Do video games make you smarter?
For so long, people have seen video games as purely a form of entertainment and they are often associated with being non-productive or lazy. But recent scientific studies seem to show that a healthy relationship with video games can be physically and emotionally beneficial. Different types of games seem to benefit different types of brain functions. For example:
-Increased brain function and IQ - Tetris, Legend of Zelda, Portal
-Improvement in concentration,hand-eye coordination - Halo, Call of Duty
-Improvement with social skills - Online gaming
-Enhances multitasking and strategic planning skills - World of Warcraft, Age of Empire, Pokemon
-Improved problem solving, reasoning and logic - Minecraft, Elder Scrolls, Final Fantasy
Of course, there are negative side effects to playing video games for too long. Too much of anything can almost always lead to negative results. I️ think everyone has to find the right balance for themselves. Without a doubt, technology will continue to become more present in our day-to-day lives. Some people despise how much time kids today spend playing video games, but in the future, video games will most likely become essential tools used in education, art, and even the everyday workplace/office. Who knows?
We all know children love video games and are naturally drawn to them, but did you know that senior citizens are becoming increasingly involved in the growing gaming community? Scientific studies around the world are showing us that elderly people who begin to play video games can reverse the negative signs of aging in the brain, keeping the brain sharp and stimulating parts of it that usually are not active. Game systems like the Wii help the elderly stay active while having fun. Some case studies even show that it can improve hand mobility, helping those who suffer from arthritis. Above all, it has been proven to improve emotional well-being, serving as a form of therapy and mood enhancement without the use of pharmaceutical drugs. Imagine in the future, someone goes to the Doctor seeking help with depression and is prescribed Video Games! I’m not saying video games are the cure for depression, I'm simply suggesting that video games may aid in the treatment of some mental illnesses. We’ve only begun to scratch the surface of understanding the relationship between video games and the human brain. I believe it is a topic worth paying attention to as we head into the future.
One of my personal experiences with the benefits of video games happened when I was in the fourth grade. My class took a timed reading test to see who could read a paragraph the fastest. To my surprise, I won. I was the fastest reader in my class! I didn’t understand how that could be possible, because I wasn’t a fan of reading books. I didn’t start to enjoy reading until high school. At that time in 4th grade I had only read “Holes”, a few “Captain Underpants” books, the required reading we had in school, and some comics here and there (at that age I was more into them for the art than the story). My teacher asked me if I read often, and I said no. She laughed and said, “You must be reading something to be able to read this fast, Donte. Is there anything you do that requires you to read?” That’s when I remembered: I play Pokemon (Yellow version) every day on my Gameboy. For those who have never played it before, Pokémon games require a lot of reading. The game is filled with all sorts of puzzles and strategy-based activities which all require you to read quickly. “That must be it!”, she said. “I think you should keep playing.” My mind was blown. My teacher had just told me to keep playing video games?! Thank the gaming gods that I listened to her. I never stopped playing. Never will.
My motives to continue playing are not because it may improve my reading abilities or brain function, which are amazing reasons to play. My motive for playing video games is for the most important and healing benefit of all: Fun.
