The Benefits of Video Games

As my readers know, our family spends quite a bit of time playing video games. While we have our individual favorites, the majority of time we lean toward cooperative (co-op) games. Working together to defeat in-game enemies requires clear communication and a strong sense of teamwork; skills which translate well into real life (IRL).

The IRL benefits of video games are not limited to communication or teamwork skills, however. Video games have recently earned respect from the scientific and medical community, and are being used as a valuable resource tool in treating patients with a variety of conditions.

Below are a few examples, followed by source links:

+ Long-lasting and positive effects on perception, attention, memory and decision-making; long considered by psychologists to be the basic building blocks of intelligence.  
Source:  Psychology Today 

+ Playing video games can have therapeutic cognitive benefits by increasing brain size and connectivity.  Source:  Psychology Today

+  Improving vision in patients with amblyopia (lazy-eye), by forcing both eyes to work together to complete an in-game task.  Source:  McGill

+  Rehabilitating stroke victims by contracting their muscles to control the virtual environment.  Source:  The New Yorker

+  Training laparoscopic surgical residents - enhancing their visuospatial attention, patial resolution and hand-eye coordination.  Source:  in-Training

+  Tackling mental decline in old age by improving working memory and attention span.  Source:  BBC/Technology


+  Treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with exposure therapy, incremental exposure which allows them to recognize, control and cope with their responses to traumatic stimulation in a controlled environment.  Source:  The Mary Sue

+  Reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety in people with clinical depression.  
Source: East Carolina University

Not all the benefits of gaming are measurable by a research study or scientific data.   Besides an excellent form of stress relief and pure relaxation, my adventures in the virtual world yield rich bonding experiences with my family; a connectivity that is priceless.

Rika