Playing video games can have positive effects and benefits when played in moderation.
Prominent positive effects of gaming include:
- Improvement in cognitive abilities
- Enhanced problem-solving and logic skills
- Increased hand-eye coordination
- Enhanced multitasking capabilities
- Faster and more accurate decision-making
- Promotion of positive social behaviors
- Improved vision (attention to detail)
- Increase in physical activity with games that encourage movement (virtual reality, mobile games)
- Other benefits
Main positive effects of video games
These are the main benefits of playing video games that you should know about:
Improvement in cognitive abilities
Video games improve some of your cognitive abilities, especially your visual-spatial skills and focus.
Visual-spatial skills refer to your ability to recognize and remember things and the relationships between these things. This skill can be crucial for everyday tasks like driving, finding your way in a city, understanding a map, or objects around you.
Spatial ability is also important in many academic fields, including mathematics, natural sciences, engineering, meteorology, and architecture.
This is one of the main positive effects of video games that can be beneficial for students and professionals, and also for players in their daily lives.
Enhanced problem-solving and logic skills
A recent study in 2015 by Australian and Chinese research teams found that games improve problem-solving and logic skills.
The researchers conducted functional magnetic resonance imaging tests on 27 professional players and found that they had more gray matter and “increased connectivity between some subareas in the insular cortex.” Practically, this means an improvement in cognitive abilities, including improved problem-solving and logic skills.
Many players play games that require a lot of planning, strategic thinking, and logical use to achieve goals within the game, so it is logical that they will have improved development in brain areas dedicated to problem-solving and logic.
Increased hand-eye coordination
Increased hand-eye coordination is another positive effect of video games.
A study conducted in 2014 by the University of Toronto found that people who play games regularly have better sensory-motor skills than those who do not play games.
These skills are key to learning and performing tasks that require coordination between the hands and eyes faster, such as cycling, writing, or any other tasks that require coordination of hand movements with eye movements.
The study included 18 players and 18 non-players; both groups had to perform a simple task on their screens involving tracking green points with a mouse. Initially, there were no significant differences between the groups.
However, as the test continued to become repetitive, the tests showed that players performed faster and more accurately than non-players.
Games allow you to develop the ability to learn sensory-motor patterns and movements faster and more efficiently, which may help you in tasks in the real world.
Enhanced multitasking capabilities
Games have been shown to improve your ability to multitask.
This is one of the key benefits of games because they allow you to perform daily tasks better and more efficiently, as well as complete multiple tasks at the same time.
Many games require players to perform multiple tasks at the same time, especially action games. For example, you have to monitor the enemy on the screen, monitor your health, ammunition, and other statistics, as well as move the character. You may also be talking through the microphone with your teammates and friends.
With all the fast-paced action and high stimulation provided by modern games, players’ multitasking abilities may improve.
Faster and more accurate decision-making
Researchers from the University of Rochester found that video games can help you make decisions faster and more accurately, which may translate into better decision-making in real life.
The study also found that if you play action games in particular, you are likely to make decisions faster and more accurately than non-players, and even players who play slow games.
When presented with a problem, action game players were up to 25% faster than slow game players, and their decisions were also more accurate.
This skill can be valuable in work areas where quick decision-making is crucial, such as the battlefield, or in the hospital, where players are prepared to make these decisions faster and more accurately.
Promotion of positive social behaviors
Although excessive play may make you less social, there are many games that enhance the social aspect of play.
Some games require cooperation with other players and talking to them through text or voice, which can improve your ability to work with others and give you better social interactions, even when playing games.
The social aspect of gaming has also expanded beyond just playing social games. For example, games can be a common topic of conversation among students in school. There are also school-based e-sports teams and clubs formed, along with the convergence of games and social media platforms like Twitch and Discord.
While games have become more social, it is important to maintain a balance between face-to-face interactions and friendships in the real world.