Why Playing Video Games are Good for you
Have you ever had someone tell you that you spend too much time on your favorite video games? Well, today is your lucky day, because you’re about to have the best excuse ever for playing them. Scientific research has confirmed that video games are in fact good for you. It’s the best day ever!
Video games actually have a number of benefits to them; to name a few:
Video Games Can Slow Down the Aging Process
Okay, not any old video game can do this. But brain training games definitely can help. Playing a brain training game for just two hours a week can help slow down the degree of mental deterioration associated with the natural aging process. This is according to a study carried out at the University of Iowa.
A study included 681 healthy people aged 50 and over. It was revealed that playing 10 hours of a video game was able to slow down the natural decline of cognitive skills by up to seven years in most cases. How awesome is that?
Video Games Can Improve Mental Health
Video games are often blamed when it comes to a decline in mental health, but it’s actually the complete opposite. Not only do they give you time to forget about any problems you may have, but they also take you out of reality and into a virtual world.
A study in New Zealand treated depressed teenagers with ‘SPARX‘ which is a video game designed to give therapy to children and teenagers who are suffering from mild to moderate anxiety and depression.
The study included 168 teenagers with an average age of 15 that had previously sought help or struggled with depression and anxiety. Half of the teenagers carried on with their regular therapy schedule, and the other half played SPARX. The results came in with 44% of the SPARX players completely recovered from depression while only 26% of the regular therapy group recovered.
Super Mario Stimulates your Brain
A German study used 23 adults around the age of 25 to play Super Mario 64 for 30 minutes a day over a period of two months. The other control group didn’t play video games at all. Examining the adults with an MRI machine, the group that was playing Super Mario had a rise in gray matter. The gray matter was located in the right hippocampus, right prefrontal cortex, and the cerebellum. These are the areas of the brain responsible for spatial navigation, memory formation, strategic planning, and fine motor skills in the hands.
To conclude, video games could be used as therapy for patients with mental disorders. The disorders include schizophrenia, post-traumatic stress disorder and Alzheimer’s.
Video Games Can Help With Dyslexia
The University of Padua carried out a study that shows that playing fast-paced video games can help improve the reading skills of children who suffer from dyslexia. Children from the ages of 7 to 13 were split into two groups. One group played Rayman Raving Rabids, and the other played a lower tempo game. The reading skills of the children were tested afterward. The children who played Rayman was capable of reading faster and more accurately.
Video Games Can Help you Stay Fit
Of course, not all video games can help you stay fit. But Wii games certainly can. Hospitals and retirement homes sometimes offer Wii Fit and Wii Sports. They’re fun and keep your body moving if you can’t get to a gym. Researchers at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center carried out a study to see how much better active games are compared to activities like browsing the internet or watching TV. The tests involved measuring heart rate, self-reported exertion, and energy expenditure of kids aged 10 to 13 while they performed these exercises:
- watching television
- walking on a treadmill
- playing active video games
The findings showed that playing active video games was just as beneficial as walking on a treadmill at a speed of 3.5mph. Both walking on the treadmill and playing active video games burned the same amount of calories. This was was 3 times the amount of watching television.
Of course, remember to play video games in moderation. But they’re not as bad as everyone around you makes out. Happy gaming and stay casual!