Gamers In Real Life

The issue of whether playing video games is bad for you and what some potential “behavioral problems and difficulties” might be has been discussed for a long time. A lesser-known fact is that gaming can actually have a number of benefits for some crucial abilities.

Gamers and non-gamers alike were tested on a range of skills relevant to some of the most demanding jobs and everyday activities. Additionally, the gamers were subdivided into current and former gamers to examine the impact that ongoing gaming practice may have on their abilities.

The research found that the competencies acquired through gaming don’t fade out when you’ve stopped playing. On the contrary – all gamers, past and current, performed truly well and better than non-gamers in a set of skills necessary for jobs like surgeons, pilots, and more.

More importantly, it is not the winning of the game that counts, but the practice you gain in the process. So, if you want to enhance your abilities, it is probably not all that bad to indulge in a bit of gaming. If you want to top it with a win, then the TKO Hacks Team certainly has some useful tips for you.

The more detailed analysis shows that, among future doctors, gaming significantly improves their chances of performing well in laparoscopy and suturing classes. Medicine majors from both gamer groups made fewer mistakes and completed their tasks more quickly. Additionally, they had better results overall than their non-gaming peers.

Another interesting thing about demanding professions is that gamers performed better under stress, such as when flying an aircraft. More precisely, they show fewer neuroticism markers than actual military drone pilots, which means that they are better equipped for such a job. Not only that – this means they respond better to any form of stress and situations involving pressure.

Coordination between the visual signal and motoric response is another important skill that improves with gaming. This skill, called visuomotor, has a lot to do with someone’s talent for driving. This basically means that gamers are better drivers and have better reflexes.

Another on the list of abilities where high performance is linked to gaming is learning. Namely, multi-tasking, perception, attention, task-switching, and decision-making are all positively influenced by gaming experience.

Teen gamers who took an international test also performed better in math, science, and reading than their peers who didn’t play video games. On the other hand, those who spent some time scrolling through social media did worse on this test.

To top all of the above findings, a few general abilities are worth mentioning as well. There is also quicker decision-making and better attention span than in the non-gaming subjects. Lastly, some aspects of vision, such as visual memory and the ability to switch between mental tasks, are linked to either an active playing or gaming background.

Of course, performance tends to be better if the gamer plays for more than three hours per week. So, instead of relaxing by numbly staring at social media, maybe challenging yourself with a video game would be a better idea.