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 Video games have been receiving a bad rap for years now. Parents have been warned about the violent nature of most video games and their adverse effect on young minds. Sitting in front of the computer or game console for hours on end can also affect a person’s long-term health and interfere with his or her social and interpersonal relationships. While there are numerous studies expounding the evils of gaming, there are also several new studies emerging on the benefits of the same.

The University of Utah recently published their study on the effect of video games on children with chronic illnesses. Kids who were diagnosed with conditions such as autism and depression were found to show signs of improvement after playing certain games. Factors such as resilience, fighting spirit and coping skills increased with certain types of video games. Similarly, pre-schoolers who were exposed to gaming reported better motor skills than those who didn't.

Still not convinced? Well, let’s look at how video games can affect adults. Recent studies show that gamers who complain of stress, mental exhaustion or depression can use video games as an effective release mechanism for aggression and tension. Another study noted that hospital patients who suffered from physical pain needed less medication if they were allowed to play interactive video games than those who didn’t. This could be attributed to the age-old adage that distraction offers the best relief from pain.

To clinch the argument that video games may actually be good for you, the recent researches concerns itself with the positive effects of gaming on improving mental acuity and decision-making skills. Fancy yourself a strategist or simply want to hone your thinking skills? It may be time to invest in a gaming console according to these studies. The logic behind this theory is simple. Several types of video games require instantaneous reactions and rapid movements in order to save you from a virtual death. Constantly being forced to make such split second decisions can only serve to sharpen your mind and develop your cognitive skills. Action-oriented games often simulate real life situations and may even provide out of the box solutions for the players. The same action games force players to infer evidence and reach unusual conclusions thereby improving their decision-making skills.

According to several leading business magazines and medical journals, the latest evidence indicates that with regular gaming, players develop a specific skill known as ‘probabilistic inference.’ Probablistic inference is nothing more than the ability to process information super quickly and use the same information to make lightening decisions – a skill that can only improve the performance of any manager or strategist in the business world today.

But what type of video game will make you a better thinker? The verdict is yet to be out on this one, with conflicting reports from different studies. In the latest study from the Computational Vision Lab at the University of Minnesota, two groups of people were studied for over fifty hours. One group played a strategy game while the other group spent the fifty hours on a shooter game. Results showed that participants who played the action shooter games showed faster reflexes and thinking skills as compared to the group who played the role-playing games. According to the professors on this study, video games help teach people to perceive sensory data optimally. In short, action games improve perceptual functions and allow for better decision-making.
 
Alternatively, according to a paper published by the Journal of Science Education and Technology, first-person strategy games are a necessary addition to anyone who values intellectual play. The research noted that surgeons who played video games for at least three hours a week performed their surgeries faster and more efficiently as compared to their non-gaming colleagues.

While it is up to you to decide whether video games will make you a better thinker or not, one cannot deny the fact that the mind needs as much exercise as the body to stay fit and operate optimally. So, if it takes a video game to keep those grey cells multiplying then go ahead and reach for that console!

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