Over the years, there have been many misconceptions surrounding video gaming and its impact on your health and wellness–more specifically your mental well-being. The truth is video games have many benefits and are a great way to stimulate your mind and optimize your cognitive function.
Health Benefits of Gaming
1.) Stimulates Your Mind
Contrary to what many believe, video games are not a mindless activity. In fact, they often force you to think. When you play video games, almost every part of your brain is working to help you achieve higher-level thinking. Depending on the game, you may have to strategize, analyze, and make quick decisions. Furthermore, playing video games engages the deeper parts of your brain, which help develop your critical thinking skills.
2.) Provides a Sense of Accomplishment
Video games often offer goals and objectives that you have to complete in order to progress in the game. Once you achieve them, you’re often left with a deep feeling of satisfaction, which improves your overall well-being.
3.) Boosts Mental Recovery
Regardless of the type of game, video gaming can help you recover from trauma. They do this by offering a welcomed distraction and escape into other realities. They can also serve as a therapeutic activity for individuals who are suffering from mental disorders, such as depression, anxiety, ADHD, and PTSD.
4.) Offers Social Interaction
Online multiplayer video games are a great source of virtual social interaction. These types of games foster cooperation, friendships, and team building.
5.) Builds Emotional Resilience
Over the course of a game, you’re sure to face difficulty and even failure. These situations can be good learning opportunities. They can help teach you how to cope and keep pressing forward.
Tips for Beginning Your Health & Wellness Adventure with Video Games
While all video games can be beneficial for different reasons, some are better for your mental health than others. For example, role-playing and other strategic video games can help strengthen your problem-solving, critical thinking, and decision-making skills. If you’re searching for fun and brain-building games, try any of the Far Cry or Assassin’s Creed games. I have emersed myself in these games and have enjoyed every moment. These games are graphically stimulating, mentally challenging, and bursting with excitement. Ubisoft, the game developer, has gone above and beyond to create captivating and mentally engaging games for everyone. And if you’re concerned about the negative side-effects of violent video games, rest easy because there is very little research to suggest that violent video games are bad for your mental health.
It’s important to remember that while playing video games isn’t bad for your mental health, becoming addicted to gaming certainly is. Spending too much time gaming can lead to negative side effects like isolation. More than 10 hours per week of gaming is categorized as an excessive amount and is generally when gaming starts to become bad for you and leads to negative mental health conditions, such as real-life escapism. If you find yourself struggling with wanting to escape your reality or exceeding your allotted game time, help yourself by setting limits. If setting limits doesn’t help you, be sure to contact a mental health professional.
In the end, too much gaming can be a problem, but in moderation video games can do great things for your mental health.
Sources:
WebMD
Medically Reviewed by Dan Brennan, MD
October 25, 2021
Health, Wellness, & Restoration 