Video Games May Actually Be Good For You – An Infographic

Note: This is a guest post from computerplanet.co.uk 

Gamers are often pretty obsessive. They will spend hours, days, even weeks in front of the TV trying to complete the latest game. Others will wait in line long into the night to be the first to buy the newest release. Many will search the internet looking for tips and cheats on the top game, or post videos on YouTube of the finest hours in gaming. However, there remains some residual guilt: gaming is not healthy and perhaps I should spend less time doing it, and use more of my efforts on healthier pursuits. Hang on there! New evidence suggests that you may as well keep going!

One study, for example, which was conducted in Germany on gamers who played Mario 64 showed that gaming can actually improve cognitive health. It can strengthen the areas of the brain that are involved in spatial awareness, memory and planning, which means that gaming is kind of an elixir (perhaps the sort that you will find in a fantasy game!) for your brain. What’s amazing is that there are also other effects, such as the ability to lessen pain and trauma in those who have experienced accidents. So, gaming is actually healthy!

We’re not saying that you should stay in your apartment, playing video games until you have the pallor of one of the zombies on Resident Evil, or that you can forsake all other healthy behavior. However, the fact that gaming can actually have positive effects on your health means that you need not feel guilty about plugging in, turning on and vegging out

Check out other health effects of gaming in this infographic provided by our partners at Computer Planet.