Why Can Video Games Be Good For Your Brain?
Few industries evolve and change at such a rapid pace as the gaming one does. Over the past few decades since its inception, the video games business has grown exponentially, projected to generate almost $180 billion by the end of 2021.
Yet, despite its well-established status, the industry is constantly under attack from the more conservative outlets. Traditional media tend to paint a grim picture of the world of video games, with their users being psychologically unstable and physiologically unfit. Such a stereotypical line of thinking couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, video games are not only harmless for your mental capabilities but even beneficial.
There are several areas that playing video games can improve, including decision making, problem-solving, memory, hand-eye coordination, and spatial visualization. Read on and learn how playing video games can help you develop your brain.
Video Games Improve Your Decision-Making Skills
The ability to make a decision in a timely manner is crucial in both business and personal life. In the case of business, you may need to decide whether or not the investment is worth it or if you should give employees a pay raise. In your personal life, you may need to decide whether your partner is cheating on you or whether you should move to a different city.
A good decision-maker knows how to weigh all the options and choose the one that most benefits them. Most video games require players to make life-or-death decisions in high-pressure situations.
In fact, many titles have been developed around this premise, such as the popular Counter-Strike franchise. Even casino games offered by platforms from this list of the Best Online Gambling Sites 2021 can positively affect your decision-making, as they require you to stay alert at all times.
The ability to make decisions quickly and accurately is a skill anyone can apply in real-life situations, so playing video games is definitely a worthwhile affair if you wish to become a better decision-maker.
Video Games Improve Your Problem-Solving Skills
Problem-solving skills are another core element that can help you during your everyday life. They allow you to solve complex and abstract problems promptly. There are several areas where problem-solving skills can be crucial, including at work and school.
For example, when working with a team, you may face a problem that requires getting everyone on the same page and coming up with a solution. If you can solve such issues quickly and effectively, you will get promoted sooner than your colleagues, who will take longer to understand what’s going on.
Another excellent example of problem-solving is at school. When studying new material, you may stumble upon concepts that you don’t understand or just can’t grasp for some reason. If you can quickly and easily solve such problems, you will get better grades than your classmates who can’t solve them.
Video Games Develop Your Memory
We often hear of people who can memorize large chunks of text or numbers by looking at them only once. This ability is called eidetic memory, and it’s considered to be a rare phenomenon. People who have eidetic memory can remember any image, word, or number they see after just one glance. While this is certainly impressive, some people can develop similar skills by training their minds differently.
A study conducted in 2014 showed that individuals who regularly play action video games have twice as much gray matter in their hippocampus compared to non-gamers. The hippocampus is an area in the brain responsible for long-term memory formation. Scientists believe that playing action video games boosts memory by training the mind in spatial navigation, pattern recognition, and other essential cognitive skills necessary for effective memory formation.
Video Games Boost Your Spatial Visualization Skills
Another area where video games are beneficial for your brain is spatial visualization skills. These are the ability to imagine objects in three dimensions and perceive distances between them.
We frequently use these skills in everyday life. For example, when trying to remember where you placed your car keys, you have to visualize the location in your head to find them.
Video games can help you perform better in such cases, as players are often tasked with finding small objects and remembering tiny details.
Video Games Help You Develop Hand-Eye Coordination
Hand-eye coordination is another critical skill developed by playing games. In simple terms, you can perform actions in video games without the need to look at what your hands are doing. This ability is essential for performing complex physical activities like hitting a baseball or throwing a rock.
Having good hand-eye coordination will allow you to perform these tasks without much effort or thought process behind them.
Playing Video Games Will Make You More Creative
One of the latest studies on video games shows that playing them makes people more creative than those who don’t play them at all. The study showed that games like Minecraft stimulate creativity, leading researchers to believe that playing them could improve creative thinking and fine motor skills.
These games can be excellent tools for learning various skills from engineering to architecture to mathematics. They allow players to think outside the box and come up with unique building designs instead of sticking to formulas or blueprints they have seen before.
Conclusion
Playing video games can be a great way to relax and have a good time. However, not many people know that it can also help you develop your brain. Playing games can improve your decision-making skills, problem-solving skills, memory, hand-eye coordination, spatial visualization skills, creativity, and even make you more creative.
Many games require players to think outside the box and find creative solutions to them. These types of games are great for your brain since they allow you to improve how it functions in an organic and natural way. Thanks to it, you can start coming up with more creative solutions for various problems.
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