Most children’s lives revolve around video games. From televised e-sports championships to mobile games on our cellphones, they’re now more accessible than ever. Individuals can even watch other people play video games on Twitch, an internet streaming service.
As parents, we are always faced with how much time our children spend playing video games. Do we allow children to play too much? Is it possible that video games are becoming a problem for these kids? Is it true that video games are hazardous for children?
As a starting point for our investigation, we examined some of the more recent scientific research that has addressed some of these issues. Specifically, whether or not video games are beneficial or detrimental to your health.
Here’s a quick summary of our findings, followed by a more in-depth explanation of the science behind it.
Is playing video games harmful to your health? Mental and physical health are both improved by playing video games. Learning how to tackle real-world problems while also developing new sections of your brain is one of the many benefits of playing video games. Gaming can help older adults slow down the ageing process of their brains. It’s possible to exercise, enhance your vision and fine motor skills, and alleviate pain while playing your favourite games.
If you’re concerned about your child’s video game use, this might provide some useful information.
Additionally, our video game design summer programmes are a great way to channel a kid’s love of gaming into something more useful.
Gaming’s mental health benefits
Since their inception in the 1970s, video games have progressed quickly. Although gaming was historically associated with idleness and ill behaviour, recent studies have shown that it can have positive outcomes.
Gaming isn’t only a way to pass the time or improve your hand-eye coordination. If you know what to look for, they can also help you increase your mental faculties.
- Playing video games can be like taking an anabolic steroid to the brain.
According to new research, mentally ill and physically challenged people can benefit from gaming. The Max Planck Institute for Human Development has collected this information in Germany.
They discovered that grey matter in the brain grows as a person plays video games. Playing games helps to improve both learnt and instinctive talents. When it comes to spatial orientation and fine motor skills, gaming directly affects the brain.
The researchers studied two distinct groups of adults. Two months into the experiment, one group was asked to play Super Mario 64 for 30 minutes each day, and others did not engage in any video game activity at all. An MRI was performed on each participant at the beginning of the trial to determine their brain mass, and after two months, they were re-examined for accuracy.
The study discovered that those who play video games had different brain structures from those who do not. According to a new survey, gaming has been shown to enhance the size of the brain.
- According to the experts, those with mental problems, such as Alzheimer’s, may benefit from playing video games.
In the process of addressing problems, you can acquire valuable problem-solving abilities.
The ability to strategize and solve real-world problems can be taught through video games. Minecraft, for example, is a famous video game that lets you use objects in your environment to solve challenges.
SimCity and other open-ended world-building games allow gamers to hone their problem-solving abilities on a far wider scale.
- How?
Creating a city in SimCity requires players to plan for several occurrences. It’s possible that human intervention, such as alterations to city design to accommodate expansion, is to blame. Natural disasters like hurricanes and tornadoes can happen at any time.
It’s possible that half of the city could be wiped out by a massive monster attack.
With SimCity, kids and adults of all ages can learn the fundamentals of resource management and strategic planning all at once.
In the game, you’ll learn how to apply these methods to the real world around you. Some of these strategies may become automatic for children, and they may begin using them without realizing they are doing so until it is too late.
- Smarter people use real-time tactics to their advantage.
According to researchers at Queen Mary University and UCL, games that improve cognitive flexibility are a boon to the brains of players. One of the scientists’ definitions of human intelligence is that we have this ability. Real-time strategy games, for example, could be useful tools for making learning more interesting.
After spending 40 hours playing either Starcraft or The Sims over two months, psychological tests were used to conclude the impact of gaming.
According to the findings, participants’ test scores improved noticeably after playing Starcraft. They worked faster and more accurately on a variety of projects.