How Video Game Enhances Cognitive Capabilities
- Dr.IITian
- Apr 9, 2020
- 5 min read
Mobile Gaming is very popular among today's youth. Even though online games are associated with fun, there are multifold benefits of playing video games that might be helpful in preparing for your exams.
Various researches have shown that there are a lot of benefits to playing video games. That includes cognitive skills like improved reaction time, improved mental flexibility, and improved spatial abilities and various other benefits such as reduced stress level, a boost in self-esteem, and increased prosocial behavior.
Cognitive abilities include your ability to perform various tasks from the simplest to the most complex one. Including remembering things, problem-solving, improved visual skills, developing Spatial skills and building executive functions.
When it comes to preparing for a school exam you need all the cognitive skills you can muster to help you remember better and be attentive at the same time. Not saying that you should be playing video games all day, every day but there are incredible benefits that you might receive if you start playing video games and if you already are into video games then you already ace the race.
Benefits of Mobile or Video Games Playing:
1. Playing 3D video games improves recognition ability and helps in developing spatial memory.
2. Action video games can aid in improving reaction time, without decreasing accuracy.
3.playing first-person shooter game improves mental flexibility, which means it allows you to switch between tasks and in adapting to changes. Mental flexibility is essential when you are a student and you have a lot on your plate every hour of the day.
4. Action online games also help you acquire improved visual skills which are associated with identifying important information while ignoring irrelevant information. As a student, there is a lot of work that is bombarded at you, your visual capabilities help you distinguish between what is essential and what is not so that you can study effectively.
5. Playing action games enhances your Multitasking capabilities that means it increases attentional capacity. Attention is so vital when it comes to preparing for examinations and as a student, you need to master the art of multitasking.
6.playing action games improve spatial abilities including things such as enumeration,multiple-object tracking, spatial resolution , and visuomotor coordination.
7. Video games also improve your visual to auditory attentional shifting ability which ultimately helps in information processing and reading abilities. Reading and processing information is essential when you are preparing for an upcoming exam, your information decoding is extensively based on reading skills. The better you read the better you understand, the better score you will achieve.
8. Video games with physical components as a prime factor can improve executive functions, attentional processing , and visuospatial skills.
Why are cognitive skills essential?
Improved visual skills
Mobile gaming enhances your visual capabilities, crucial for tasks like reading, learning and remembering things. Visual processing directly impacts your ability to learn, read and retain information. Learning in schools is typically directed at visual learning 75% of the time. Online gaming along with all the fun and thrill also comes in handy for developing visual skills which are important for efficient learning.
Improved attention to details
If you are a frequent video game player, you might have realized at certain points that you have an eye for detail. Playing video games improves your attention to detail. Consider playing a war game it makes one prone to eye out the small details here and there, to look out for danger. keeping track of the minute details becomes a huge concern when you are preparing for exams, be it an entrance exam preparation or preparation for an upcoming school exam , details are the key to remember things better and formulate answers that are going to grab you decent grades.
Improved executive function
Along with other cognitive skills video games also improve executive functions. Which includes cognitive flexibility, multitasking, working memory , and inhibitory control. If you are into an action game which requires you to do a lot of technical stuff simultaneously like attaching, defending , etc you develop multitasking skill gradually as you move further with the game. Multitasking has become an essential requirement, taking into account the number of educational load students has these days.
Skills for future endeavors
Mobile gaming does you more good then you would have ever imagined. Along with all the aforementioned skills, it also improves your decision making, develops excellent working memory and excellent attention along with eye-hand coordination, which is considered essential attributes if you are to see yourself in a job scenario shortly.
Video Games Usage, to Improve Your Cognitive Skills
As we saw so far playing video games enhances your cognitive ability. You will often notice that online games will benefit you in this manner regardless of whether you try to enhance your mental skills or not. Now if you are engaged in playing mobile or video games without any intention to develop your cognitive skill, that's perfectly fine; the fun part is video games allow you to improve your cognitive abilities passively while you are having fun.
1. Different video games help you develop different cognitive abilities, which means you cannot depend on a single game to develop all possible skills.
2. The improved cognitive skills that you acquire from playing video games won't necessarily be applicable in a meaningful way in external tasks, that your cognitive skill might not have any practical implication when it comes to performing tasks in reality.
3. Like everything else, there's a limit to how much video game will benefit your cognitive skills, past a certain point , any additional playtime won't lead to any meaningful benefit.
To derive maximum cognitive benefit you should make sure that you rotate between different kinds of games that target different cognitive capabilities. Furthermore, you should focus on those games that help you develop cognitive skills that can be implicated in real-life tasks. You can put your cognitive skills to test in various situations to see if video games help you improve various cognitive skills.
Here is a pro tip from Dr. IITian. Apart from studying hard for your IIT JEE exam preparation, you could invest some time in playing video games that might aid you to ace your examination with flying colors. Additionally, you will develop certain cognitive skills that will stick with you for a long time and will be beneficial in various situations that might come your way.
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By: Dr.IITian
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