Health Benefits of Gaming – with Infographic

If you completed a social survey, chances are you would not find that people believe gaming is healthy. After all, certain viewpoints are almost taken for granted, and one of them is that gaming is something that kids do and that there can be no inherent value to playing video games. However, recent scientific research has started to show just how wrong the public perception is.

This is because there is now a large and growing body of empirical evidence that shows that gaming can actually be good for you in a multitude of ways. For example, gaming can increase your brain matter. Yes, gaming can actually improve the performance of your brain, and make certain brain areas bigger! This has been shown in a study that was conducted in Germany. Likewise, gaming can improve your memory, and this is particularly the case if you play certain types of video game, namely 3-D platform games, such as Mario. It doesn’t stop there. There is an increasing number of health applications of gaming in elderly care. From example, gaming has been proved to increase the self-esteem of the elderly, and it is also suggested the gaming can reduce the speed of cognitive decline as a result of disorders such as dementia. In an aging society, this could prove to be invaluable. New types of game such as those on the Nintendo Wii, which allow you to play the game with your body, can actually also improve your cardiovascular health, which means that games can actually give you a whole body workout, as well as brain training.

I could go on, but I think that I have convinced you. So, dig out that old console, dust it off, and invite around some of your friends to play video games, perhaps over a chilled glass of wine. You know you want to!

See the infographic below from Computer Planet to find out more about the health effects of gaming.