Video Games Make You Smarter [Study]
Video games make you smarter, and there is evidence to prove it. Despite what your elders may have told you as you grew up, the hobby does not turn you into some sort of zombie.
Yes, there is a significant possibility that overdoing it with video games will cost you some social skills. The kicker is that anything you do too often can lead to negative consequences.
While some political figureheads and religious leaders would like you to believe that video games are murder, the conclusive evidence shows that there is literally no link between violence and video games. In fact, a Fox News reporter even told Franklin Graham that Japan has some of the most violent video games, and one of the lowest crime rates in the world.
How do video games make you smarter? Certainly they’re not all made to teach you math, spelling, and geography. However, video games can make it fun to learn in general.
The best video games usually have a heavy element of challenge about them. This challenge usually comes by presenting you with a difficult scenario and forcing you to find a way through it. Right there, you are learning the act of problem solving as you go.
Video games don’t usually give you time to think the problem over. Sometimes you have to try different ideas until something works, hence training you for trial and error. That particular style of learning can be invaluable in the real world.
Don’t let anybody tell you that #videogames turn your brain to mush #health #science http://t.co/AOJZ7CFD0q pic.twitter.com/aO0i0YP1ma
— SunDaily (@SunDailyHealth) November 5, 2013
Study leader Simon Kühn explained how video games make you smarter:
“While previous studies have shown differences in brain structure of video gamers, the present study can demonstrate the direct causal link between video gaming and a volumetric brain increase. This proves that specific brain regions can be trained by means of video games.”
While playing Call of Duty: Ghosts might not help you pass that Geography final exam, it may be exercising the part of your brain responsible for learning what you need to know. Even role playing games require you to remember details over long periods of time.
Reflexes can also be enhanced when you play your favorite action games. Successful navigation of fast-paced games such as popular racing titles can actually improve your driving and other real world skills. Have you seen the Will Ferrell film The Other Guys? If you have, you probably heard the joke about learning to drive by playing Grand Theft Auto. That’s actually not too far from the truth.
Problem solving on the go, reflex training, memory, and even exercising the part of the brain responsible for learning are all examples of how video games make you smarter.
