With the rapid rise of technology, the popularity of online gaming has skyrocketed over the past few years. The universal appeal of online games is remarkable; you’ll find that online gaming communities are populated equally by people of both genders and all age groups from all over the world, from different walks of life.
From strategy games and online casinos to virtual reality and shooter games, online games have tremendously evolved from the arcade games of the 1970s, making more of them accessible. But is all this online gameplay healthy? The answer is yes, in more ways than you probably think. Here are some of the undermined benefits of online gaming.
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Online Games Allow You To Practice
When it comes to online games, many games have jackpots, reward points tournaments, and new events frequently and even daily. This ensures that there are always new challenges to look forward to and new ways to better your skills.
Additionally, online portals offer video tutorials and practice games to help beginners get accustomed to the game and sharpen their skills before diving any deeper. This can be especially useful for those who like casino games. There are so many advantages to playing at an online casino that it’s hard to know where to start.
Gambling enthusiasts who exploited Empire777 claim that playing casino games online can be better than the real thing, especially for beginners, because it allows them to practice comfortably with less pressure. Unlike in actual casinos, you never have to wait to play at an online casino; even if a hundred people are playing the same game, there’s always a seat at the table or another game available.
While the atmosphere of land-based casinos is more engaging and entertaining, the amount of money you save by playing at online casinos instead of traveling to an actual one leaves you with more gambling money. Not only can you play more online, but you can also win more because online casinos usually offer better cash bonuses.
For instance, let’s say that you get a $1000 bonus. If you’re playing online, you can take as long as you want to play the bonus down, but in land-based casinos, it’s not that simple. As for the variety of games, online casinos can carry hundreds of different games while land-based casinos are limited by their space and the games’ popularity.
Online Games Can Reduce Stress
While some games can stress you out, especially when you see your character get struck down for the tenth time, others can significantly relieve stress. Research suggests that certain games can regulate the players’ heart rate and blood pressure and reduce their adrenaline response by over 50%.
Other studies show that regular online gaming has a substantial effect on reducing stress and cortisol levels. Cortisol, also known as the stress hormone, is basically your body’s built-in alarm system that can control your mood, fear, and motivation.
When your cortisol levels are reduced, you’ll feel happier and more relaxed. So aside from guaranteeing fun and excitement, online games can also help you blow off steam at the end of a long and stressful day.
One study examined the stress levels in two groups of gamers as they played either cooperative or competitive games. As predicted, both groups experienced a decrease in their stress levels and both retained positive feelings toward the other players, although those who played cooperatively experienced a more significant decrease in their stress levels.
Online Gaming Can Improve Cognitive And Interpersonal Skills
Perhaps, the most significant benefit to online gameplay is the fact that it stimulates your brain in so many ways that help improve your coordination and cognitive skills, keeping your brain in the best shape. When you’re playing an online game, you’re not just inactively staring at your screen, on the contrary, you’ll be paying close attention to the visuals and actions taking place, providing great mental stimulation as it requires you to coordinate visual, audial, and physical elements.
To be able to predict your opponent’s next move and think of the best way to counter it, strategy-based games call for serious attention to detail, quick reactions, and critical thinking. Once you learn the key strategies for every stage in a strategy-based game, your critical thinking and coordination will automatically develop which can reflect positively on many skills that you need in your daily life such as your problem-solving and decision-making abilities.
When you encounter hurdles and hassles in online games that force you to think and decide quickly, your decision-making skills will undoubtedly improve. You see, when you learn to conquer unexpected obstacles and emerge victoriously, this enhances your mental capacity and creativity in real life too.
Challenging card games at online casinos can improve memory, concentration, and analytical skills, which also add to your overall mental development. Because online casino games, especially card games, involve money and strategy, they require total concentration and attentiveness. Closely observing every move your opponents make, trying to catch any giveaways in their playing patterns is guaranteed to make you more conscious and alert, even outside the game.
Online Games Can Improve Memory
In addition to improving many cognitive and interpersonal skills, the fun challenges often found in online games can also boost your memory, especially if you’re an adult. On account of the pressures of their daily lives, adults tend to use certain parts of their brain often while other parts are left inactive. Working out all areas of the brain can have significant benefits for you now, and as you grow older.
Because the player will usually be required to read or listen to instructions at the beginning of the online game. This means that they’ll need to engage their audio and visual memory and recollection to remember them throughout the entire game and be able to follow the game’s storyline which trains their ability to retain important information for an extended period of time.
Additionally, mastering the keys on your keyboard or console helps improve your muscle memory, both on the long and short terms. When playing games that focus on speed and memory, such as trivia and puzzle-based games, you can exercise those unstimulated parts of the brain. Studies suggest that these kinds of games can help reduce the risk of dementia and the forgetfulness, which are common side effects of old age.
Online Games Can Offer An Efficient Source Of Learning
Because online games can capture the player’s attention for a long period of time with the visual and aural stimulators, it allows the brain to process those stimulators faster than others which is why it comes as no surprise that video games can provide an excellent medium for learning.
Many modern educational systems around the globe are employing online video games as an engaging teaching methodology that can help children improve their academic skills while working together using video games that specifically aim to enhance their cognitive functions and creative skills.
Additionally, some studies suggest that online games can help manage learning disorders such as dyslexia. The research is based on the fact that because attention difficulties are a key component of dyslexia and players will be required and drawn to focus intently during a constantly changing game, and their reading comprehension will improve following intense gaming sessions.
Online Gaming Brings People Together
Online gamers are commonly stereotyped as being isolated and antisocial, but the opposite is actually true. While the complicated challenges, cooperative play, and rich storylines may be what initially draws the players in, the social interaction in the gaming community is what makes them stay. The rise of online multiplayer games’ popularity and the abundance of their varieties have given way to a new form of socializing where players work together to achieve their goals.
Providing people with a common goal that they have to work with each other to achieve can promote teamwork and help them interact better with others in their day-to-day lives offline. This is especially beneficial for introverts, as it allows them to communicate with other players through a tangible medium that’s under their control which can consequently make them more comfortable with one-on-one interpersonal interactions.
Not only does online gaming promote teamwork and communication, but studies also show that online games can also strengthen already existing bonds; around 70% of all online gamers play with actual friends at least some of the time. The communication between the players results in the development of casual and meaningful relationships and strengthening already existing ones.
When friends and family members are miles apart, staying in contact is usually hard, but through online gaming grandpa and grandson can go head to head every night in a chess game while old college buddies can play one of the many multiplayer shooter games out there, all the while catching up and staying involved in each other’s life.
Online Games Provide Much-Needed Entertainment
Online games can step in to fill up the space when you can’t find something to do or when you need something to break the routine, conveniently addressing the universal human need for entertainment while keeping you both mentally and psychologically occupied and active.
The most beneficial aspect of online games is that you can play games anytime and anywhere, even if you’re on the go. This enables you to get your required dose of entertainment more efficiently than before as long as your device has an internet connection.
Virtual reality games are perhaps the most entertaining type of online games. An added bonus to VR games is that they can be a great means of keeping children occupied while motivating them to stay physically active. The increase of VR gaming apps means that children don’t have to be glued to a screen indoors to play games and enjoy themselves.
Online Games Can Battle The Side-Effects Of Aging
The kind of online games that involve problem-solving, puzzles and memory elements has been proven to have positive effects on older players. In one study that involved participants 50 years or older, just 10 hours of play led to long-term improvement in cognitive functioning.
In addition to cognitive decline, pain is a common element that comes with aging. It’s normal to seek distractions when in pain by paying attention to something else, which is one of the reasons why online games make good painkilling prescriptions. Additionally, playing immersive online games can trigger the brain to produce painkilling responses that literally ease the pain.
Online Games Can Make You Feel Better
Besides providing relieving stress and reducing pain, online games can play a significant role in improving your mood because the thrill and excitement stimulated by these games can reduce anger and anxiety. Some studies even suggest that the storylines of online games, whether they’re single or multiplayer ones, can activate feelings of relatedness and belonging, giving the player an overall sense of comfort and happiness.
The challenges the players face during their gameplay can provide a healthy outlet for any negative feelings they may have, allowing them to work their daily life’s frustrations. This can manage their depression and hostile feelings through mood management, which equips them to adapt their mental skills better to handle stress, become less depressed, and get less hostile during real-life situations.
There’s an outdated misconception that online games do more harm than good, and while it’s true that online gaming can have its downsides, but so does everything in life. When done in moderation, online gaming can have numerous benefits that can’t be overlooked. Altogether, playing online games can help players develop complex problem-solving skills, communication skills, and the ability to make decisions on the spot.
Playing games online and in general, enhance a player’s observation skills, intuitive abilities, and boost their memory and concentration while offering a much-needed break and stress relief from the busy modern life. So, the next time someone lectures you on the side effects of online gaming, you can counter their argument with those benefits. And always remember, anything done in moderation can be beneficial.
If you are interested in even more entertainment-related articles and information from us here at Bit Rebels, then we have a lot to choose from.
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