Surprising benefits of playing online computer games

What’s your favorite computer game? Why do you like the game? When faced with such questions, most people would give a lot of interesting bits about how captivating their favorite game is. But did you know that video games offer a lot of benefits that contribute to your well-being? Yes, that’s right, and usually, even the simplest online games like free penny slots offer a lot more besides the fun and excitement.

If you’ve ever wondered why you should continue playing your favorite computer games, then there are plenty of good reasons why you should. Let’s take a closer look at some of the most impressive benefits that you can get from playing games online on your computer or any other capable device:

Relaxing

This is an obvious benefit of gaming. How does it feel playing your favorite game after you’ve had a long day? For many of us, gaming is often a form of escape that helps you wind down to relieve some of life’s stresses. Relaxing your mind benefits you holistically as it enhances your personal well-being.

Hand-Eye Coordination

Playing video games either via mobile or desktop is an excellent way of boosting your hand-eye coordination as you have a good time. Video games and controller games, in particular, can be wonderful for your hands. According to a Fordham University survey that involved a unit of medical doctors, it was confirmed that people who play online video games performed advanced procedures much quicker. Moreover, the number of mistakes that active gamers made was 37% less than those who don’t play video games.

And by the way, there are some uniquely designed computer games have been used for physical rehabilitation in an attempt to assist stroke victims to recover control of their wrists and arms.

Enhance Your Ability to Pay Attention

Playing computer games for an extended period also helps improve your attention. As you may already know, games come with diverse environments that will change continuously, and these need sharp attention to navigate. By focusing on the game to try and complete your mission or achieve certain targets, you are also teaching your brain to get used to paying attention to whatever task you have at hand

Computer Games Can Boost Your Vision

On condition that you don’t get glued to your computer screen for say 10+ hours straight, playing online video games can actually give you a better vision. In a recent study, scientists revealed that video gaming can assist in enhancing a gamer’s ability to see, without straining the eyes and the mind too much.

During the study, 10 participants were non-gamers who took a 30-hour training in first-person action video games and afterward tested against 10 individuals who were not gamers. Those who took part in gaming could see objects in messy spaces due to improved spatial perception. They could train their minds to observe smaller details because of what they had experienced in games.

Video Games Improve Your Decision Making Skills

From numerous studies, it's been proven that those who play online video games are often about 25% sharper at responding to images. Have you ever tried playing fast-paced video games like Call of Duty, Counter-Strike GO, Battlefield One, Titanfall 2, and Overwatch? If so, then you can agree that observation and reflexes are vital when playing such games. With time, the two abilities get better for you, and in the end, it improves your IQ as your brain can make certain decisions faster.

Keep Your Cravings at Bay

One of the best ways through which you can combat cravings is by keeping yourself entertained. Lots of alcohol and drug addicts find that playing video games makes them stop thinking about their undesirable wants. Research has proven that even a game that’s as simple as Tetris is enough to keep your mind occupied and away from unhealthy habits. Thus, if you’ve got any habit that you’d like to beat, maybe playing games is the secret that you hadn’t discovered yet!

Moderation is Key

As beneficial as playing games is, you should remember to do it in moderation. Like anything else in life, too much of gaming is harmful. Just make sure that you don’t spend too much time on this – a good way of gauging whether something is getting out of hand is when it starts interfering with your work, social life or even sleeping. For most people, anything from a few minutes to an hour or two a day of playing is enough!

Photo: Alex Haney