More Benefits of Playing More Video Games

Video Games – just like any other medium of entertainment, the first years of our beloved video games weren’t a walk in the park; and, our childhoods were full of “stop playing and get to your room!”, “time to go to bed!”, “playing won’t do you any good!”, and a lot more. But now, as video games (and the industry, itself) continue to grow, we see a lot of people who has a video game with them, in one form or another. Be it a simple one-tap game or a mobile MOBA like Mobile Legends, people are playing video games, both male and female, young and old. Here’s another list of the benefits that video games can give us. Enjoy!

Improved Coordination

Game: Action Games and Music/Rhythm Games

This must be the most noticeable improvement that gamers experience. If you’ve been playing video games, action and music/rhythm games, specifically, then I have a challenge for you. Have your friend throw a pillow or anything at you randomly and notice that your reaction will be quicker. Just. Like. Spiderman. Or, have your friend drop your phone near you and watch just how you instinctively reach out and catch it. How did you do this? Well, video games.

Since video games greatly help improve one’s hand-eye coordination, researchers are using video games in order to train surgeons. Their study shows that surgeons who’ve played video games for more than 3 hours a week have performed with 37 percent less error and 27 percent faster. Oh, they were performing laparoscopic surgery. Feel free to search about that procedure. I’m not really an expert in that field.

“The data is compelling — playing video games can make surgeons better. That’s not to say that reading and schoolwork are not important too.”, said Dr. Dan Jones, Chief of Minimally Invasive Surgery and Director of the Weight Loss Surgery Center at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Meaning, not because you’re a good gamer you’re good to become a surgeon. But, then again, who am I to stop you, go chase your dream if that what your heart desires.

Memory Booster

Game: 3D Games, apparently

Wait, what was I writing about? Yes, I am one of those people who easily forget what he was doing just a couple of minutes ago. And a research back in 2015 was conducted in order to show that videogames can improve one’s memory.

Craig Stark and Dane Clemenson of University of California, Irvine’s Center for the Neurobiology of Learning & Memory recruited college students who didn’t play video games that much and split them into two groups. One group is tasked to play two-dimensional games (Angry Birds) and three-dimensional games (Super Mario 3D World). And get this, the memory performance of those who played Super Mario 3D World increased by about 12 percent. Looks like playing before an exam helps, well, it did to me back then.

Reduce Stress and Depression

Game: Every game we’ve ever played and will play

It will all boil down to one – playing video games eases us, relieves us of the stress of the world we live on. A research was conducted by Patricia Areán, a UW Medicine researcher in psychiatry and behavioral sciences, and the study showed that 80 percent of the participants cope up with depression.

If you come to think of it, that’s the real point of video games – a means for us to have fun. Yes, games in the recent years were more emotional and more narrative but, in the end, we still have fun. The immersion that we engage ourselves in, the experience of living someone else’s life, and the people we interact with along the way – both virtual and real – show us that video games can be more than what they are, more than a means of entertainment.

Are there more to video games? Do you think video games can provide more benefits? Do you have any personal experience about the benefits of video games? Tell us in the comments section down below and let’s have a chat.