The most notable positive effects of gaming include:
Improved cognitive abilities
Improved problem-solving skills and logic
Increased hand-to-eye coordination
Greater multitasking ability
Faster and more accurate decision-making
Enhanced prosocial behaviors
Better eyesight (attention to detail)
More physical activity with games that promote physical activity (VR, mobile games)
And other benefits.
The Top Positive Effects of Video Games
These are the main benefits of playing video games that you should know about.
Improved Cognitive Abilities
Video games improve some of your cognitive abilities – especially your visuospatial skills and concentration.
Visuospatial ability is your ability to recognize and remember objects and the relations between those objects. This skill can be essential for everyday tasks such as driving, finding your way in a city, or making sense of a map or objects around you.
Spatial ability is also important in several fields of study, including mathematics, natural sciences, engineering, meteorology, and architecture.
This is one of the key positive effects of video games that might be beneficial for students and professionals, but will also serve gamers well in everyday life.
Enhanced Problem-solving and Logic
A recent study from 2015 from Australian and Chinese research teams showed that gaming improves problem-solving skills and logic.
Researchers performed fMRI scans on 27 professional gamers and found they had more gray matter and “heightened connectivity between certain subregions in the insular cortex”. In practice, this translates to enhanced cognitive abilities, which include improved problem-solving skills and logic.
Many gamers play games that require a great deal of planning, strategic thinking and using logic to achieve goals within the game, so it makes sense that they will have enhanced development in areas of the brain dedicated to problem-solving and logic.
Even though excessive gaming can make you antisocial, there are many games out there that promote the social aspect of gaming.
Some games involve cooperating with other players and talking with them through text or voice chat, which can improve your ability to work with other people and have better social interactions, even when playing games.
The social aspect of gaming has also grown beyond just playing prosocial games. For example, gaming may be a popular conversation topic amongst students at school. There are also scholastic esports teams and clubs being formed, along with a convergence between gaming and social media platforms such as Twitch and Discord.
Although gaming is increasingly social, it is important to maintain a balance of face-to-face interactions and physical world friendships.
More Physical Activity
Playing games that promote you to stay active might improve your physical health, especially when compared to games where you remain sedentary the whole time.
Take VR games as an example. The vast majority of these games will have you moving around or at least standing up, which is already better for your health than playing games where you remain seated.
Gamers also find VR gaming more immersive and satisfactory than traditional gaming, so it’s only a matter of time before VR games become the norm in the next few years or decades.
Other Benefits
In addition to all the main positive effects of video games, there are also some other effects that many gamers report, including:
Non-native English speakers are able to learn English faster using video games,
Games require you to persevere with your task to complete the goal of the game, which means they build up your perseverance,
Video game players are also able to concentrate better and for longer periods than non-gamers,
Other benefits include better pattern recognition, strategic thinking, risk-taking abilities, and management.
The Bottom Line
Gaming can be a positive and beneficial experience, when played in moderation. To experience the positive effects of video games, it can be helpful to identify your motivation to play.
If you play games in moderation, for fun and recreation, you may experience many benefits. However, if you play games excessively to escape real-life problems, then you may begin to experience problems from your play, and in extreme cases, develop a gaming disorder.
Playing games can have both negative and positive implications on your quality of life, so it’s important to be aware of your play and keep it in balance.
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