Don’t play games! It stunts mental growth! Makes you dull!
We are very much aware of these as our elders keep on taunting us whenever they find us playing any game on our PC, console or mobile.
But the fact is gaming can be a whole lot of fun and recent research has revealed there’s also a range of scientific benefits to playing videogames – everything from increasing brain matter to pain relief.
Here are a few benefits to tell your friends next time you blow off drinks to game:
1. 3D video games could increase memory capacity
In a study in The Journal of Neuroscience, researchers from the University of California, Irvine recruited 69 participants and asked a third to play Super Mario 3D World for two weeks, a third to play Angry Birds, and the rest to play nothing.
The people who played Mario ended up doing better on follow-up memory tasks, while the others showed no improvement pre and post-gaming.
2. Gaming could be good for pain relief
A literature review published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that in the 38 studies examined, video games improved the health outcomes of 195 patients on every front, including psychological and physical therapy. The scientists presented research at the American Pain Society’s conference, which found evidence that playing video games, especially virtual reality games, are effective at reducing anxiety or pain caused by chronic illness or medical procedures.
3. There are evidence games help dyslexic kids improve their reading
A 2013 study published in Cell investigated the effect that playing action games, like ‘Rayman Raving Rabbids’, could help dyslexic children aged 7 to 13 year read faster, with no loss inaccuracy. The researchers think that the fast pace in these games helped the kids increase their attention spans.
4. Tetris could help limit trauma
In 2016, 37 patients that arrived at a hospital emergency department in Oxford, UK, to be treated for a traffic accident were randomly selected to play 20 minutes of Tetris. The Tetris players had significantly fewer flashbacks to the traumatic traffic event than those that didn’t – about 62 percent less on average. The research by Molecular Psychiatry, concludes that the “brief, science-driven intervention offers a low-intensity means that could substantially improve the mental health of those who have experienced psychological trauma.”
5. Some research shows that video games might actually make you smarter
A study published in PLoS ONE in 2013 goes as far as saying that your cognition might be enhanced when you start up your Xbox or PlayStation. The researchers took five groups of non-gamers and made them play a phone game for one hour a day over four weeks. They found that all video games, both action and non-action games, improved cognitive function in the participants – measured by tests such as short term memory tasks.
6. Gaming is linked to an increase in brain matter
And finally – a 2014 study published in Molecular Psychiatry by researchers from the Max Planck Institute in Germany from the found that playing Super Mario 64 caused an increase in the size of brain regions. Specifically the bits of the brain responsible for spatial orientation, memory formation, strategic planning, and fine motor skills.
So at the end of the day, it depends on the individual how he or she balances the daily life. Nothing can be harmful if we know the balancing act! Too much of anything is never that beneficial.
Keep gaming! Keep growing!
