The Benefits of Playing Video Games

In recent years video games have become more validated as an artistic medium. Historically,
video games have tried to replicate cinematic qualities of high budget films with framing cues
and cutscenes to enhance the narrative. Now that the industries are growing closer to
eachother, video games will gain more fans and be progressive as a medium. One category
that follows this modern development and increases is multiplayer gaming. It presents a
social hobby that connects people in the same way board and card games do.

One of many positive effects with video games is that they can improve your eyesight in
general. This also includes an ability called contrast sensitivity function; The ability to
determine subtle changes in color, like shades of gray on a uniform background1. The trait is
one of the first visual functions to fade with age, but regularly playing video games can
prevent it. A renowned indie game called Limbo experiments with this ability, as the game
consists entirely of visuals in grayscale. To allocate more shades of white and gray as you
progress through the game feels peculiar.

Screenshot from Limbo

Another positive effect of video games is an improvement of the player’s logical thinking.
This is a consequence of solving puzzles in several steps, and being forced to adopt different
approaches when failing a level. Hence video games also boost creativity. Furthermore video
games can hold an educational value not exclusive to some particular game genre. When a
player improves their logical thinking through solving problems, they also become critical of
why they choose their approach. This leads to increased self awareness, a great tool
academically, by which a gaming student might identify their flaws faster.

1
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2921999/
In regards to health effects, the gaming industry is often to blame for teenagers with poor
posture. But teenagers with bad posture will hunch no matter where they sit. A Daily Mail
article2 suggests instead that the problem sometimes starts in a regular classroom. This is
because teens sit in the same position for hours during weekdays, making it easy to forget
about their posture and begin to hunch. The everyday posture is obviously far more important
than a gaming posture only held an hour or two. Besides this video games have been linked to
muscle pains in the hands, wrists and neck. Some gamers also state numbness in their fingers
after intense playing. While it is true that video games do cause these problems, it is
important to mention that few of them last. Most of them will be gone the next day - seeking
help for these muscle pains is rare. This goes for many other game-related health problems as
well.

A possible link to violence has sparked the biggest controversy with video games. Today’s
top grossing games are often violent ones, e.g “The Last of Us” and the “Call of Duty” series.
And unlike watching a violent movie, the player is engaged in committing violent acts on
screen. He or she makes an active choice to pull the trigger, so the concern with violent
games does not come out of the blue. But the connection between violence and video games
is well studied - and no correlation has been found. In comparison some studies show short-
term aggression directly after playing video games. It rises the question “How is short-term
aggression expressed?”. Various psychological tests use different parameters. The answer is
through swearing, an angrier voice tone, and tackling more during sports practices. While
tests do show a connection, bear in mind that no single factor can lead a person to be
aggressive. Important factors are the home environment, social isolation and substance abuse.
It is not clear either if aggressive teenagers are drawn to violent games in the first place.

In conclusion video games are a risk factor for aggression but do not cause it alone. The
positive effects of gaming such as improved eyesight, hand coordination and socializing,
outweigh the negatives.

2
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-203388/Poor-posture-causing-kids-problems.html