Video games are pervasive in American society and across the world, and though concerned parents or activist groups consistently warn against the dangers, there is actually very little real research that indicates gaming is harmful in itself. Rather, gaming as part of a balanced lifestyle, can even boost your health through various mental, physical and emotional benefits. Ready to promote your all-around fitness? Grab hold of these four healthy strategies and game on.
Movement Games Up Physical Health
We all know that movement is good for you, preferably sustained and sweat-inducing. But can you obtain such benefits from a gaming system? Actually, yes, says Insiders Health. Employing gaming systems such as Wii Fit and Xbox Kinect that engage your athletic abilities can strengthen muscles, tone your body, improve heart health, boost your mood and help you lose weight. Best of all, you’ll have fun doing it in the comfort of your own home. So gym-phobes, sign up!
Hidden Object Games Boost Brainpower
Want to up your focus? Consider concentration- and detail-oriented programs, such as hidden object games at iWin.com. Games such as Legacy Tales: Mercy of the Gallows immerse you in an eerie, ghostly environment involving the shade of a woman, pirates, esoteric captains and a mysterious presence known as the Raven. By looking at complicated, artful surroundings and picking out objects, you’ll improve your memory and concentration. Additionally, many games educate you on other topics along the way, such as geography or history.
Memory and Attention Get a Leg Up
As a result of the numerous laboratory tests showing the neurological benefits of improving attention span, problem solving abilities, flexibility of thinking and speed of cognition, educational gaming websites have begun to pop up all over the web. Lumosity is currently one of the leading sites, basing its wide variety of games on actual laboratory games retrofitted to pose as fun mental challenges. Similar gaming sites include Happy Neuron, which brags of increases in memory and reaction time. Want to learn more about the truths and myths of neuroplasticity? Sites like Sharp Brains can help you learn which approaches actually boost mental prowess.
Bringing Out Your Ideal Self Improves Self-Esteem
We all want to be our ideal selves; it’s what our hopes and dreams usually revolve around. The root of enjoyment in many games may be the fact that they offer us a chance to become a version of our best selves while playing, according to Andy Przybylski–leader of a University of Essex study that looked into the positive benefits of gaming. When we play games that allow us to take on a different persona, but one that nevertheless represents some part of ourselves we’d like to cultivate, we feel better about who we are, and the chance to act like that person can lead to positive self-esteem. Be careful not to take the self-esteem claims too far, however. Video game playing should always exist in balance with real life, cautions Web MD.
