Gaming is popular with people of all ages across the world. Not only is gaming a great way to stay entertained, it is also an opportunity for training your brain and building on specific skill sets.
There are many benefits to the mind that are associated with playing games and different types and gaming genres appear to have different effects. We take a look at some of the most notable reasons that games are good for the mind:
Opportunities For Socialisation And Cooperation
Multiplayer games offer a way for friends to stay connected, even when physically apart, by playing together and sharing experiences. In times when more people are seeking entertainment at home, video games can provide that opportunity to remain in touch with the wider world.
Being a gamer can help you feel part of a community, you get the chance to interact with others that share the same interests as you. For example, casino gamers can bond over their experiences at a virtual poker table and share strategy tips. Live games mean interacting with the dealer and your opponents in real time, at spinaro casino you can find 700 live games.
Gaming can also build social skills. Cooperative social games like Fortnite or Overwatch require players to communicate with team members, helping to enhance communication skills. Also, working together to achieve common goals in games promotes teamwork and collaborative problem solving.
Enhanced Critical Thinking Abilities
Every day we come across new problems that need to be solved, from small problems like finding a lost set of keys to more complex tasks such as managing the household bills. Certain games require players to think carefully and solve a problem in order to progress through the game.
These games encourage the player to think critically in order to develop strategies to overcome challenges. This can lead to improved problem solving abilities in real life situations.
Sometimes a Plan A strategy doesn’t always work out how a player had expected. The ever-changing scenarios in many games force players to adapt quickly and develop flexible thinking skills. Being adaptive is an important skill in many aspects of life.
Also, resource management is a requirement in many strategy games, like Age of Empires or SimCity. If you want to succeed or thrive in these games, you will need to develop the ability to plan ahead and make strategic decisions about how to use limited resources effectively.
Improved Hand Eye Coordination
Furthermore, there have been a series of studies into the impact that gaming can have on an individual’s hand eye coordination and the results appear to be overwhelmingly positive.
For example, a study at the University of Toronto compared regular gamers with non-gamers at a computer task requiring coordination, the gaming group achieved significantly better results. It appeared that although both groups struggled with the task at first, the gamer group were able to pick it up more easily and quickly improved.
Another study found that surgeons that used video gaming to warm up during their training performed better and made fewer mistakes overall.
Superior Memory Function And Capacity
Memory is a very important aspect of the mind and gaming appears to improve memory function in a number of ways. Firstly, in games where there are complex virtual environments like Minecraft, the spatial memory is enhanced as players develop the ability to mentally map out spaces.
Working memory capacity could also be improved by playing games regularly. You need to be able to keep track of information provided to you in some games in order to make the best decisions and this improves working memory capacity.
Improved Mood And Emotional Regulation
Lastly, the emotional benefits to gaming are one of the reasons many look to games for entertainment. Video games, particularly the most modern ones, provide an immersive experience that allows players to unwind and escape from some of the stresses of everyday life.
Also, if you are doing well in a game and are managing to get through the levels, this can be a big boost to a player’s self esteem and bring a sense of accomplishment.
Even finding a game tough can have its benefits, overcoming challenges in games can help to build up some emotional resilience and the ability to cope with setbacks and frustrations in games and in life.
From social and emotional benefits to cognitive improvements and problem solving, playing games can have many positive impacts on the mind. Gaming is a valuable source of entertainment and skill improvement, and as the gaming industry continues to evolve it will be interesting to see the impact provided by new gaming experiences.