If you are like most people, you might have believed until now that video games are a complete waste of time because they are unproductive and not specifically meaningful.

But if you have ever explored this list of the best betting websites in Australia, or you might have bought a PS4 and played a couple of games, you might have had a different experience.

You might even want to waste more time making money and winning big gains while playing online games and making real money with the best paying online casinos. Nonetheless, let us discuss the main question of whether there are actual benefits to playing video games.

While there is evidence of depression, aggression, and anxiety – we aren’t going to focus on the negative aspects of online gaming. Instead, we are here to illustrate the positive aspects of online games and the different ways in which they can make our lives happier and more productive.

Read on to learn more about the surprising benefits of online gaming.

Improve Memory

First things first – in particular, online gaming and combat video games can improve memory and our visual navigational skills. A study that compared gamers vs. non-gamers found that people who played games performed better at memory tasks.

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The contrast and comparison were made between people who played 3D games and those who played 2D games, such as Angry Birds, and eventually, a group of people who played no games at all. The study also studied a group of non-gamers and split them into three further groups.

The first group played 3D games, the second played a 2D game, and the third group played nothing at all. The study found that the group of people who played 3D games for at least half an hour a day had improved performance on specific memory tasks.

Reduce Cognitive Decline

A really interesting study has revealed that video games can reduce the potential risk of cognitive decline that occurs naturally as we age. A study split a group of people (aged 55 – 75) into three groups.

One group was trained in video games, such as Super Mario 64. The second group had piano lessons, and the third group didn’t have anything at all. The study found that an increase in the gray matter within the hippocampus was significant only in the gaming group.

On the contrary, the control group displayed significant gray matter loss.

This study is interesting because the gray matter in the hippocampus acts as a marker for some neurological diseases, such as Alzheimer’s – if it deteriorates over time, you are more likely to develop these neurological disorders.

Improve Problem-Solving Ability

Another potential benefit of gaming is that it tends to improve our problem-solving ability. According to a study, the people who played more strategic games had better problem-solving skills, and this aspect also correlates with improved grades at school.

Also, when it comes to focusing, it has been found that people who play video games tend to do better at allocating their attention. The three parts of the brain that are associated with attention, such as the parietal lobe, the frontal lobe, and the anterior cingulate cortex – all had more efficient performance in people who played video games as compared to those who didn’t.

It has also been found that people who play video games – their brains are better at collecting visual and auditory stimuli to make decisions more effectively and efficiently than people who don’t play video games.

And if you think about it – you cannot help but agree that video gaming/ online gaming requires some cognitive performance. Therefore, it makes sense that if you play loads of video games, you will also be better at performing those kinds of tasks in real life.

Might Curb Anxiety/ Depression

There is also some evidence that video games might curb anxiety and depression among gamers. For instance, there is one game, SPARX, which has been specifically designed to help teenagers with depression.

It was found that the teenagers who had the video game were significantly more likely to have their depression cured or in remission than the people who just had therapy as usual. Now, this was a specific video game designed to treat depression – but it gives us some evidence that there may be some scope for video games to help reduce depression and anxiety, and other negative emotions like this.