If it’s not your mum telling you to stop playing video games, then it’s a friend, partner, or interfering colleague. It seems as though everybody has an opinion about gaming and usually a negative one. However, it’s one of the most popular hobbies out there?
It seems as though there’s something that doesn’t quite add up about people’s opinion of gamers and their secret love of gaming. As it turns out, there are some real benefits that gaming can provide you with, so the next time someone makes a snarky comment on your hobby, you’ll have some facts to send them packing with.
Staying Social
There’s an image portrayed by the media of the lonesome gamer, sitting on their own after dark at the computer. Whilst some of us enjoy a midnight gaming session, that’s not the only facet of our character. Further to that, gamers oftentimes have to be social in order to get ahead with their hobby. Particularly over the past couple of years, lots of people have realized how real the social benefits of online gaming are.
Games that require cooperation to get ahead, such as online multi-player, or team games, require you to develop a close circle of friends who you can rely on to work well together. If you’re entering into a battle scene then you need an organized team that each knows their role.
Of course, organizing your friends isn’t the only social benefit. In times where seeing friends in real life is more difficult than normal, the social benefits of online gaming are huge. Many people who would not previously have considered themselves gamers have found catching up with friends over an online game the perfect solution to long periods spent alone.
Improving Mathematical Skills
The type of game you enjoy is going to affect the kind of benefits you can get from it. Online gambling in India is very popular for a myriad of reasons, but one of them might be this nation’s affinity for maths. India is behind only China when it comes to mathematical prowess.
They were at the forefront of early maths, that’s early as in 1200BC and they continue to astound with their new hypotheses and mathematical inventions. Gambling-style games, such as poker, slots, or sports betting, all center around knowledge of maths.
Whether it’s working out if the odds on the cricket are good value, or determining the chances of being dealt that ace you really need in the next round, having a good understanding of mathematics will stand you in better stead than someone who’s a little number-phobic.
Of course, when it comes to this sort of gaming the other thing that will stand you in good stead is finding the right website to do it on. Not all gambling websites are to be trusted, so it’s important to look for reviews by experts.
AsiaBet has compiled a list of websites that are totally secure. The mathematicians will also be pleased to hear that many of them are offering sign-up bonuses. If there’s one good way to increase your chance of winning, then it’s by earning yourself twice as many chances right at the beginning.
Developing Manual Dexterity
Admittedly, this is the sort of benefit that will only apply to a few scenarios, but it is one that has some cold hard evidence to back it up. Playing video games requires us to have great hand-eye coordination. If we’re playing a shoot-em-up game then we have to be able to see a target, aim accurately, and fire, all within a matter of sometimes less than a single second.
If you look at the reaction times of top eSports players, they can typically act in around 100-250 milliseconds, that’s at least twice as fast as the average player.
The other aspect of this need to be able to fire quickly is precision. A study was conducted on a group of surgeons, half of who did play video games and the other half who did not. It was found that the surgeons who did play video games made 37% fewer mistakes during surgery than those who did not.
Whilst not all of us have a surgery career to train for, this dexterity could be useful for other things. Creative pursuits such as painting or crafting may be benefited from a deft hand. Chefs or pastry chefs need a delicate hand in the kitchen. Fabricators and technicians may need to be able to work with delicate tools.
So next time someone accuses you of spending too much time on video games, challenge them to a game of Operation.