persistent
The thing with video games is that there is a lot of replay value on offer. Persistence is critical, whether it is to succeed in securing the highest score in an online game or completing a mission to progress the game’s story. You win some, you lose some, but you have to keep trying regardless. Video games subtly teach you that failure is usual.
Owing to this, one section of educators and researchers state that video games can teach people to become more confident and achieve their goals in more imaginative ways – treating every misstep as one more opportunity to learn and adapt further.
Video games may improve your decision-making skills
Don’t we all know someone who can recall information at lightning speeds and react quickly? It wouldn’t come across as a total surprise if we told you that this skill was strengthened by gaming. As new information is constantly fed into players’ brains and displayed during play, players will need to adapt fast and make decisions in their best interests.
Players who actively played fast-paced games were 25% faster in reacting to queries about an image they saw than non-players, says a study. You might end up making faster, more sensible decisions once you start playing games online.
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You can earn money playing video games online
Last but certainly not least, online gaming is one of the most exciting ways to earn money. Several gaming platforms (like MPL) offer real-money gaming opportunities to indulge in games of skill and win big. If you’re a gamer, there’s simply no better way to follow your passion and make money simultaneously. You can play a good number of games, enhance your focus and creativity, and win cash rewards.
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Conclusion
The benefits of online gaming are far superior to its shortcomings. As long as you play responsibly, you’re in the clear. Let us know how gaming made your life better.
