The Upsides of Video Games

You may or may not have heard about it. If you haven’t then the first question on your mind is “Are you serious?” Yes, indeed the researchers involved, are. Turns out your parents were actually a bit wrong.

Without any further ado, here are some of the upsides of gaming:

1. Improves surgical skills

You must think there’s lying but no it’s real. An experiment conducted at the University of Texas Medical Branch showed that teen gamers performed better at virtual surgery than college gamers and medical residents. Turns out video games can help improve hand-eye coordination, pressure control and timing–all of which are essential in surgical procedures.

2. Perks up eyesight

Whether it’s counterstrike or other first person shooting games where the evil guys pop out and shoot at you, video games can actually increase your ability to identify brightness changes in an image–a skill useful for night driving. Researchers also believe that video games have the potential to correct bad eyesight though playing all day and all night just makes it worse so it’s best to keep the gaming at a moderate level.

3. Delays mental decay

And your parents said that it would make you dumb. According to a study from the University of Iowa, playing brain-teasing games for just two hours a week may help slow down the degree of mental decay from the natural aging process. In other words, it keeps your brain sharp and in shape–just like what happens when you workout in a gym only you’re not bulking up your muscles, you’re bulking up your brain.

4. Relieves pain

Video games have been proven by researchers to be effective in reducing medically associated pain or anxiety. It works by diverting the attention of the brain on the pain and instead on other senses. It also releases the pain relieving hormone also known as endorphins– it works by numbing pain though pain from pressing the buttons too hard is another story.

5. Helps you learn

There are educational games which don’t involve violence out there that can actually help you learn stuff. Most of us are visual learners and we comprehend better if we see things. There’s nothing better than having fun while learning. (Adapted by Daryll Arcayan)

Sources:

The Huffington Post by Drew Guarini, BusinessInsider

Photo above: An experiment conducted at the University of Texas Medical Branch showed that teen gamers performed better at virtual surgery than college gamers and medical residents. Turns out video games can help improve hand-eye coordination, pressure control and timing–all of which are essential in surgical procedures.Can’t believe it? It’s true. (Image credit: www.pbs.org)