Who doesn’t love games? 9 of every 10 American teenage boys play games on a PC, game console, or cellphone. But society has made us believe games have negative effects, including addiction risks, time-wasting, etc. While some of these concerns are true, others are just pure gibberish.
When played well, games can immensely benefit your body’s most important part; the brain. So, the next time a non-gamer condemns your passion for video games, you’ll have some evidence to back you up. Here, the free games download platform GameTop brings you 8 scientifically-proven benefits of PC games to the brain.
Spatial Visualization
Perhaps, if you’ve got stuck while driving through a narrow way slightly wider than your car, then you’ll know the significance of spatial visualization. Spatial visualization helps you determine the length, width, and depth of objects, spaces, and distances. Someone with brilliant spatial visualization can determine how many items can fit in a box.
Sure, not everyone has good spatial visualization. But the good thing is, that video games can help you boost it. Because in games, you consistently have to visualize the 3-way dimensions of objects and distances while shooting an adversary or scampering from cover. Research made in 2013 by the American Psychological Association proved how games boost cognitive awareness.
Boosts Basic Visual Perception
Good visual perception skills help you differentiate between monochromatic color schemes or different shades of grey. It is an established opinion that humans cannot improve their visual perception ability. But gaming solutions had proved otherwise.
Research by Professor Daphne Bavelier of the University of Rochester established how video games can boost visual perception. In the research, action gamers were found to be 58% better at perceiving little differences in color. As Bavelier pointed out, action video games train the brain to better process visual images and improve contrast sensitivity. Thus, saving gamers the hurdle of using eyeglasses for the same deficiency.
Visual perception has numerous benefits. You can better recognize familiar faces in a crowd, drive through a fog or determine the fine line between different shades of the same color.
Reduces Ageing Effects
As people get older, their brain ages while cognitive functions including memory and attention decline. But old men can play video games just to boost sharpen their memory and focus. Research by the University of California provided the evidence.
In the research, people of different age groups were made to play complex 3D games for 30 days. Those that played games showed improved brain performance than those that didn’t. People aged between 60 to 85 years old improved better than their counterparts in their 20s.
So, you could download free games to help your granddad better recognize distant families’ faces. Fascinating right?
Faster And More Accurate Decision Making
Just think about shooter games like DOOM, Call of Duty, or Ultra Kill. In these games, you have to avoid getting shot and take down your opponent at the same time. So, you have to make the correct decisions quickly. Otherwise, the outcome could be fatal. Activities during gameplay boost your real-life decision-making proficiency. A 2010 research made by scientists at the University of Rochester also backs it up.
A quick swerve to avoid hitting an oncoming car, what dress to wear for an occasion, whether to go for chicken or beef. We have numerous trivial decisions to make in life. And playing fast-paced games can help.
So, if you’re the indecisive type, you’d be more comfortable making real-life decisions quickly. Just download fast-paced games for free and you’re good to go!
Helps Tone The Body And Mind
Maybe you eat lots of junk, seem fat, are not ready to hit the gym, and are edging towards depression. Playing video games could give you the needed physical and mental boost. How?
You can exercise by playing physical fitness games like Beat Saber, Just Dance 2020, Ring Fit Adventure, or Wii Fit Plus. With these games, you will have to throw a few punches or wiggle your waist instead of just sitting idle on the couch. Meanwhile, these games are mainly cloud-based and not downloadable games.
With physical fitness games, you can keep yourself fit every time. While you enjoy the exhilarating gaming experience, you’d have lost lots of calories without even knowing it. And your mental health triples! Sounds good right?
Improves Social Qualities and Interaction
The general belief is that excessive gaming makes you anti-social. Especially when playing free offline games. You lock up yourself and play alone all day. Which makes you disinterested in socializing with friends.
While this is true, it’s based on how you play games. Being overly addicted to games hampering your social skills. But playing them correctly doesn’t.
Playing free offline games with physical friends boosts your social relations skills. Plus, there are many online gaming communities where you can ask questions, discover new strategies, and make friends in the process. Online games also connect you with any gamer available. You may have to converse, coordinate, lead and delegate tasks to in-game teams.
Besides, you can practice social interaction skills in-game without worrying about its consequences. Which gives you the confidence to exhibit such abilities in real life.
Makes Learning A Fun Experience
No, I’m not talking about educational games here. There are many other ways you can also learn from action games.
For example, reading pages of history about the assassination of John Kennedy would probably bore you. But games like JFK reloaded can make you relive the experience. Such games are fun to play and make learning easier
Games set around real-life incidents make you learn histories, ancient characters, and places. Thus, you could get a better visual image of events around Leonardo Da Vinci through Assassin Creed or Kennedy’s death with JFK Reloaded.
Besides, games, of any form, keep your learning faculty functioning. Discovering new strategies for solving a puzzle stimulates your brain and keeps it ready for more learning.
Detox Your Brain From Worries
The risky investment you made, the abusive boss in the office, huge debts, bills, etc. We have many things troubling our minds from time to time. But games can save your mental health by getting you immersed in games.
When immersed in games, you forget about all your life struggles. You relax, enjoy yourself, and have some needed dopamine rush. Games are a great way to detox after a stressful and anxious day at work.
Wrap Up
Do you want to kickstart your gaming experience? Then look no further. There are countless free games to download on GameTop. You are free to make choices from our selection of free games.