Video games have become a globally beloved and widely accessible form of entertainment. Although they may offer controversial subject matter or addictive characteristics in some cases, they also offer a myriad of potential benefits to gamers, with modern science even discovering some promising cognitive benefits for those who regularly enjoy gaming activities.
New research is finding that video gaming has the power to enhance cognitive performance and ability, improve problem-solving skills, and even boost hand-eye coordination – all of which are benefits which result in sharper mental faculties in the long run.
Read on as we explore the scientific links between video games and cognitive skills and how gaming can contribute towards the development and maintenance of a healthier brain.
Delving Into Hand-Eye Coordination
Hand-eye coordination is an essential cognitive skill that enables you to align physical movements with information about your surroundings obtained through your vision. It comes into play during a vast range of activities, from playing sports and writing to driving, cooking, and many others. Research indicates that video games, and more specifically action-based video games such as racing and first-person shooter games, can notably improve gamers’ hand-eye coordination, not only during games, but in all areas of life.
This benefit manifests through three main mechanisms: increased visual acuity, rapid processing, and the development of muscle memory. Action games with visually stimulating environments and detailed settings can train gamers’ brains to filter out unnecessary information and maintain focus on important objects, including targets, enemies or hidden bonuses. The action of constantly filtering information and seeking out essential details improves visual ability and pattern identification.
Games like these also require players to make rapid reactions and decisions, which can build better rapid processing skills. Players need to consistently keep track of fast-moving objects, anticipate next moves, and respond with rapid and accurate inputs to succeed in their games of choice. This form of visual processing strengthens the connections between the brain’s visual and motor cortices, leading to the development of quicker and more precise hand movements.
Certain video games can also build muscle memory through the repetition of complicated button combinations or maneuvers. Over periods of time, these movements become simpler to remember and to replicate, enabling gamers to take action instinctively and quickly. This muscle memory also frees up the brain to tackle other important tasks, improving coordination in the process.
Perfecting Problem-Solving Skills
Video games can also challenge and enhance players’ problem-solving abilities. Different game genres can offer varying benefits in this regard; puzzle games boost gamers’ spatial reasoning, pattern recognition neural pathways, and logic by encouraging them to analyze problems and use creative thinking to overcome challenges, and strategy games require players to plan ahead and develop complex strategies, fostering decision-making, critical thinking, and resource management skills.
Role playing games, or RPGs, require gamers to navigate complex and nuanced storylines, manage character statistics, and complete layered quests, encouraging information analysis and critical thinking in order to secure ideal narrative outcomes. Each of these unique game genres presents challenges which can strengthen players’ frontal lobes – the part of the brain associated with solving problems, making decisions, and planning in advance.
Developing Sharp and Capable Cognition
Aside from enhancing skills like hand-eye coordination and problem solving, research suggests that video games can actually promote the development of optimal cognition and brain function. Some evidence suggests that games can increase neuroplasticity, the rate at which the brain forms new connections between neurons and shares information between brain regions. Brains with high degrees of neuroplasticity are more resilient, more adaptable to new information and environments, and better equipped to tackle new challenges and obstacles with logic and creative thinking strategies.
Video games can also enhance cognitive functions like information processing speeds, memory, and attention span. This advantage can benefit players of all ages, from children and teens who are developing their cognition to seniors who are seeking entertaining ways to preserve their brain health and function. A recent study by the National Institutes of Health found that those who played video games for three hours or more each day performed better on cognitive skills tests compared to those who had never played them before. The children scored better on metrics like working memory and impulse control, suggesting that gaming could have significant mental benefits for this age group.
Video games may even assist players in improving their multitasking abilities. Many games require players to tackle numerous tasks at the same time, such as navigating complex environments and keeping an eye on potential threats simultaneously. This multitasking improves the brain’s ability to switch its attention between different tasks while managing simultaneous demands. Of course, this skill is also highly valued within the dynamic and fast-paced modern world, making it beneficial not only in the context of gaming, but in everyday life as well.
Harvard Business Review even notes that video gaming skills could help you to shape and improve your career. Gaming-related skills like overcoming challenges, adapting to new information and environments, solving problems, and approaching obstacles with determination and a willingness to keep trying to solve them until you succeed all translate well into today’s demanding work environments. Video games of all kinds, whether they are RPGs, FPS or even those found at Jumba Bet Casino even teach patience and dedication, two valuable soft skills that may allow you to take the steps needed to build a robust and thriving career over time.
The Bottom Line
When enjoyed responsibly, video games can offer powerful and effective tools for improving your cognitive abilities and enhancing your brain development at every phase of life. Their ability to boost problem-solving skills, enhance hand-eye coordination, and even build neuroplasticity can lead to a more resilient brain and sharper cognition both during games and while fulfilling the many demands life brings your way.
Additionally, video games provide a novel, entertaining, and relaxing way to build new cognitive skills and abilities, giving you the opportunity to truly enjoy each workout you give your brain!
Angela Spearman is a journalist at EzineMark who enjoys writing about the latest trending technology and business news.