A lot of people think that playing video games is a complete waste of time and energy and that it will not help their kids at all. They think that the games only create addiction and that they also slide the players into obesity, unproductive lifestyle, and laziness. And in some cases, this could not be closer to the truth, and of course, there are kids who play games all the time and do not go out or play with friends. There are those kinds of cases and there always will be, because we do not live in a perfect world where everything is pink.
However, according to software engineering company JatApp, some games increase brain function, and that they even form and increase brain matter in young kids. Gaming might not adhere to some old-school methods of increasing brain IQ, problem-solving or practical thinking, but playing video games is considered one of the best ways to increase the volume of the brain especially when someone is playing games that include strategic planning.
Playing games and the environment
When playing video games, players are usually situated (game-wise) in an engaging environment that is there solely to make the players think faster and be more resourceful. Recently, research has emerged to investigate the positive potential of video games to make better use of our capabilities to shape the brain in new and powerful ways.
What happens to our memory?
Playing games also supplement memory. This is evident by research was carried out by researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development. Medicine took measurements of the study`s participants` before and after playing a game (Super Mario 64). The gamers played the game for two months for at least half an hour every day. According3to that study a significant increase in gray matter compared to the control study group that did not play games. According to the research, the areas of the brain that control working memory and strategic planning experienced the largest increase in growth.
Video games are great for improving spatial intelligence, which is in charge of smart thinking, spatial reasoning, image manipulation, and mental imagination. It is said that gamers have a very active imagination. A study performed in Switzerland has proved this data. Gamers are also great when it comes to different colors, they also have the capability of having a better sense of direction, because some games require constant navigation through unknown territory.
What have studies shown?
It’s proven that video games can help to improve logical intelligence. In the same study carried out in Switzerland, video gamers were put to a test to see how they will be resolving a conflict. A chart with badly shaded words was shown to some gamers, but they quickly noted the issues and addressed them, while most people think video gamers are slow in responding, the study showed they are quicker in dealing with such issues. In fact, several scans of the brain clearly showed that games affected three parts of our brain and those three parts are in charge of controlling and regulating attention.
What are the benefits of playing video games?
Playing video games benefits multi-tasking skills. Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, have created a specialized video game that can help the elderly to improve their mental skills such as managing multiple activities at the same time. A study was conducted and volunteers aged 60 to 85 without health issues improved their ability to multitask and stay focused on boring tasks while keeping related information in mind.. Playing games improve memory, players easily remember long figure numbers, this capability declines as we get older.
More benefits
Playing video games can boost brainpower. A study was carried out by researchers in England, they recruited 72 people and measured their ability to adapt and switch from one task to another and think about several ideas at a given time to solve problems (cognitive flexibility).
There were a couple of groups of people (volunteers) who trained to play a game named StarCraft. They were playing different versions. This game includes having an army and fighting an enemy. Only one-third of the entire group played a different game named The Simms and the difference between these two games is that The Sims does not require players to remember much. After a long 40 hours, those people were tested and the research showed that those who played StarCraft were a lot faster and flexible.
Conclusion
While video games have been proven effective in boosting a person’s intelligence which is essential to lead a healthy lifestyle by making correct decisions and performing different tasks with ease, but it’s important to have self-control when playing games! If you play them all the time, you will be unenergetic and you will forget a lot.
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