Most people want to become smarter, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Studies are consistently showing that intelligence is one of the most desirable qualities of a person. Each person has their reasons for becoming smarter, from surviving an intensive college course to impressing their friends with an established understanding of various theories.
Many people would agree with the idea of having fun learning. It can be surprising, but in a handful of ways, computer games, such as console games and online games that you can find from this selection of online gambling sites, can teach important lessons. It may even help you boost your mental capabilities. Below are what you must consider.
It let you experience failure
Failure is the key to success. You can ask any successful person if they have ever failed, and they will answer you with a yes! Nobody gets there without experiencing failure. You are probably familiar with how many times Thomas Edison failed before he successfully created a light bulb. Here are some more examples of successful people who failed to inspire you:
Michael Jordan did not make it to his high school basketball team.
Einstein wasn’t able to speak until the age of four and started reading at seven.
Van Gogh was only able to hold a single painting over his lifetime.
J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter/Hogwarts) was rejected 12 times.
With that in mind, we can say that failure is crucial.
In most video games, you will start as a weak character but with multiple lives. It tells you right away that it is alright to fail. You will fail in most levels before reaching the goal, encouraging grit and persistence. It can solve the problem without giving up or getting demoralized, which is a vital life skill.
It improves your problem-solving skills
According to some experts, playing video games around three times, every week for 20 minutes can stimulate your mind. Most video games require critical thinking and problem-solving. These games promote cognitive flexibility and adaptability, which are crucial skills to have in any problem-solving task.
It keeps your mind active
We experience mental and physical decline as we grow older. Staying physically active by going to the gym or frequent socializing can help you prevent or slow down the physical decline. On the other hand, you must keep your brain active to keep it from declining. Playing online games might help you curb the loss. While there is no conclusive study that connects computer games and aging, some research says that seniors are 2.6 times less likely to develop dementia or Alzheimer’s if they keep their brains active. Moreover, some studies are suggesting that computer games enhance memory and improve mood. So, let your grannies play your computers and game consoles!
It makes you better at virtual tasks
Studies have shown that compared to non-gamers, those who play computer or video games are better at:
Tracking things.
Keeping track of various objects at the same time.
Switching from one task to another.
Finding irrelevant information.
3D mental rotation.
Finding changes in visual layouts.
A recent study has found that playing video games is connected with improved visual learning. Another experiment has also found that computer games can improve the non-gamers mental rotation abilities.
It increases processing speed
The ability to process information quickly is crucial in many situations. For instance, motorists need to process a lot of information while on the road. They need to make fast and accurate decisions that may have drastic implications. However, when making decisions, speed is normally sacrificed for accuracy or vice-versa. Simply put, quick decisions often cause mistakes.
Normally, computer games require prompt action and quick sensory information processing. Any delays in decision-making may fail. With that being said, players are motivated to lessen their reaction time.
Some studies have revealed that those who play computer games have better reaction time than those who don’t play games. It also shows that this speed doesn’t only apply to computer games but to other real-life tasks. Moreover, the increased speed doesn’t have negative effects on accuracy.
With this in mind, gamers can process quickly and respond faster without losing their accuracy. These studies have concluded that reaction time can be trained through playing computer games.
Gamers have better memories
A study has found that playing 3D computer games 30 minutes a day can enhance memory power by 12%. However, 2D games don’t offer the same effect. So, playing 3D online games from this good selection of online gaming sites can be beneficial if you are trying to boost your memory.
It improves the ability to multitask
There’s a piece of good evidence that shows that action video games are not mindless. A study suggests that playing this game has enhanced cognition, vision, attention, and multitasking. The non-gamers reaction times increase by around 30% when they move from a single to multi-tasks. On the other hand, gamers’ reaction time increases when switched from single to multi-tasks but only around 10%.
According to a study, playing a basic 3D racing game for 12 hours over a month can enhance multitasking performance. These improvements were found in 20–70-year-olds. Surprisingly, trained seniors were able to outperform 20-year-olds who are non-gamers. Other cognitive abilities like working memory and sustained attention were also improved among older participants.
Playing computer games has a lot of benefits for our mental health. Regardless of the gamer’s age, it helps maintain the brain active, keeping you from certain brain diseases like Alzheimer’s and dementia. However, computer games are addictive, so it is wise to play in moderation.
I play computer games most of the time to multitask, since it’s a lot more convenient to do one thing while playing games on a computer. All you really need is two monitors; then as you play a game, you can also do things like read a web article or a PDF, browse the web, or play multiple games at once. I will say, the best type of games for multitasking would probably be idle games rather than 3D racing games; I feel like 3D racing games tend to be more distracting when it comes to multitasking, because you actually have to be more attentive, while for idle games, you’re just leaving a game on while you do other things. Then MMORPGs would probably rank 2nd for multitasking, since there’s a whole lot of management involved (crafting, questing, etc.) and sometimes you’ll waiting involved which is optimal for multitasking as you can work on other in-game tasks in the meantime or just browse through the Internet as you wait to complete a task; plus if you’re just socializing with other players in an MMORPG, multitasking is the most suitable.