Get gaming to get smarter

Over the past two months or so, gaming has provided a sense of the past reality like no other medium. Walking through the open grassland of the PUBG map serves as a substitute to the real feeling. Socialising happens when you plan an attacking strategy for the enemies, and banters happen when someone loses their life cheaply. Some laughs are shared and a few adrenaline charged gaming moments are experienced. Post the game, everyone returns back to an uncertain reality.

There has been an increase in people moving towards gaming which has resulted in the growth of gaming traffic across regions. Gaming, which was considered a distraction until two months ago, is turning out to give people their much required escape from a grim reality. Here are a few examples of how gaming can be beneficial for the modern consumer:

Boosts Memory: Games like PUBG and Fortnite require immense concentration to keep track of the map and the enemy location. Gaming can enhance a wide range of cognitive skills, and a research by University of California stated that playing immersive 3D rich video games can engage the brain's hippocampus area, which is associated with complex learning and memory.

Improves Decision Making: Imagine you're playing Call Of Duty, when suddenly, someone throws a bomb towards your direction. You have 2 escape routes.One route has 2 strong and 3 weak opponents waiting for you, and the other has 1 strong and 4 medium opponents.Time is running out, and you need to make a quick, calculated decision!

Enhances Life Skills: Video games also teach players valuable life skills which tend to be useful for the future. Strategy games enable people to plan ahead and measure consequences. Skills such as patience and perseverance are a part of every game. Hand-eye coordination is another skill that gets enhanced through gaming, and this turns out to be beneficial in everyday tasks. Most of the games also force players to deal with visual and auditory distractions while doing a task, which can develop multi-tasking abilities. Skills such as teamwork, leadership and adaptability are also tested through multiplayer games.

Increases Focus and Attention: From being considered as an activity that reduces attention, researchers are now stating that an hour of video games can increase the brain's ability to focus.

Reduces Stress: Studies have continuously shown that gaming tends to relax people and enables them to unwind and escape from the turbulence of work pressure and personal problems. While there are games that are designed to pump up your adrenaline, these are still considered therapeutic, stress relief activities as it helps people to switch off from the world for a while. Gaming provides instant gratification and a confidence boosting sense of achievement which acts as a motivator for many people who might not experience this in everyday life. So what are you waiting for? Game ON!! (IANS)

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