HOW VIDEO GAMES CAN "EPP" YOU

I know this is very much over exaggerated, your mum has probably warned you about your gaming habits but just how bad are video games? Is it really a waste of time? There are is an explode of modern research that enlightens us more about the benefits of video gaming, yes I said it, the benefits of video games.

Think about it, for you to be a great video gamer, then you must surely possess eye-hand coordinating skills and that eye-hand coordination skills could be very much instrumental to you in your science practicals and experiments! A chemistry student should possess a good eye-hand coordination when carrying out a quantitative analysis test and his gaming skills could be very handy there.

Should I blow your mind? A newly published paper demonstrates that the playing of fast-paced action video games, the 3D shoot-em-up type-confirms what other studies have revealed, that players show improved performance in perception, attention, and cognition. Woaw!

Huffington post reported that in August, 2016, British researchers found that certain video games, particularly strategic games such as “Starcraft,” can increase a player’s “brain flexibility,” which the scientists described as “a cornerstone of human intelligence.” The study was conducted at Queen Mary University of London and University College London, was based on psychological tests conducted before and after 72 volunteers played “Starcraft” or the life-simulation game “The Sims” for 40 hours over six to eight weeks. They found that participants assigned to play “Starcraft” experienced gains in their performance on psychological tests, completing cognitive flexibility tasks with greater speed and accuracy. Meaning you gain science-based experimental coordination skills with action-packed life-simulation games while gaining psychologically from games like "Starcraft".

Games specifically designed to address a specific problem or teach a specific skill have been very successful, precisely because they are motivating, engaging, interactive, and provide rewards and reinforcement to improve. Video games with a value or inspiration behind it can improve the lives of gamers.

Road Tour video game

 “Road Tour” a picture-matching game of vehicles involves remembering the location of a particular road sign as more and more “distractors” appear as the player advanced. The experience is meant to mirror the difficulty older drivers have when they have to process information from multiple points of view at an intersection. Playing a game like that for just two hours a week may help slow the degree of mental decay associated with the natural aging process, according to a study this year from the University of Iowa.

A study of 681 healthy individuals ages 50 and older revealed that playing 10 hours of a specially designed video game was able to stall the natural decline of different cognitive skills by up to seven years, in some cases.

It also reduces stress, in 2010, researchers presented evidence at the American Pain Society’s annual scientific meeting that video games, specifically ones with an emphasis on virtual reality, have proven effective in reducing anxiety or pain caused by medical procedures or chronic illness. The study found that when people undergoing chemotherapy or other serious treatments were immersed in a virtual gaming world, they reported significantly less stress and fear. In addition, those being treated for burn wounds found a decline in their pain ratings by rates of 30 to 50 percent.

Xbox pad

Referencing the motion sensor technology of the Xbox Kinect or the Wii, Charles Friedman of the Pain Relief Centers said that gaming allows the brain to stay busy using other senses instead of focusing on pain. Gaming also releases endorphins in the brain, a chemical that is generally associated with happiness and capable of numbing discomfort.

Call of Duty video game

Ever played "Call of Duty"? According to a University of Rochester study, shooting bad guys in video games can unexpectedly give you better vision.

In the 2009 study, expert action gamers played first-person shooting games like “Unreal Tournament 2004” and “Call of Duty” while non-experienced action gamers played “The Sims 2.” Those playing the shoot-‘em-up games saw a boost in their “contrast sensitivity function,” or the ability to discern subtle changes in the brightness of an image. Considered one of first of the visual aptitudes to diminish over time, the ability to pick out bright patches is key to tasks like driving at night.

The study’s authors believe that the process of locating and aiming at enemies exercised gamers’ eyes. And with bad guys unpredictably popping up, the shooting games also helped players learn to analyze optical data on the fly. The researchers believe their study shows the potential of video games — particularly action games — to serve as an aid in the way we correct bad eyesight.

Just as video games are often blamed as a cause of mental illness, studies have shown that they can also be a cure.

"Yes! A cure!"

In 2012, researchers in New Zealand created a novel way to treat depressed teenagers with “SPARX,” a video game designed to give therapy to kids in a way that was more fun and active than traditional counseling. The acronym stands for “smart, positive, active, realistic and x-factor thoughts,” strategies that have been commonly used to battle depression.

The study included 168 teens with an average age of 15 that had previously sought help or struggled with depression. Half of the group was randomly assigned to “treatment as usual,” which was usually one-on-one counseling over five sessions. The other half played SPARX, a fantasy game where the subjects created avatars in order to squash “gloomy negative automatic thoughts,” and restore order in the virtual world. Each level taught players basic facts about depression, strategies for dealing with intense negative emotions and relaxation techniques.

The results for the SPARX group were extremely encouraging. About 44 percent of SPARX players recovered completely from depression while only 26 percent of the control group were no longer depressed.

Medically, a good number of studies have shown that when children play video games following chemotherapy they need fewer painkillers than others. It is also a good form of relieve, all gamers can relate to this.

 Also for stroke victims, recovery can be a long or even impossible process. Seeking a more affordable and effective approach to restoring speech and movement after a stroke, Debbie Rand of Tel Aviv University turned to video games.

Individuals who had a stroke one to seven years before the study were assigned to one of two groups. The first did traditional rehabilitation exercises while the other played video games on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii. The result showed that more improvements were observed in the group that played video games to those that resorted for traditional rehabilitation

For an occupational therapist like Rand, the advantages of using video games for rehabilitation were clear in several ways. While both groups showed improvement in things like grip, only the video game group continued to show improvement in hand strength after the treatment. The video gamers not only performed double the number of arm movements during each session, their movements were “goal-directed” and not merely repetitive exercises.

Medically, a good number of studies have shown that when children play video games following chemotherapy they need fewer painkillers than others. It is also a good form of relieve, all gamers can relate to this.

Image depicting the hippocampus in the brain

Recent studies also shows that gaming can improve your memory, yes it can. A recent study from the University of California-Irvine found that the 'hippocampus', the region associated with complex learning and memory, was altered by playing 3-D games. The memory improvement was fairly substantial, as high as 12% in some individuals. Though it’s not quite clear how or why these games are helping memory, researchers are excited about how their findings can be used to treat people suffering from memory and cognition issues.

With the obvious benefits of video gaming, it would be stupid of you to seat in front of a video games, 12 hours a day, expecting to come out top in class, it also doesn't pay the bills and should be restricted for recreational purposes only.

Obsessive gaming can cause bad eating habit which can in turn cause obesity, obsessive game-players barely have time for anything including not having enough time to cook, making them resort to quick junk foods without regular working out. It could also begin to do the opposite of what it was supposed to do, it could cause stress, obsessive game players often face stress and depression when they fail to achieve their goals within the game.

So my little advice for you...

manage your time