Many parents may be worried that children are spending too much time playing games. They concentrate so hard that they don’t hear parents. All that focus, hours of practice may not be all waste after all. Researches show that computer animations improve concentration in everyday tasks and help you complete them faster and more accurately.
How Many People Play Video Games?
It is not only youngsters or children many adults love them too. According to a survey carried out by Entertainment Software Association (ESA), at least one member enjoys them in about 70% of households in America. This shows that we are not stranger to them and it will probably get even more widespread. There are so many of them in circulation that one bound to attract your fancy.
Do Games Improve Decision Making Capabilities?
According to a study carried out at the University of Rochester, fast action computer contests can boost decision making in difficult circumstances. They found that not only people can make quick decisions but also those are accurate. It appears that people can transfer those skills gained while gaming into real life situations.
The study concludes that computer-generated imagery improve certain activities like operating a vehicle. However, they didn’t actually test the driving skills to come to this conclusion. Instead they tested two groups of 18-25 year olds who played faster and slower video games. One group had fast-paced action games like “Call of Duty 2” and the other group had slower games like “The Sims 2”
Then researchers put those groups of participants through series of tests. They found that the faster group were able to answer the questions about 25% quicker than those who were in the slower group. Furthermore, the accuracy of their answers was just as good as the ones given by slower group.
Benefits of Playing Games
Those were impressive and conclusive results that confirmed what many people were claiming to happen. So parents, you may want to think again when you wish children don’t spend as much time on them. Here are some of the benefits.
- They are good for working the brain. Sitting idly and watching television may not help you much. On the other hand, action games appear to be making the brain work.
- They boost ability to make quick decisions in a pressured environment. Those require you to make split second choices all the time otherwise you crash the automobile or your character dies.
The great news is that you get quicker in making a choice and you can still make spot on decisions.- These skills appear to come handy when you are dealing with real problems in life, work, study and driving. You can handle working under pressure and make up your mind quickly.
- It helps the brain to calculate probabilities faster and that allows you to make quicker decisions. According to Daphne Bavelier of the University of Rochester study group “The brain is always computing probabilities. As you drive, for instance, you may see a movement on the right, estimate whether you are on a collision course, and based on that probability make a binary decision: brake or don’t brake.”
- This allows a significant improvement in especially defensive driving. Gaming teaches you to look out for all sorts of dangers coming from all angles and take a preventative action. This is exactly what you need while you are on the roads. You need to watch out other vehicles as they can engage in risky practices. Also, you need to keep watching the side and rear-view mirrors as well as being mindful of situations building up on the road ahead.
- There you have it. Playing action video games enhance driving. Therefore car ones should improve it a lot more. You can find some of them here and see if you want to try any of them.
- It is nice to see that something made for entertainment can be helpful in career, education and motoring. You can have fun and enjoy the side benefits.
- It is regularly mentioned that feeling of excitement, thrill and concentration during automobile chases on the computer can alleviate stress and lighten up the mood.
- Car races online can enhance reflexes and focus. They can boost visual as well as cognitive skills that you can see the troubles ahead and respond to them.
Use of Simulators in Improving Driving Skills
There are a few courses that utilise videos to show the dangers on the road. They can show the students what they need to watch out for and what mistakes they have been making. This may not be the same but it uses the same technology in education. It is played in a much slower motion but still allows you to see what mistakes others are making.
Driving schools use simulators to gain behind the steering wheel experience. They are also used for the purposes of carrying out studies and measure the reactions. Those simulators can give you real driving experience feeling. It is a great way of making mistakes and learning from them without causing real accidents on the roads.
Conclusion
Of course, this is not a post written to encourage people spend more time on them. However, if you are already familiar with them you shouldn’t feel as guilty about them as you may have had before. If you are an adult hopefully you would be able to manage the time spent and not ignore other responsibilities. If you are a parent you should teach children to do their homework and other tasks first and play on spare time.
They can quickly become addictive and people can end up wasting a lot of time on them. You shouldn’t allow them to turn into obsession that hinders studies, work or/and social life. Be smart about gaming habits and it will help you be smarter.
Also, the thrill, alertness and fighting to win is great and can increase the desire to do better in a profession or school. But you need to be responsible enough to see the difference between animations and real live. Perhaps, you have all the rage you want in there so that you can be calm and composed on the road.