Many people believe that gaming has no benefits. They think that gaming a lot will mean a decline in eyesight, weight gain, and many other health issues. Good news for those who enjoy gaming: this isn’t true! While too much of anything can be a bad thing, regular gaming practice could actually be good for your health. Here’s an idea of how moderate gaming could be good for your health:
Improved Cognitive Skills
Gaming has been closely linked to improved cognitive skills. When gaming, you need to think about your strategy and what you’re going to do next, which can lead to improved problem solving skills. It can also help you to concentrate and focus better in other activities outside of gaming. Many people also find that their hand eye coordination and reaction times improve with regular gaming.
Build Relationships
It’s quite possible that with regular gaming and involvement with the gaming community will help you to build relationships with other gamers. It’s always nice to feel part of a community, and gaming can help many people to do this. Humans are social creatures, and relationships are essential for overall health.
Slow Down Ageing
Many people don’t realise that gaming can actually slow down the ageing process! In the study, 681 healthy people aged 50 and older played 10 hours of a certain video game for five to eight weeks. They found that 10 hours is enough to slow the decline by several years.
Games Help Your Eyesight
Keeping eyesight in tact is important, and gaming can play a part in that. In a 2009 study, a group of experienced first-person shooter gamers plays Call of Duty and Unreal Tournament 2004 while more casual gamers played slow games like The Sims 2. After testing, those who played the first-person shooters showed signs of having a better vision than the other gamers.
It turns out that action games can be amazing for your eyesight, even games like eSports Racing – it doesn’t have to be a first person shooter game.
Improve Your Mental Health
It has been rumoured for a while that gaming can treat issues like anxiety and depression. Studies have proven time and time again that this is the case, whether playing relaxing games like Animal Crossing (great for general wellbeing) or more active and fast paced games, like Mortal Kombat. Keep this in mind next time you think gaming is a waste of time!
Stay Fit
Games that require movement, such as dancing games can be a great way to stay fit. Alongside walking and other healthy activities, active games could help to create a balanced workout routine. We lead sedentary lives more now than ever, but gaming can get us back on our feet and having fun with it. It doesn’t feel like a chore when you do it with a game!
If you’ve ever avoided gaming because you thought you’d be doing more harm than good, think again. Gaming could help to improve both your mental and physical health!