Did you enjoy playing games like Monopoly, Sorry!, Chess, Tetris, or (insert a game here)? I know I did. LOVED IT! Still do. And with the advancement of technology, a multitude of games have been able to be constructed and played on a massive scale for all users.

But doesn’t gaming rot your brain?

Nope! Not even computer games!

For whatever reason, gamers to this day still get flack for playing games. And against most of the general belief, gaming (whether board games, online or otherwise) have a multitude of benefits … If played within reason.

According to this blog (which unfortunately doesn’t appear to have any links to other sites to back up their findings) gaming can do a lot to benefit you, including (but not limited to):

gaming can boost brain function

The videos at the bottom of this post touch on this, but I wanted to ensure you were aware that this is not just for games specifically focused on brain training …

But you knew that, right?

I’m sure you did. 🙂

{And if not, now you do and can tuck back that piece of information to pull out at some point in the future – haha!}

Here’s one online post about it via CBS News.

gaming can help you get in shape

Several virtual games (and even some physical games) require physical interaction with the system. From the Wii Fit to the XBox Kinect and every other platform out there, you have the ability to work out at home and HAVE FUN with it!

And for most people, exercise doesn’t sound like a lot of fun, right? But when you add points and competition … You bet your britches people will engage!

gaming can help you train for serious tasks

While this site says there’s no proof that you can train your brain and just seemed all around skeptical … I am an actual user of Lumosity and I love it!

Have you ever used Lumosity? If not, it’s basically a bunch of different games to help you improve different parts of your brain like attention, memory, speed, face recognition (for those servers out there or for anyone who may have a tough time remembering the name of someone you just met 5 minutes ago) and so much more!

Case in point (and one of the reasons I will always keep Lumosity around for my brain) is that after a little while of using Lumosity, a brilliant idea struck me one day!

I was living in an apartment and had been for a few years. One day I opened up my closet and it was like a switch had turned on! My increase spatial recognition kick started and all of a sudden I had this moment of brilliance where I just started moving things around and “found space” in my closet! It was a miracle! It had been so long since I had been able to walk in to my walk-in closet, I had forgotten that was a thing.

While this may seem like a silly little thing to you, it was an eye opener for me and I knew I needed to train more with Lumosity.

gaming can be an effective teaching tool

I am all about using games as a teaching tool – so is Jane McGonigal (but I’ll touch on that in a moment) and even Robert Kiyosaki.

For games like Monopoly and Cash Flow are both games that help both kids AND adults have a better understanding of money and how that all works.

I personally prefer Cash Flow as you can see the consequences of certain life choices within this game and even have the options to make investments that are more in depth (and therefore more educational) than Monopoly. Not only that, but Cash Flow also helps you understand how to make better choices so you can get out of the rat race and make your money work for you!

Now there are a lot of other games out there that can teach things like teamwork (any MMORPG or online game wherein you have to interact with others to achieve a common goal) and the like … But let’s be honest, there’s a lot you can learn from a game.

And if the above wasn’t cool enough for you, here’s some other additional interesting facts about gaming:

• America’s Army, with over 43 million downloads as of 2009, is credited as being the most effective recruiting tool for the military.
• In 2010, video game sales accounted for over $16 BILLION in software alone, with over $9 billion in hardware (console) sales.
• This blog here suggests that when young people (whose brains are still developing) are subjected to games that are rated M for Mature (18+) that are extremely violent, these children (or youth) exhibit reduction of feelings of empathy and increased aggression, which could be written off as a “desensitization of the value of life”.
• Demands for more realistic (and faster) graphics have helped to significantly push digital technology … AND GET THIS!

… in 2010 the Air Force Research Laboratory unveiled a high-speed, low-cost networked supercomputer it had built by linking together 1,760 PlayStation 3 consoles. Recently the Army announced it’ll use a video game engine to power a portable virtual-reality training program, the Dismounted Soldier Training System.

Some of the other features of games that I think need to be brought to your attention are:

There’s always going to be someone who is better than you.

Games can be humbling. Regardless of how long you’ve played something, however many levels you are, someone is always going to be able to one up you.

You can make a living out of gaming.

No seriously! In the article “How To Make A Living Gaming” as seen on the Economist … It’s a real thing!

Now, it does take a lot of time and practice and there’s no guarantee this will happen for you … But there’s tons of gaming tournaments where you can win prizes (including monetary ones).

And sometimes you can get SPONSORED or paid to test out new games.

You don’t have to ask permission to help out.

Gamers are often some of the most giving people … Generally both in game and in real life.

As a newbie (new player) you might be running along in something like Borderlands 2 and along comes someone you’ve never met wanting to join your party and then lo and behold – they give you a LEGENDARY item that makes you a certifiable badass.

Yup. You heard me.

You’re walking along and BAM! You’re gifted with awesome.

Gaming is an easy way to connect with your significant other.

It can be a healthy way to be competitive … Just remember it’s a game!

Not all couples can do this … In effect, both parties need to enjoy games on some level and may require patience one the part of the person who doesn’t game as much as the other …

But gaming together as a couple can be a great way to spend time together.

Now, you might be thinking, “Well that’s all fine and dandy … But I thought you said there were negative effects to gaming!”

I sure did. But these negative effects are usually for those hard core gamers that do nothing but go to school or work, come home, and game. There’s nothing wrong with this if that’ what you prefer, but it can have a huge toll on your body. For example, on this post you can find a TON of both positive (which we only touched on earlier) and negative effects on gaming, such as:

Your Health Can Suffer

If you’re not playing games that require physical activity, you can fight this negative aspect of playing games by taking breaks to complete some physical activity.

And then of course if you don’t already have them, you can get games that require physical activity and work with your system.

Your Social Interactions Can Suffer

It has been shown that extensive game playing CAN cause social withdrawal outside of the game realm as mentioned in this article, however for the most part I think this is focused on people who do not interact with others when they game.

If you do suffer from this, even when playing with other players, you can combat it by taking classes doing something you enjoy (perhaps underwater basket weaving?) or even picking up a hobby that you can do with friends (like painting or doing events with the Society for Creative Anachronism or SCA).

Your Pocket Book May Suffer

This one is also pretty easy … Aside from asking for games for your birthday or Christmas … you can sometimes check them out from your local library or borrow them from a friend.

There are some massively popular games that are even free!

It just depends on what you’re in to, your budget, and what you already have at your disposal.

Here are some additional links you can check out in regards to the advantages and disadvantages of gaming:

• What I Learned About Dealing With People From Playing Games Online by Eric Ravenscraft
• How to Use Board Games to Improve Your Real Life by Herbert Lui

Now, I don’t know about you, but I love learning about how our minds work and how we can improve it. Have you ever had a loved one become the victim of dementia? There’s science that shows how this can be avoided (or slowed down) without medication … and knowing how to keep your brain fit is one of them!

That’s why I was really excited to find this TED talk from a cognitive researcher by the name of Daphne Bevelier about how video games (even action packed shooter ones) can help people focus, learn, and multitask! (Which some research has found that this is impossible … but the info from Daphne is still AWESOME!)

And finally … the crème de la crème de la crème (shout out to Moses Anderson) … Jane McGonigal! I absolutely ADORE this woman and her scientific studies of gaming have made me feel better about the time I have (and will) spend gaming, since not only am I helping my brain but I get the social interaction with others (when I don’t go and play by my lonesome).

Her story is truly touching, and you should totally check out her other TED talks (mostly about gaming … go figure, right?) … But the one I am sharing below is the one that introduced me to this incredible woman and how … [and you can click here to read along with the interactive script for this vid]

Games like World of Warcraft give players the means to save worlds, and incentive to learn the habits of heroes. What if we could harness this gamer power to solve real-world problems? Jane McGonigal says we can, and explains how.

… it turns out that by spending all this time playing games, we’re actually changing what we are capable of as human beings. We are evolving to be a more collaborative and hearty species.

This last video is not only hilarious, but truly an eye opener.

This last video is inspirational. Incredible. And will help you find the epic win … of gaming!

Did you like what you read? Are you a gamer, too?

Was anything you read or saw impactful in some way?

I would love to hear from you in the comments below!

P.S.  Although we all may not be able to make a living off of gaming (or may not even be able to earn any income from it) we all can do so in other ways.

Like blogging about your passions! (And it’s easy.)

Learn how by clicking here: