Historically, playing video games has been seen as something of a niche activity. To the uninitiated, it can often be dismissed as an unproductive waste of time, far removed from more wholesome activities like sports or literature.
But this shows a complete misunderstanding of what gaming involves. When you look closely at the pastime, you can see that it has great benefits for its participants. Technology has come such a long way that the gaming landscape is now completely unrecognizable from the start of the millennium. Those who decide to take up gaming as a hobby will experience great improvements in their cognitive function, happiness, and social interactions.
If you’re still unconvinced, read on to learn about some of the most significant benefits of playing video games.
Social Interactions
Those who don’t understand video game culture often denounce it as an antisocial pastime, involving sitting in a dark room by oneself with human interaction for hours on end. But this is completely untrue. Surveys have shown that over three quarters of gamers play online multiplayer video games, in which they play in cooperation with or against other players. This may be their own friends or strangers online. It’s a hugely social pursuit as remote gamers can speak to each other via microphone headsets or text-based messaging to solve problems, work together, or simply have a chat. Just as any other hobby brings people together, so does playing video games. It creates a community of like minded people with the same interests and lifestyles to become friends and have stimulating social interactions.
Cognitive Abilities
There is an argument that playing video games has negative impacts on our brain power and attention span, but has been proved to be completely untrue. The opposite is more accurate, as several studies have shown playing games to have a significant impact in boosting cognitive function. Playing a complex game, and being adept at it, requires supreme concentration, fast reactions, and problem-solving skills. There are so many intelligent games full of detailed puzzles and fast-paced gameplay that are difficult for beginners, but become easier as your skills develop and your reactions improve. When you spend a lot of time playing video games, you will notice improvements in your reflexes, spatial awareness, memory, concentration, and mental flexibility.
Motor Skills
As well as being good for the brain, video games have great benefits for our physical motor skills too. As we have seen, being immersed in high-speed gameplay can do wonders for our reaction times, but it is also great for dexterity. Using a small controller with lots of little buttons that must be pressed in the correct sequence with precise movements can help young people develop muscle memory and hand-eye coordination. Far from video games being bad for children, they can actually help them to develop physically and move more effectively in the real world.
Immersive Storylines
There is nothing better than being lost in a good novel or a spectacular film. This is the reason we go to bookshops, libraries, and cinemas. To find stories that we can relate to and offer some escapism from the real world. But why then are video games often viewed as lesser forms of art? There are so many games, especially those released in the last two decades, that offer incredibly immersive and rich storylines. With spectacular graphics, intricate plots, and characters the player genuinely cares about, it is impossible not to get swept up in the stories and feel real emotion when in-game characters die.
Take the 2013 action-adventure game The Last of Us, which was so positively received it was turned into an award-winning and much beloved television series. The game is set in a dystopian near-future, in which a global pandemic has destroyed civilization. The player controls the character of Joel, a man whose daughter was killed in the early stages of the pandemic and is now tasked with transporting a teenage girl, who may be the solution to saving the world, across the United States. The game is full of emotion and the story is gripping. In different parts of the game, players will feel abject terror, shock, sadness, and joy. Anyone who claims that video games cannot be classed as art only need to play this game and see how wrong they are.
Limitless Possibilities
As an artform, gaming has limitless possibilities. In a video game, anything can happen, as it is entirely created using computer-generated graphics. From the military campaigns of Call of Duty (COD) and the alien invasion spectacles of Halo, to the open-world freedom of Grand Theft Auto and the ridiculous antics of Untitled Goose Game, there truly is something for everyone. Whatever genre of storytelling or style of gameplay you are into, there is something for absolutely everyone.
And players are not even limited by the rules of their individual games. There are always cheat codes and modifications available that allow you to expand your playing experience and make games easier or more enjoyable. For example, Call of Duty features a range of COD boosting expansion packs that allow you upgrade your arsenal, level up, and complete additional challenges.
Mental Health
Gaming, like many other hobbies, can be a great boost to an individual’s mental health. It can provide a safe space to relax, unwind, and take joy in one’s favorite games. Plenty of people enjoy gaming, and take great pleasure from it. Conversing with friends online and getting lost in a great storyline are wonderful ways to spend free time and stimulate the brain. It can be an excellent method of relieving stress as well as a welcome distraction from painful physical or emotional trauma. Of course gaming is something that should be enjoyed in moderation as part of a healthy lifestyle, but there is nothing inherently damaging or unwholesome about gaming as a pastime.
In conclusion, gaming has so many advantages for our mental and physical health, cognitive abilities, and social relationships. What other benefits of playing video games can you think of? Share your thoughts in the comments!
