EXPERIENCE). ““
Calista CHERI
Mancave Playbabe
By Natalie
Which game do you love playing most? Did you know that playing that game, and many others has its perks? Yes, you have read that right. It’s not a typo. As gaming becomes more popular among both the kids and adults, several issues have been raised as to how playing these games has affected our daily lives. We have all been there and most of us view video games as an ‘evil’ that needs to be kicked out in our society. There is some element of truth in this statement working with the results we have acquired from observing gamers.
Well, one negative of video games is the addiction. You find that trying to defeat the boss or getting beyond that hard level is your priority other than doing other things.
This is a sign of addiction. Some even go for close to 24hours just racing and blowing up stuff. Another nega- tive effect is the rising numbers of obesity. Being a couch potato will do that. Kids today prefer to sit around the house and play games rather than going outside to play with others. Also, people who like dark games have been found to have a high level of aggressiveness.
Allowing the gaming culture to reach these heights that we can only see the negative side has led to people ignor- ing all the good gaming can do for you. Of course, we are not dismissing the negative. It’s only that for once we should try to see how gaming has improved our lives and how to ensure they continue to do so without reaching those dangerous levels.
So, let us start with the obvious;
• Video games bring us closer to each other
Video games are a good bonding activity for people across all walks of life. Whether it’s kids making new friends or parents wanting to get closer to their children. Vid- eo games give us something we can talk about and learn more about each other. It is not odd to see a family that will allocate time for gaming at this day and age. Why? It’s because they have realized it’s a good way to strengthen their bond. At work, you will often find that workmates who come together on weekends to play Fifa, or any other game they like, are closer than they are with others.
• They are good for stress relief
Picture this, you come home from your daily hassle, you have a headache following all you have been through the day and you really need a relief. In case exercising, or tak- ing a walk to clear your mind isn’t your thing, you can try gaming. Even kids who have had a rough day will sudden- ly change their mood once they get playing. What hap- pens is, as your mind drifts its concentration to the virtual world of gaming, all those things contributing to your headache become obsolete at that moment. Therefore, you will forget what is troubling you uplifting your mood.
• They keep us occupied
Let us face it. There are so many wrongs in the world and unless we are occupied, it’s hard not to find yourself doing the wrong thing. The fact that one can play video games
Positive Effects of Gaming
for hours, it makes it easy for people to stay out of the bars- for alcoholics, stay away from pornogra- phy, and stay away from bullying. These few exam- ples prove that the more one is immersed in gaming, the less time they will have to do other unproductive activities.
• Gaming promotes better decision making Changing the tone, a study by Shawn Green (Uni- versity Of Rochester) showed how well people who play action games are good at decision making. The study involved young adults who have never played games.
They were divided into two groups. One group to play action games and the other to play strategy games. In the end, Shawn Green found that the abil- ity of people to take in sensory data and process it to make the right decisions to play the game improved their decision-making skills.
• Video games are associated with better perfor- mance and increased memory
Every now and then, you will often forget some- thing you meant to do. Fortunately playing video games can improve your memory. The Journal of Neuroscience posted a study in 2015 which had different groups play angry birds, super Mario 3d world and the other group never played anything.
In conclusion to the research, the lot that played the 3D games were found to fair well on other memory tasks as the games stimulated the brain. Based on that research, it would be wise to play more of 3D video games.
• Video games make us social
Seems farfetched, doesn’t it? Researchers from Can- ada and UK have backed this with an experiment conducted in different institutions. Gamers were found to have an easy time interacting with others contrary to what most of us think. The stereotype that being cooped up in the house playing games will make one antisocial is just a stereotype. Not all gamers fit the description. The love gamers have for gaming bring them close as they share that one com- mon thing.
• Gamers perform better in their job
There is no denying how video games have us think- ing and at the same time controlling characters while keeping contact with the screen. Engaging all these parts of the body has led to gamers being good at their jobs especially if it involves paying attention to details, quick decision making, memory, and eye-hand coordination. To mention a few studies, McKinley et al, 2011 proved that gamers were better at landing aerial drones than non-gamers. Another study by Rosser et al, 2007 had similar results as in- experienced surgeons outperformed those who had years of practice with the difference being that the inexperienced surgeons were gamers.
Evidently, gaming isn’t that bad as we take it to be.
With proven research, the benefits of playing games in both kids and adults could be the answer we are searching for, for a better future. From the above, we should embrace gaming more often and give it the praise it deserves. Nevertheless, let us be careful not to pass the normal level of gaming that it becomes toxic.
“Allowing the gaming culture to reach these heights that we can only see the negative side has led to people ignoring all the good
gaming can do for you.”
Photography by Craig Spratt