The Positive Effects of Playing Video Game
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The Positive Effects of Playing Video Game
Video games are electronically produced images by use of a computer program on a monitor or can also be produced using phones applications which have been designed with instructions on how to play the video games. The participants can either win or lose the game depending on how well they execute all the required instructions and solving the difficult problems through the manipulation of keys on a keyboard. Due to the development of technology, video games are now being played by most people across all age, race or gender throughout the world. Thus, the discussion that follows intends to look at the positive effect of playing video games.
Playing video Games Improves Sensorimotor Control
According to a study conducted at Toronto University, they established that playing video games often improve sensorimotor control when compared to people who have never played the game (Gozli, 2017). The study which included 18 gamers and 18 non-gamers, tested their accuracy and learning capability. The results showed that the gamers were more accurate than the non-gamers which was associated to gamers having an improved sensorimotor.
In terms of learning ability, the study found out that gamers had a high capability of learning than the non-gamers (Gozli, 2017). Therefore, the researchers concluded that videogames improve a person’s sensorimotor which makes him or her be able to carry out or learn new tasks easily than non-gamers. Since gamers in the study were more accurate than non-gamers, the researchers also concluded that this could have been linked to improved learning ability caused by gaming.
Playing Video Games Improves Problem-Solving Skills
Teena and Adachi carried out a study on playing video games, and they looked at how the game affect problem-solving skills of a person (Adachi et. al., 2013). The researchers found out that playing video games helps in improving problem solving skills in people. Their study involved 1,492 adolescents who were chosen to participate in the gaming research. They were then divided into two groups, which involved; gamers and the non-gamers. After carried out a number of experiments, they found out that those who were regular video gamer performed better in problem-solving than non-gamers. The gamer also performed better in academic related tests than non-gamers. Therefore, this study indicates that video gaming improves problem solving skills.
Improves Sports-Related Confidence
Video gaming has also been linked to other sports, and in particular, how playing the game affects the playing of other sports. Adachi et. al. carried out a research on 1,492 Canadian students, who were chosen to be the participants in the study. The groups were then divided into video gamers and non-gamers. After carrying out the study, they found out that the gamers tended to be more confident in other sports than non-gamers (Adachi et. al., 2016). This is an indication that playing video games improves a person’s self-esteem which in turn builds a person’s self-confidence when engaging in other sporting activities.
Memory of a Person is Improved
When a person is playing a video game, he or she is expected to follow certain instructions that the game uses as procedures for playing. This means that the participant’s visual and audial memory is kept alert while playing the game. For that reason, the gamer has to keep his or her memory active while gaming to ensure successful execution of the procedures or set instructions of the game. This is what improves the memory of the gamer while playing video game (Eugenio, 2017). Since non-gamers do not have the gaming platform to challenge their memory, they are more likely to lag behind gamers in memory tests. The improvement in memory as an effect of playing video game is therefore of the positive effect that engaging in the gaming activity brings to participants.
Video Game Improves Concentration and Attention
Playing video games improve the concentration of gamers, and this improvement can be used in other activities which is to the advantage of gamers (Eugenio, 2017). The improvement results from the game having the ability to capture all the attention of the participant while engaging in the activity. In most video games, the player is expected to win the first march so that he or she can proceed to the next stage of higher level. This encourages the participant to increase his or her concentration or attention to the game while playing it. The same improvement in attention and concentration observed in video games is applied in real life. Therefore, video gamers have an advantage of increasing their attention and concentration to details which they can use in their daily routine or activity. This is another positive effect of video games.
It Improves Multitasking Skills
As mentioned earlier, video game players have a goal of winning the game so they can move to another level. This requires them to be observant and able to operate on different keys on the keyboard while at the same time looking at various features on the screen. The features that the player ought to be observant for may include incoming anniversary, energy level, the available time and ammunition left all of which are important for the player to win the game (Eugenio, 2017). This encourages the participant to improve his or her observance while operating on the keyboard. The resultant effect is to also improve the multitasking ability which is useful in other real life activities.
The Playing of Video Games Improves Critical Thinking skills
Video games feature many characters and as such, the participant must evaluate and analyze every move of each particular character to enable him or her win the game. The evaluation part on the best move to make so as to achieve maximum success requires critical thinking skills which is the reason why video games are believed to be beneficial to gamers in improving their critical thinking skills (Rakhee, 2019). It is for this reason that playing video games becomes an activity that has positive effect as the one that been illustrated.
Social Skills are Improved after Playing Video Game
A lot of kids assemble together to play the game either among friends or in groups, which is a good thing when it comes to creating friendship or improving the social skills of children. This implies that video games can be used by parents to improve the social skills of their children by allowing them to play with other children or their friends. This is one of the many positive effects for children playing video games (Rakhee, 2019). In addition, online multiplayer games are some of the examples of games which require gamers to play with people from different parts of the world and this is another way that children or gamers in general get to interact and make friends with other gamers from different parts of the world.
It Improves Planning and Resource Management
When playing video games, gamers are required to learn how to manage their limited time. Video games such as Age of Empires, SimCity as well as Railroad Tycoon have been credited with helping gamers learn how to manage their resources well (Tumbokon, 2019). Just like any other positive effect that playing the game comes with, improving the ability to plan is another positive effects of playing video games.
Improvement of Situational Awareness.
The act of playing video game has been credited for the improvement of a person’s situational awareness. There is evidence to show that soldiers use video games to train themselves on how to improve their situational awareness in combat. The reason why playing video game improves situational awareness is because a person has to be mindful of any sudden situational changes and be able to be in a position to easily adapt and respond (Tumbokon, 2019). Soldiers tend to increase their adaptation and reaction after playing video games, and this is another advantage or positive effect of playing video games.
Improves Inductive Reasoning and Hypothesis Testing
Professor Gee of the University of Wisconsin-Madison argues that playing video games is like working in a laboratory (Tumbokon, 2019). The reason being that a gamer has to come up with a hypothesis he or she can use to win a game. If the combination of his hypothesis turns out to be ineffective in enabling the participant win the game, then the gamer will have to come up with other combinations for a new game. For that reason, playing video game is viewed as a goal-driven experience which improves inductive reasoning.
Playing Video Game Promotes Teamwork and Cooperation
There are several multiplayer games which require combination and cooperation of online player’s efforts in order to win a game. Therefore, participants combine from different parts in order to form a team that will play the game. This is a form of teamwork and sharing of skills that gamers engage in and they can also replicate the same in their daily lives. In addition, teachers have reported that students who play games often tend to show better collaboration in classwork or group work than non-gamers (Tumbokon, 2019). For that reason, it is not crazy at all to argue that playing video games promotes teamwork and collaboration.
Video Game Playing Improves the Ability to Fly Planes through Simulation
The art of video game has been employed to produce simulations. The flight simulators that try to mimic a real flying plane have aspire to be pilots. In addition the simulator can show the airspeed, controls, altimeter, wing angles as well as a real representation of the earth which is redisplayed in the simulator (Tumbokon, 2019). Moreover, all the operations and processes in the simulator are updated in real time. Therefore, playing the simulator, which is similar to playing a video games, has improved learning for pilots who want to know how to fly a plane. This is another positive effect of video games.
It Improves One’s Confidence and Adaptation to Computer Technology
The development of technology has increased hi-tech and sophisticated computer apparatus worldwide. Playing video game, on the other hand, exposes a person to computers which make users to be more comfortable and adapted to using the new technology (Tumbokon, 2019). Therefore, it is important for people to engage in computer related activities such as video games to dispel any fear or insecurities that may be associated with new technological tools.
It Improves Creativity
Playing video games have been linked with improvement in creativity among kids or those playing the game. This is a positive effect since kids like any other grown up person need to be creative and innovative (Tumbokon, 2019). Playing games has also been compared to using the internet and whether there is any improvement in creativity while using the internet versus gaming. There is no recorded information about the use of the internet improving creativity while gaming has greatly been associated with creativity. Thus, this is another benefit that gamers get when playing video games.
It Improves Eyesight
Gaming improves eyesight through training the brain on how to follow locomotion, and therefore, be able to spot finer details and subtle light changes (Tumbokon, 2019). Kids with poor vision have also been reported to increase their vision after playing the game when compared to those who have never been exposed to gaming. These are some of the positive effects that gaming, in this case, video gaming has on the participants.
Playing Video Game Improves various parts of the Brain
In 2013, St. Hedwig Hospital and Berlin’s Max Planck Institute for Human Development carried out a research on the correlation between the brain and playing video game. The study found out that there was a significant increase of the gray matter in the right prefrontal, the right hippocampus and the cerebellum for those engaged in playing the game (Tumbokon, 2019). These parts of the brain helps in: strategic planning, spatial navigation, motor performance, and memory (West et. al., 2017). In other words, the increase in the gray matter in these regions demonstrate that there is an increase in memory while its decrease is related to dementia or bipolar disorder. Therefore, in addition to the fact that playing video games improves memory, it helps to control schizophrenia, neurodegenerative diseases, and post-traumatic stress disorders as well. All these effects are positive and this shows how important it is for kids to play video games.
Conclusion
Overall, playing video games has many positive effects such as improving sensorimotor control and self-confidence. Moreover, video gamers show improvement in problem-solving skills. The other positive effect of playing video game is the improvement in concentration which is why video games have been introduced in military to help soldiers develop or improve their sense of awareness. It is worth noting that these positive effects that video gamers develop are brought about by the change of the grey matter in the brain caused by playing video game. It is this change in the part of the brain that scholars believe is responsible for the many positive effects associated with the game.
References
Adachi, P. J., & Willoughby, T. (2013). More than just fun and games: The longitudinal relationships between strategic video games, self-reported problem solving skills, and academic grades. Journal of youth and adolescence, 42(7), 1041-1052.
Adachi, P. J., & Willoughby, T. (2016). Does playing sports video games predict increased involvement in real-life sports over several years among older adolescents and emerging adults?. Journal of youth and adolescence, 45(2), 391-401.
Eugenio, S. (2017, February 9). Public Access – 8 Cognitive Benefits of Playing Video Games for Kids. Retrieved from https://www.engadget.com/2017/02/09/8-cognitive-benefits-of-playing-video-games-for-kids/
Gozli, D. (2014, October 17). Media Room & Blue Book – University of Toronto. Retrieved from https://media.utoronto.ca/media-releases/university-of-toronto-study-finds-action-video-games-bolster-sensorimotor-skills/
Rakhee, M. (2019, March 13). Top 10 Positive Effects Of Video Games On Children. Retrieved from https://www.momjunction.com/articles/positive-effects-of-video-games-on-children_00371136/#gref
Tumbokon, R. (2019, April 29). 25+ Positive and Negative Effects of Video Games. Retrieved from https://www.raisesmartkid.com/3-to-6-years-old/4-articles/34-the-good-and-bad-effects-of-video-games
West, G. L., Zendel, B. R., Konishi, K., Benady-Chorney, J., Bohbot, V. D., Peretz, I., & Belleville, S. (2017). Playing Super Mario 64 increases hippocampal grey matter in older adults. PloS one, 12(12), e0187779.