Though folks of a certain age often dismiss online gaming as an activity that stunts players’ social skills and can lead to sleep deprivation and too much time spent in a sedentary state, in recent years that narrative has changed.
New research has found a surprising number of health benefits associated with video gaming — so long as players don’t engage in marathon sessions that last hours upon hours and interrupt other important aspects of their lives.
For instance, video gaming may increase youngsters’ cognitive skills and impulse control.
According to Cleveland Clinic psychologist and pediatric behavioral health specialist Dr. Michael Manos, “a recent study of more than 2,200 children discovered that gamers who played more than 21 hours a week performed better than non-gamers when they were tested for impulsive behavior and memorization. In fact, researchers observed gamers had more activity than non-gamers in regions of their brains that were associated with attention and memory.”
In addition, notes Manos, research also shows that, through the use of attention control and reward processing, gaming can positively affect a person’s brain plasticity — i.e., its ability to change in response to learning.
“Like stimulants, video gaming can increase gray matter in the brain,” says Manos. “Gray matter provides interconnectivity and allows parts of your brain to communicate with other parts of your brain and advance your self-perception.”
Gaming can encourage physical activity
In recent years, there has been a rise in video games that promote physical activity. The 2016 craze of Pokémon Go encouraged players to go outdoors in their hometowns. The game’s premise of hunting for Pokémon on the go motivated people to explore their local areas and spend time exploring and hunting with others.
Wii Fit is another popular game that encourages users to exercise while completing certain tasks. Recently, Nintendo released Ring Fit Adventure, a physical role-playing game in which gamers complete action-packed missions by exercising. The game comes with leg strap controllers that track your progress and strength during the workout, boosting your cardiovascular health while burning calories.
Fitness Boxing is another active game that encourages gamers to follow along with on-screen boxing tutorials. Throughout the game, you are awarded points based on your performance and you can keep track of your “virtual fitness age.”
Improved hand-eye coordination
Many action games, such as The Last of Us and Resident Evil, require quick reactions from users. They don’t allow for deliberation and this immediacy can improve hand-eye coordination and reflexes.
“When you’re playing a video game, you’ve got to pay attention to every little thing that comes into your visual field and react to it,” says Manos. “Being able to visually contrast, being able to tell the difference between one thing and another, is also a skill that can be developed by playing video games.”
Obviously, having quick reflexes is beneficial in innumerable ways in real life — most notably when you’re behind the wheel in a car and your reaction could mean the difference between life and death.
Social interaction and teamwork
Gaming is often depicted as an isolating pastime — and it can be if the user chooses for it to be.
But it can also promote social interaction and friendship.
Putting aside for a moment the often-violent content involved, online games such as Fortnite and Fall Guys actively encourage gamers to play with friends, often in a competitive group environment. This provides gamers with a social connection while also promoting invaluable life skills like teamwork and communication.
Potential stress reducer
Longtime gamer Daniel van der Linden, an expert with the online gaming site The Game Room ( thegameroom.org ), believes that “many people are drawn to video games because they allow you to briefly escape from the stress of everyday life. Some gamers may be particularly drawn to action-packed games while others are more drawn to comforting games to unwind and reset after a busy day.”
Manos says that gaming can also help people improve their “set-shifting” — that is, the ability to move back and forth between different tasks in quick succession.
“We often confuse set-shifting with multitasking, but the ability to direct our attention from one task to the next is an important skill to have,” he says. “People switch tasks all the time. That executive function tends to get a little better when playing a video game.”
The key is moderation
As with most enjoyable activities, practicing some self-restraint when gaming is the key to users deriving the most health benefits while avoiding the pastime's pitfalls.
“Playing video games is an incredible stress reliever and can be a much-needed mood boost, especially when playing online with friends,” says von der Linden. “However, users should enjoy it in moderation to prevent negative impacts on your daily life.”
He recommends setting timers when you’re playing to ensure that you don’t lose track of time and that you “never distance yourself from friends and family for the sake of an extra few hours of gaming.”
Manos says that parents have to monitor their kids’ time spent gaming as well as any associated behaviors in order to keep them safe and healthy.
“When parents start noticing their kids are avoiding certain tasks or they’re replacing certain activities, like playing with friends or participating in sports, with video games, you have to start getting concerned,” he says. “And when a child is willing to sacrifice or compromise a formerly high-interest activity in order to play a video game, then you may have to begin limiting their playtime.”
That said, Manos also stressed that by setting time boundaries from the outset and “engaging with your kids when they’re gaming — and even playing the game with them,” parents can reduce the risk for any negative consequences associated with gaming.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Game on: The surprising potential health benefits of online video gaming
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