Can Video Games actually make you Smarter?

By Michael De Guzman

In a generation where technology is constantly changing and innovating, video games have gained attention among many people of various ages and ethnicities around the world. In the United States, violent video games like the Call of Duty have been debated to have possible negative effects on the mind and behavioral patterns. The Obama administration’s research has shown that violence in video games have little to no influence on the brain (link), however, other research on the new more diverse video games, have shown that playing video games can actually be very beneficial (link).

Benefits of playing certain games

Various studies have shown that real-time strategy (RTS) games such as StarCraft, the Warcraft series, and the extremely popular multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) games such as League of Legends, DOTA 2, and SMITE improve hand eye coordination, increases the player’s brain flexibility, and improves the player’s ability to focus on various things simultaneously.

Research on action games such as Call of Duty, HALO, and Grand Theft Auto, has shown positive results in brain flexibility among players. People who play action games for a fixed amount of time have shown an increase in visually processing everything seen at a given time, as well as an increase in their attention and concentration (link).

Current video game technology

With new gaming technology such as the Oculus Rift, the Sony Morpheus, and the HTC Vive, the benefits of gaming has been able to expand greatly. Thanks to the Oculus Rift, virtual reality gaming can also be used for simulations, therapy treatments, and the ability to experience real-time events from the past and present. Video game technology offers much more than it did in the past. People training to become doctors or surgeons can practice surgeries and operations with the Oculus. Therapists can use virtual reality gaming to create realistic environments for their patients to interact with, and improve their patient’s social skills (link).

The future of video games

As gaming technology continues to grow and innovate, the pros and cons of playing video games have and will continue to change over time. As games become more diverse, there will be more games for everyone to play and enjoy.