Gaming: A win-win situation

A dark room lit only by the dim light of a computer screen could be classified as a typical gamer refuge. While video games prove to be a common pastime of many students, they remain to be wrongly overgeneralized as negative influences, on both health and social skills.

However, most modern-day video games involve interaction with other players, or even friends that a player may know in real life.

“I know quite a few students from all over… who play League of Legends,” said junior Habi Lee. “Even introverts who are on their computers 24/7 have a lot more to talk about when they play the game. It connects people.”

One of the most commonly addressed issues in terms of gaming would be the disconnect between the gaming “world” and real life. Gamers will become so absorbed in a game, that they forget their surroundings. But the same can be said about many other activites. A musician immersed in music, or an athlete engaged in a hardcore workout also experiences the same disconnect from the real world, and are not looked down upon.

Contrary to societal opinion, gaming can be beneficial in many ways, such as improving decision-making skills. A study from “Current Biology” proposes that gamers develop a skill known as “probabilistic inference,” which is what humans use to process information and make a sound decision.

In addition, it has been shown that many gamers have improved reflexes and peripheral vision.

“Most of the academic work regarding the cognitive benefits of gaming has focused on improved vision,” UCSD postdoctoral researcher Joshua Lewis said. “For example, [gamers who] play shooters [may] be better at detecting and responding to visual stimuli in the periphery.”

Playing the piano or chess changes the way a person’s brain works. So do video games. According to studies conducted by the University of Wisconsin, when a person is engaged in a video game, the combination of neurotransmitter surges and intense concentration effectively strengthens neural circuits in the brain; this process can be compared to the way exercise builds muscle.

Gaming also can potentially increase persistence gamers must contend with multiple failures. Many games include the possibility of death within each round, followed by a respawn of the person’s designated character.

“I personally think that the opportunity for overcoming difficulty and failure in a game is valuable,” Lewis said. “Learning from failures and persisting until you succeed is a good life skill, and video games are a low stakes environment in which to build it.”