Full Study: 6 Health Benefits of Video Games: Get to Know Them

Scientific studies have proven that video games are not only enjoyable but also involve many scientific benefits ranging from pain relief to increased concentration and mental skills development.

The Science and Technology Research and Technology website published six of the most important benefits of video games from a series of research published in scientific journals in recent years:

First, video games help improve memory.
A study conducted by researchers at the University of California, and published in the scientific journal "Journal of Neurology Science," specialized in research of the nervous system that video games help improve memory in humans.

The two-week study involved 69 people, divided into three groups. The first group was asked to play Super Mario, and the second group was asked to play Angry Birds, "And no third-party players were asked to practice any kind of video games.

The study showed that participants who played Super Mario World recorded an improvement in their memory capacity, while the rest of the participants showed no improvement either during or after the study period.

The researchers attributed the reasons for the improved memory players to "engage in the experience of playing in a virtual environment stereoscopic, so the same game practiced by children and mature for many years may actually help to improve mental abilities in a meaningful way."

"Video game enthusiasts who prefer stereoscopic games actually perform better in memory capacity tests," the study concluded.

Second: Video games help relieve pain
The American Journal of Preventive Medicine published an article on the results of 195 different medical studies, saying that video games helped improve the overall health of 195 patients in different areas, both physical and mental.

At a conference of the American Pain Research Association in 2010, studies have shown that the practice of video games, especially 3D games, which are part of virtual reality games, helps relieve the tension and pain caused by chronic diseases and therapeutic surgeries.

"The focus of the patient is on the game and not on the pain he feels from the medical procedure he underwent," said Jeffrey Gold of the University of Southern California. "Virtual reality games move the sense of sight and other senses."

Third: Video games help children with dyslexia problem
A study published in the scientific journal "CELL" in 2013 that video games can help children between the ages of 7 to 13 years and suffer from the problem of dyslexia, to improve their ability to read faster while maintaining accuracy at the same time.

The results of video games in the treatment of dyslexia in children are equal to the results achieved by the traditional means of assistance for these children, although traditional methods remain less enjoyable and more time-consuming.

The researchers believe that the speed of the rhythm of these games help children to increase their periods of concentration, although this hypothesis is not yet scientifically proven separately.

Fourth: Tetris intelligence game helps relieve the feeling of shock
The MOLECULAR PSYCHIATRY magazine published last month the results of a scientific study that proved that the famous TETRIS video game, which relies on intelligence and puzzle solving, helps to reduce the sense of shock and even improve the mental health of those who have experienced severe psychological trauma.

During the scientific study, 37 patients who were exposed to traffic accidents were admitted to the emergency department of a hospital in Oxford, United Kingdom, randomly and asked to play Tetris for 20 minutes. Another group of 34 patients was asked not to play the game with Record their traditional daily activities that include actions such as reading, solving crosswords, or writing messages on a mobile phone.

The study found that patients who played Tetris were less affected by the trauma they experienced and were less likely to respond to the trauma than their peers who did not play the game by as much as 62 percent on average or less.

Fifth: video games make you smarter according to some scientific studies.
The scientific journal "PloS ONE" published a scientific study proving that the use of two video games Xbox or PlayStation will help develop the cognitive abilities of the player.

The 2013 study included splitting a group of people who do not play video games basically into five groups and then asking each group to play a different video game on the mobile phone for one hour a day over four weeks.

The study found that all video games, whether motion-based or not, help to improve the cognitive functions of all participants according to various mental tests, including tests to measure short-term memory capabilities.

VI: Video games linked to an increase in the size of certain areas of the brain
The scientific journal "MOLECULAR PSYCHIATRY" published the results of a study conducted by researchers at the Max Planck Institute in Germany in 2014, which stated that the practice of the video game "Super Mario" linked to the growth of certain areas in the human brain, especially areas responsible for strategic planning and the formation of memories and fine motor activities and spatial identification.

The study involved 24 participants who were asked to play Super Mario for 30 minutes every day for two months with their MRI scans. The researchers recorded growth in the areas of the right ammonium, right frontal cortex and cerebellar cerebellum in the study participants, compared to another group who were not asked to play the famous video game.

The study "proves that it is possible to train specific parts of the human brain through video games," said researcher Simon Cole.

Source:
https://www.sciencealert.com/6-scientific-benefits-of-playing-videogames