Who doesn’t appreciate playing their favorite game on a traditional Nintendo DS? Of course, we all do. But occasionally, people will warn you that playing video games can be bad for your mental health. Have you ever heard someone remark, “Stop playing video games or your eyes will pop out?” We have all heard that I’m sure.
While playing video games in excess can be harmful to your health, doing so in moderation can actually benefit your brain in some ways. Here in this post, we have researched ways how video games are good for your brain. So get ready because you will be enjoying your favorite games later with excitement rather than a sense of guilt. However, if you are concerned that you might get too carried away, especially if you are reading this post for your children and want to let them play games, but only occasionally, try setting parental controls on your internet connection. If you want a connection that readily includes parental controls, you might want to consider signing up for Spectrum Internet. It will enable you to maintain parental control over your children’s internet use, while letting them enjoy their games.
Now, without further ado, let’s look at ways how video games are good for your brain.
Video Games Increase Your Brain’s Grey Matter
So it’s possible that you’ve already heard a lot of it. But what does our brain’s grey matter actually do? How can playing video games improve it? Well, the central nervous system’s grey matter allows individuals to regulate their mobility, memory, and moods. In essence, the processing is performed in grey matter. The hippocampus is sufficiently engaged by video games to produce a cognitive representation of the virtual world the brain is investigating. Numerous studies indicate that stimulating the hippocampus results in an increase in grey matter and functional activity.
Thus, while playing video games, you are also improving your brain’s processing capacities.
Playing Video Games Can Boost Your Problem-solving Ability
We frequently need to use problem-solving skills in our daily lives. Video games can aid in enhancing this capacity, which demands concentration and intense brain activity. Your brain can regain lost energy and reset with the help of video games. You fully commit to a game when you are playing it. And this enables your brain to create new connections and effectively address problems.
Additionally, games like Call of Duty that have an open-world setting and require you to solve many problems independently let you practice creativity that you can then use in real life. So, as you are engrossed in trying to figure out how to beat that challenging level of your favorite game, you are training your brain to think critically.
Video Games Develop Persistence
How many times have you put off doing something important because it felt difficult? Yes, that has happened to all of us loads of times. The good news is that playing video games can teach you persistence. In order to progress through a game’s higher levels and defeat a difficult boss, you might have to go through it several times. Persistence and patience are absolutely needed for this.
Playing video games can help people become more self-assured and motivated to achieve their goals by viewing each failure as a new learning experience, thus, not giving up and trying again and again till they finally achieve the desired goal.
Video Gaming Can Actually Give You Some Extra Years of Good Memory
With age, our memory begins to decline. Reduced blood flow to the brain is a common occurrence in older adults, which can affect memory and alter cognitive abilities. Playing some fun video games, especially 3D games, will help your memory last a few more years. According to findings published in Behavioral Brain Research, two weeks of Angry Birds or Super Mario played increased recognition memory.
These results imply that exposure to rich three-dimensional surroundings and novel events may both enhance cognition. Video game interventions may also be helpful for people of any age, but they may be especially helpful for those who are housebound and unable to encounter a range of new settings.
Video Gaming can make Your Mood Better
Playing video games may be a terrific way to unwind. Simple games like Angry Birds have been shown to boost happiness and mood, according to 2013 research by the American Psychological Association. Complex and engrossing video games may be soothing as well. Playing video games may be a great way to distract your brain from the stress and tension of daily living and immerse yourself in a virtual world.
To summarize,
While playing video games excessively might be harmful to your physical and mental health, doing so in moderation can actually be pretty good for your brain. It can speed up brain processing, improve memory, foster perseverance, sharpen analytical abilities, and lift your mood.
