Medical
effects
of gaming
Gaming is a worldwide activity, which is especially popular among children and teenagers. Playing video games has often been regarded as harmful for our health, but this is not entirely true. As I have been playing video games myself for a long time I wanted to dive in and explore the unnoticeable effects of esports without being biased. I will be sharing with you both the benefits and the drawbacks of gaming and addressing some common stereotypes, to bring your knowledge to the next level!
David Bakos
Medical Benefits linked to Gaming
1. IMPROVEMENT OF MANUAL DEXTERITY
According to the definition, manual dexterity is the ability to coordinate one's hands skillfully in order to perform precise movements.
What does gaming have to do with it? I think the answer is quite easy to guess. Playing video games that are controller based ...
3. IMPROVEMENT IN PROBLEM SOLVING
If you’ve ever played any type of video games, you must probably agree that (almost all) video games have some sort of challenge or problem included, that forces players to figure out a solution to be able to progress further - go to the next level, open up a new layer, get rewards, etc. ...
5. INCREASE IN MOOD
There is no doubt that people play video games to enjoy them and to be happy while playing. It is like any other hobby that helps a person relax, release built-up stress and forget about any pain. This is the reason why video games are often prescribed as therapy when treating patients. ...
4. IMPROVEMENT OF VISUOSPATIAL SKILLS
Visuospatial skills is the ability of someone to quickly tell where objects are in the space around them, also including their own body parts. They also include being able to see how far objects are from each other. So they aid orientation, which is also a vital part of our everyday life ...
pOSITIVE EFFECTS ON FURTHER SKILLS
Along with the main benefits already mentioned, there are a few minor skills that are being improved by gaming. One of which is gamers’ reading level. Many of them often quickly read the latest news about their favourite games, any updates, any leaked information, competitions or even any new games that are coming out...
Medical Drawbacks linked to Gaming
3. CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is the most prominent and dangerous injury in esports. But what is the carpal tunnel and where is it? It is a small tube-like pathway that goes through the wrist to the hand. Inside this tunnel is a nerve which can be damaged from overuse or bad posture during lots of gaming. ...
gAMING STEREOTYPES
1. Obesity
Obesity is one of the most basic stereotypes attributed to a typical gamer. ...
2. Anti-Socialness
Gamers displaying antisocial behavior is another really common stereotype. ...
3. Musculoskeletal Problems
Pain in the neck and back and bad posture is also commonly associated with gaming, ...
product
I have designed a footwarmer for gamers. This comes very handy in case of wet or cold weather. As the feet do not move, simply hang while we play, they easily get cold, as the bloodflow slows down in them. I hope I will manage to get this item into production one day, so you'll have a chance to have one. Until that feel free to write me any comments on it.
Conclusion
Video games are loved by all, no matter the age. It brings us together and creates a wonderful community. Gaming has many health benefits for us, which are improvement of manual dexterity, increase in brain grey matter, improvement of problem solving, improvement of visuospatial skills and increase in mood with many other small gains. Playing video games also has drawbacks, such as gamer’s thumb, tennis elbow, carpal tunnel syndrome and vision issues. Smart gamers benefit from gaming as they consciously focus on minimising these negative effects. Most rumours about gaming can be forgotten, and we should keep an open mind into the future and into the development of the virtual world! Game on!