Guest Post
Remember when you were a kid and your mom told you to go outside and play – that it was good to get out there and “blow the stink off you?” Well, new research has found that staying inside and playing video games might also be beneficial. Here’s how.
They Stimulate The Growth Of Gray Matter and Improve Spatial Intelligence
Playing Mario may improve your spatial intelligence, according to a German study done involving 23 adults. The study participants were asked to play Super Mario 64 for 30 minutes a day over a period of two months. A separate control group didn’t play video games at all.
After the two month period, MRI scans showed that the gaming group had a significant rise in gray matter in the right hippocampus, right prefrontal cortex, and the cerebellum. This is the first study to show a causal link between video gaming and a volumetric increase in brain matter.
Now, before you rush out to buy a Nintendo gaming system, and scarf up retro games, keep in mind that there are a lot of action/adventure games out there that are open source and don’t infringe copyright and might accomplish the same thing. As long as they are approved by the copyright holder for free sharing, you can download them from a torrent website and rotate your games. See how well you do with spatial recognition and intelligence two months from now.
They Improve Your Psych Profile
Some games, like Starcraft have the ability to increase your brain’s flexibility. While it’s difficult to say whether you’ll actually get better on any upcoming psych evaluation, it’s interesting to note that all of the 72 volunteers who played the game experienced such gains on psychological tests conducted after 40 hours of gameplay. Those results were not obtained by playing other, less demanding, games like The Sims.
They May Slow The Aging Process
If you’re getting older, you might be interested to know that games might help slow the aging process. In a study with 681 healthy individuals aged 50 and over, researchers found that 10 hours of a specially designed video game (simulating driving) was able to stall the natural decline of various cognitive skills by up to seven years in some cases.
They May Help You Read Better
A study done at the University of Padua shows that fast-paced video games can improve reading skills of children, especially those with dyslexia.
They May Distract You From Chronic Pain
In 2010, researchers found that virtual reality games were able to reduce anxiety and pain caused by medical procedures like chemotherapy, and those being treated for burn wounds saw a 30 to 50 percent reduction in pain ratings.
They May Improve Your Eyesight
A 2009 study showed that games like Unreal Tournament 2004 and Call of Duty helped improve eyesight in gamers. The study showed that experienced gamers who play these first-person shooters have contrast sensitivity function (the ability to discern subtle changes in the brightness of an image), while inexperienced action gamers do not. This may be instrumental in helping those with bad eyesight in the future.
Irma Campbell is a psychology professor and researching. With a focus on modern communications and entertainment, she often blogs about her insights into the mind in the digital age.
