5 Benefits of Playing Video Games

March 17, 2022

Playing video games can have great benefits. Although negative aspects have been discussed for years, various studies have shown that video games can positively affect the brain.

According to psychologists Shawn Green and Daphne Bavelier, “video games change your brain.” Their article “Brain Tune-Up from Action Video Game Play” explained that action video games change the brain’s physical structure the same way as learning to read, playing the piano, or navigating using a map.

For this reason, we list some of the conclusions that experts have reached about the benefits of playing video games.

1. Mental health

According to “Medical News Today”, there is evidence suggesting that video games can help with depression and improve memory and mood in the elderly or people with mental illnesses, such as Alzheimer’s.

“Strategy video games, in particular, have shown promise in improving brain function among older adults and may protect against dementia and Alzheimer’s disease,” the publication states.

2. Social connections

Video games allow interconnection with other people, first because you can physically get together to play with your friends. Second, you can play online with friends and strangers from anywhere in the world, which eliminates cultural barriers.

“Video games are socially interactive in a way never before afforded. Increasingly, players are gaming online, with friends, family, and complete strangers, crossing vast geographical distances and blurring not only cultural boundaries but also age and generation gaps, socioeconomic differences, and language barriers”, says the study “The Benefits of Playing Video Games.”

3. Vision-space skills

The same paper published in “American Psychologist” points out that shooter games can improve spatial skills, especially when the games are in 3D. These skills are fundamental in careers related to science, medicine, technology, and engineering, as they require a lot of precision.

“Compared to control participants, those in the shooter video game condition show faster and more accurate attention allocation, higher spatial resolution in visual processing, and enhanced mental rotation abilities,” the article reports.

4. Leadership and decision making

Every player has to think fast, plan fast and decide fast, which can be particularly good for real life.

“Because new information is constantly being displayed during play, Players are forced to adapt quickly. In one study, players who were immersed in fast-paced games were 25 percent faster in reacting to questions about an image they had just seen compared to non-players”, explains Mentalfloss.

Together with logic and problem solving, video games can improve people’s leadership, mainly because they improve decision-making, stimulate teamwork, and require analyzing a lot of different information quickly.

5. Concentration

Several studies have paid particular attention to cognitive abilities. One of the most evident impacts is increased awareness and concentration after playing video games. Gamers can concentrate for long periods on a single task.
According to studies published in “Frontiers in Human Neuroscience”, “regions of the brain playing a role in focus and attention were more efficient in gamers rather than in non-gamers.”

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