Video games: they’re addictive, they make kids fat and they turn us all into trained murderers. Or, at least, that’s what we’re often told. But what of the positive effects of video games? Surely there must be some?
Yep, there are. Plenty, in fact.
They Can Improve Motor Skills
[H]ealth researchers at Australia’s Deakin University found tikes who play interactive video games, such as those available on Wii for instance, have better motor skills.
The results of the study showed that object control motor skills (such as kicking, catching, and throwing a ball), were better in the children who played interactive games.
They Can Relieve Pain
According to a study unveiled in 2010 by the American Pain Society video games and virtual reality experiences can be as helpful as pain relievers in children and adults.
The study showed that, when immersed in a virtual environment, participants who were undergoing serious procedures like chemotherapy reported “significantly less stress and trepidation”.
They Can Improve Eyesight
In 2007 the University of Rochester, New York, revealed a study that had found just 30 hours of “training” on a first-person shooter can result in a significant boost to one’s spatial resolution; that is, the ability to clearly see small, densely packed together objects.
In 2009 another University of Rochester study also found that players of action games can become up to 58 per cent better at perceiving fine contrast differences.
They Help You Make Faster Decisions
In 2010, following the discovery that video games can help you see more shades of grey than a Suburban full of soccer mums, cognitive scientists from the University of Rochester also discovered that playing action video games trains people to make correct decisions faster.
Researchers found that video game players “develop a heightened sensitivity to what is going on around them, and this benefit doesn’t just make them better at playing video games, but improves a wide variety of general skills that can help with everyday activities like multitasking, driving, reading small print, keeping track of friends in a crowd, and navigating around town.”
They Can Tackle Mental Illnesses
In April this year researchers at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, found a computer game designed to pull teens out of their depression was as “effective as one-on-one counselling.” […]
But that’s not all. In a study published back in 2010 and presented earlier this year at the British Psychology Society Annual Conference, a team from Oxford University found that playing Tetris shortly after exposure to something traumatic can actually prevent PTSD-related flashbacks.