The Benefits Of Playing Video Games

Video games are a $25 billion industry in the US, with 99% of boys and 94% of girls playing video games. It seems that not a day goes by without there being a new shock story about the dangers of video games, with video game-playing children condemned as being unsocial weirdoes with the potential to become violent, grab a deadly weapon and start shooting their classmates as though they were nothing more than pixels in a shooter game (It's been reported that both Sandy Hook Elementary School murderer, Adam Lanza, and the Columbine High School killers played violent video games for up to 16 hours a day).

But is it necessarily true?

A review by the American Psychological Association suggests that we need to examine the benefits of video games. Isabella Granic et al, of Radboud University in the Netherlands, explain that the nature of video games has changed substantially, becoming more complex, realistic and social. To demonstrate this, they examine several of the most popular games of 2011:

• World of Warcraft: a multiple-player experience, enjoyed by more than 12 million players who regularly log on to customise their fantasy personae, explore ever-changing vistas, and engage in battle with human and computerised opponents.
• Starcraft 2: a complex chess-like strategy game that requires players to balance multitasking with securing resources, amassing an army and battling opponents
• The Sims 3: a game where players develop a virtual family, learning new skills, maintaining steady employment and building relationships
• Halo 4: a first-person game where players have to work alone, or over the internet with others, to kill alien races
• Minecraft: using Lego-like pieces to construct vast virtual worlds, which are then shared with others

The vast variation between five popular games, Granic et al suggest, make it impossible to draw a picture of a stereotypical "gamer", let alone that antisocial loser  who sits in his room until the early hours and may become violent, and who is so often depicted in the media.

Still, we do need some kind of definition. What is a gamer?

For the purposes of this article, we're using the definition suggested by Granic et al. A gamer is a person who plays any kind of video game regularly, for one hour or more every day.

Cognitive Benefits

Playing video games has many potential cognitive effects:

More creativity: Jackson et al (2012) reports that playing video games (regardless of the type) is positively reported with an increase in creativity. The same is not found with any other type of technology (the internet, computers, cell phones).

Improvements in visual contrast sensitivity: 50 hours of video gaming (spaced over ten to twelve weeks) increased sensitivity to the perception of colour, including subtle differences in shades of grey.

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Treatment of Ambylopia: Ambylopia (lazy eye) is a disorder where one eye becomes non-functioning. In a study by Li et al (2011), people with Ambylopia were given a video game to play, with their good eye covered. They showed great improvement, with some patients achieving 20/20 vision or better. The same did not happen when Li et al gave patients other tasks, including knitting or watching television with their good eye covered.

Improved spatial awareness: Gamers may be better drivers. Green and Bavelier (2012) found that action gamers had a better ability to locate a target in a field of distractors.

More Benefits of Gaming

More Cognitive Benefits

Reduced impulsiveness: Dye, Green and Bavelier (2009) showed that action gamers can resist non-target stimuli for the longest period of time.

Overcoming dyslexia: In cases where dyslexia results from visual inattention, gaming may help. Franceschini et al (2013) found that as few as 12 hours of gaming improved dyslexic children's reading and phonology (the organisation of sounds in language). Gaming proved to be as or more effective than specific programmes designed for treating dyslexic children.

Increased ability to multitask: Chiappi et al (2013) found that 50 hours of gaming caused increased scores in the Multi-Attribute Task Battery, which requires the ability to multitask (keeping a target centred, while responding to lights on a panel and voice commands) and also predicts the participants ability to pilot a plane in the real world.

Mental flexibility: Gamers have been shown to be able to switch rapidly and smoothly between tasks that require different skills.

Better problem-solving skills: Rather than only following one set of instructions, children who are gamers have grown-up practicing vital trial-and-error skills. Adachi & Willoughby (2013) showed that playing video games enhances problem-solving skills year-on-year.

Greater Motivation

Video games can help increase motivation by setting tasks that gamers have to work through. By overcoming obstacles, young gamers get a boost in self-esteem that makes them want to tackle obstacles in the real-world. By solving tasks and receiving feedback, young players realise they have knowledge that they might otherwise feel they lack.

Children and teenagers are motivated by a sense of accomplishment. If they feel they are accomplishing something in the game, they will be driven to want to succeed more.

The reward system in games - usually more intermittent as the game continues - provides more encouragement for the child or teenager to keep playing and trying, allowing the young gamer to learn about not giving up at the first obstacle. This could transfer into a real-world skill.

Emotional Benefits of Gaming

Video games can have a positive effect on players' emotion.

Boosted Mood: Russoniello et al (2009) said that puzzle games, such as Angry Birds, that require a short-term commitment can improve mood and relieve anxiety by promoting relaxation.

READ Do Video Games Really Increase High-Risk Behavior In Teens?

Pride: McGonigal et al (2011) described the feeling of fiero (the Italian word for intense pride after overcoming adversity) that gamers feel. This is a positive sensation that many gamers report feeling. Such positive feelings are linked to positive outcomes for adolescents. Fredrickson (2001) has a theory that feeling positive emotion daily helps to build the number of behaviours and experiences that are deemed positive, which may help broaden social relationships and our life experience.

Social Benefits of Gaming

Games have changed a lot over the past 10-20 years. Gaming is no longer a solitary pursuit and the average gamer is not a socially-awkward nerd. Over 70% of gamers now play with a friend, either in cooperation or competitively.

Better Prosocial Skills: Evidence suggests that playing social games (whether competitively or cooperatively) helps players acquire social skills that encourage "helping" behaviours, not only for a short-term within the game, but long-term and potentially outside the game. Lenhart et al (2008) showed players of Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing games (MMORPs) were more likely to be involved in charitable or civic activities in their daily lives.

Physical Benefits of Gaming

Gaming isn't usually thought of as being a physically healthy activity, however, some notable benefits have been found that may change your mind.

READ Video Game Addiction – Is It Real?

Improved chronic illness: adolescent patients with chronic illnesses such as Parkinson's and depression reported an increase in "resilience, empowerment and the fighting spirit" when they played video games, according to Bruggers et al (2012) in a study for the University of Utah.

Increased pain relief: Patterson and Hoffmann at the University of Washington developed an immersive game that distracted patients who were in severe pain. It works by overwhelming the senses and diverting attention away from pain signals. Military hospitals have found it helps soldiers recovering from battlefield wounds.

Slows the aging process: A study of 681 adults aged 50 and over found that adults who play video games for 10 hours or more a week had improved speed and quality of mental processing and slowed the decline of aging cognitive functions by up to 7 years.

Great for rehabilitating stroke victims: Debbie Rand of Tel Aviv University split recovering stroke patients into two groups: one group did traditional rehabilitation and the other group played Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii and PlayStation 3 games.

While both groups improved, the gamers performed double the number of arm repetitions in each session and continued to regain hand strength after the course of physiotherapy. Occupational therapist Rand theorised that it was because the gaming group was working towards a goal and not merely performing repetitive exercises. Rand says that because the games are enjoyable, patients are more likely to commit to treatment.

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Better fitness: New games, such as Wii Sport or Just Dance could be the next frontier in battling obesity. Tsai et al gave one group of overweight or obese college students the game Just Dance 4 Kinect and an Xbox 360, and another group of students a sedentary game. They found that the students who played Just Dance 4 improved strength, agility, endurance, and body composition (including lower Body Mass Index, weight, and cholesterol) in just two months of gaming.

Conclusion

Although much of the media surrounding video games is negative, video games have a lot of potential value to us as a society, whether you are attracted to traditional "action games", MMORPs, or puzzle games. Video games offer an exciting opportunity to develop more interactive and entertaining health treatments that patients will want to stick with, and provide the chance to build skills that can be applied in the real-world.

No matter what your motivation is for playing, however, remember that gaming isn't meant to consume your whole life. Try and limit yourself, or your children, to an hour or two a day.

Video games can have many benefits. But they're only one small part of a rich and full life.