Everybody’s mom at some point has said something like, “Turn it off, those video games are going to melt your brain!”. But do they actually? I think that there is more to video games than meets the eye.
Video games can actually sometimes help you with quick reaction time and strategic thinking. The U.S. Army actually likes to recruit video gamers to drive tanks, due to the tank’s controls being exactly like those of a tank.
The National Library of Medicine says, “Video gaming, the experience of playing electronic games, has shown several benefits for human health. Recently, numerous video gaming studies showed beneficial effects on cognition and the brain. A systematic review of video gaming has been published. However, the previous systematic review has several differences to this systematic review. This systematic review evaluates the beneficial effects of video gaming on neuroplasticity specifically on intervention studies. Literature research was conducted from randomized controlled trials in PubMed and Google Scholar published after 2000. A systematic review was written instead of a meta-analytic review because of variations among participants, video games, and outcomes. Nine scientific articles were eligible for the review. Overall, the eligible articles showed fair quality according to Delphi Criteria. Video gaming affects the brain structure and function depending on how the game is played. The game genres examined were 3D adventure, first-person shooting (FPS), puzzle, rhythm dance, and strategy. The total training durations were 16–90 h. Results of this systematic review demonstrated that video gaming can be beneficial to the brain. However, the beneficial effects vary among video game types.”. Video games may actually help your health, but what are some of the negative side effects?
Long term excessive gaming is often associated with anxiety, depression, and sometimes in severe cases Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD). It can also lead to addictive behaviors and physical health issues, such as obesity. Excessive video games can also lead to sleep deprivation and bad grades and social isolation. But then again this is if you play them too much.
Video games can sometimes be very detrimental, but they can also be very helpful if used in the right way. Who knows maybe gamers will save the world, but be careful with your screen time!
