The sample ranged from gamers who played as little as one hour per week to those who played 30 or more. Additionally, some games are designed with the explicit purpose of education. For instance, language learning games incorporate vocabulary lessons and grammatical exercises into their gameplay, enabling players to learn a new language in a fun and engaging manner.
This approach already radiates across the social networking where progress bars litter sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Spotify. Other businesses have developed feedback mechanisms that allow customers to track their progress toward improved social, financial, and physical health. Unique puzzle games like Foldit and EteRNA encourage problem solvers to fold the structure of selected macromolecules differently, which will help further scientific learning and possibly cure diseases. These improvements in spatial skills were found to remain with the players for a long period and transferred to other spatial tasks (outside the game). However, these benefits weren’t observed when people played puzzle or role-playing games that weren’t fast-paced.
Gaming provides a form of escapism, allowing players to temporarily disconnect from their worries and responsibilities. Immersing oneself in a captivating game world can be a therapeutic way to unwind and de-stress. The sense of control afforded by gaming, where players dictate their actions and outcomes, can also empower individuals, offering a sense of agency in an otherwise chaotic world. Gaming has become a ubiquitous part of modern life, captivating millions of people worldwide.
Offers Therapeutic Benefits for Mental Health
And if your child has a hard time making friends, online relationships with other kids their age may also be beneficial. Hitting a pixelated dot back and forth allows for a different set of skills than when you’re playing a first-person shooter like Call of Duty, for example. Those games are also very different from building simulators like City Skylines or Civilization VII.
Gaming’s positive impact on people’s mental health and the spaces it provides for people to connect with each other online can then lead to healthier communities overall. There are multiple platforms and websites to choose from, catering to a broad spectrum of preferences. Whether you’re a fan of strategy games, enjoy immersive role-playing games, or prefer adrenaline-fueled racing games, there’s a platform out there that’s perfect for you. These platforms range from online console gaming networks, like PlayStation Network or Xbox Live, to PC gaming platforms such as Steam or Epic Games. Mobile gaming has also seen a significant rise, with app stores teeming with a multitude of games in various genres.
A study appearing in Nature in 2013 found that just playing a basic 3D racing game for a total of 12 hours over a period of four weeks appeared to improve multitasking performance for up to six months. Improvements were seen in year-olds but surprisingly, the trained 60+ year-olds outperformed 20-year-olds who hadn’t played the game. Various other cognitive abilities (sustained attention, working memory, etc.) also improved among older subjects.
Makes Learning Easier
And then 64% said it’s easier to be themselves online rather than in person. In the ‘70s, computer games like Oregon Trail did a better job of getting kids excited about American history than most history professors. Today, hundreds of web portals like Kidsknowit.com offer teachers a reservoir of tools to help educate students. Games are an indispensable learning tool, but we’ve only begun to scratch the surface of their teaching potential. People often view games as the opposite of work, but game guide some sociologists believe games are an idealized form of work. Many popular games, such as Wii Fit and Dance Dance Revolution, are designed to get you moving and get your heart rate up.
Good for your mental health
Whether you’re playing with friends or strangers, online gaming can give you a chance to meet new people, work together on a common goal, and forge connections across distances and differences. Many online games are designed specifically to encourage teamwork and collaboration, which can be a great way to build social skills and confidence. Playing online games through a website such as MyRealGames.com also brings benefits to the online gaming experience.
The results were the same across all ten trials, but remember that the video games they played required hand dexterity and spatial awareness. Cooperative video games create an experience akin to playing at the playground or hanging out at the arcade with your friends. The truth is, that video games are some of the most effective ways to generate positive feelings among children and young adults. Studies have suggested that even short puzzle games like Candy Crush or Angry Birds promote relaxation, improve mood, and help players develop a sense of pride as they progress.
GameSpot parent company Fandom has released its fourth annual Inside Gaming report, and one of the key takeaways is that personal expression within games is increasingly important to players. The Inside Gaming report is based on data from Fandom’s 350 million monthly unique visitors, 45 million pages of content, and 250,000 wikis. Students of the GameIt’s difficult to predict exactly how our society will unlock the power of games in the coming decades.
You may have heard about gaming addictions and dodgy in-game purchases, but some new research suggests playing video games might actually be good for you. No one is confusing Fortnite with edtech, but online social games would seem to have some leg up. “Anything where you’re actively engaging, preferably with other people in a healthy way, is going to be the healthiest kind of screen time behavior,” Kaye added. The psychology of gaming is a multifaceted phenomenon, encompassing elements of immersion, achievement, social connection, escapism, cognitive benefits, and storytelling. By understanding these underlying motivations, we gain insight into why gaming holds such universal appeal. Whether seeking adventure, camaraderie, or mental stimulation, gaming satisfies a diverse range of psychological needs, making it a beloved pastime for millions around the globe.
The study also found that playing video games can help young people relate to others better, with 65% saying that gaming helped them imagine being someone else. A 2024 Pew Research study found that nearly half of U.S. teens say video games have helped them make friends online and maintain their current friendships. Video games can then serve as a way to broaden your social network and sustain existing relationships, especially if you’re unable to visit people in person. “Almost all educational games suck,” says Iowa State University professor Douglas A. Gentile, who has spent his career researching how video games affect children. “They don’t put nearly the same level of attention and resources into them as something like Halo.