Gaming is often seen only as a fun activity. For some people it’s a hobby; for others, it’s a passion. Those who play games, love them for one reason or another. They’re fun, and engaging, and are one of the ideal pastimes there are. With the evolution of technology, games have started to be more and more sophisticated, attracting more players than ever. Today, you can play on your smartphone, while you’re commuting, or sitting in a park. Gaming is no longer tied to computers or gaming consoles. Gaming is great.
Yet, people still have their prejudice. For many people out there it is a kid’s entertaining occupation or simply a waste of time. Well, they couldn’t be more wrong. Due to the various prejudice gaming confronts, its real benefits are often overlooked. Many of you don’t even know or are aware of the therapeutic benefits gaming can have on our mental health. Today, we are here to fight off the stigma. Gaming has many positive effects on users. It is time someone talked about that side of gaming. Check out what we see as the biggest therapeutic benefits of gaming.
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Contents
Cognitive Improvement
Let’s start with the biggest of them all. By playing games your cognitive skills will improve. It all comes down to the games you’re playing. But, pick any game from the topgameslists, and in no time you’ll see improvements in your critical thinking, the way you’re solving problems, and of course the decision-making process. Various studies have concluded that the more games you play the more positivity you’ll feel when speaking of attention span, memory, and your ability to perform more tasks at once. Most games are created in a manner to have you intellectually challenged and that will have a positive effect on your cognitive abilities.
Stress Relief
Yes, games can be stressful at times, especially if you’re losing in FIFA. But, that’s not real stress, the kind we encounter tied to our family affairs, work, or life in general. Playing games is an amazing way to get some of that stress off your back. It can aid you in mitigating the levels of stress and deal with your emotions better. When you’re truly engaged by the game, you’ll achieve leaving the worries of daily life behind at least for a few gaming hours. For many people, this is an amazing way to recharge and get ready for real-life challenges that lie ahead. If you dig deeper into real gaming and its real positive effects you will find out that it can aid with handling various symptoms of depression and anxiety.
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Feeling of Accomplishment
Most games are not created just for fun. You have levels, obstacles, and goals to achieve. This is what makes gaming so fun. It is a never-ending circle of trying to achieve these goals and reach the next level. It’s all about beating your opponent and being competitive. When you get to the end-game in many games you will feel positive about yourself, and satisfaction and feelings of accomplishment will overflow. All of it will affect your overall well-being positively.
Social Benefits
Yes, there are many games that you can play on your own. But, we also have dozens of games that require you to play with friends or in teams. What’s even better you’ll often find yourself playing with strangers on the internet, or with friends of your friends. This is great for social skills development. If you’re a fan of games such as World of Warcraft or League of Legends you will play with many people at the same time. Your joint endeavors will be that catalyst for bonding, and in no time you’ll have real friends. Gaming is great for forming social connections and building relationships.
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Recovery
During our lifetime we are more likely than not to encounter various forms of trauma. Often, it is better to get over it naturally than to have to undergo therapy or let time carry it away. This is where video games can come in as a great means of mental health recovery. For many of us, gaming can be a great distraction from everyday problems and various traumatic experiences. As we already mentioned, not only can it aid when dealing with psychological trauma and pain, but it can also aid in mitigating conditions such as depression, anxiety, PTSD, and ADHD.
Education and Skill Nurturing
For a while, our parents were telling us to get off that computer and stop playing games. Today, we have millions of parents laying more than their children. That’s fine. With as many positive effects gaming has, everyone should play a game once in a while. This, once only considered a fun activity, has a great influence on developing our creativity, problem solving skills, teamwork, and any other skills. It can be stated that gaming is an amazing educational tool. Furthermore, when we say gaming, and playing games, we’re not only talking about games such as Pro Evolution Soccer or Call of Duty. Some games were created to not only engage players and be fun but also to test their skills and be a tool in their education. We’re thinking about world-building games such as Minecraft or strategies such as Rise of Nations.
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Building Resilience
Life is full of ups and downs. Not all of us can live in a fairy tale. None of us do, to be precise. That’s why it is essential to build up resilience, both mental and physical. Gaming can help you with that. The mental aspect of resilience is important. Learning early how to deal with your emotions is vital too. The games we have today are not easy to play. You need to invest time and effort to win. You’re more likely to lose a few times before you start getting the hang of things and start winning. The life cycle of gaming, winning and losing, will be of great aid in learning how to deal with failures, how to lose, get back up, and return to winning ways. This is amazing to learn early on as it will prepare younger people for the challenges of adult life. We also should mention the effects gaming will have on a positive mood, and building up yourself as a person long term.
