Why are video games beneficial? (ENG/SPA)

Hello, Internet folks. How's it going? Today I want to talk about a topic that has always been up for debate, more specifically, the claim that video games are harmful to both physical and mental health and that exposing children to them is a bad idea.

Hola, gente de Internet. Todo bien? Hoy quiero hablar de un tema que siempre ha estado en debate, más propiamente se suele decir que los videojuegos son perjudiciales para la salud tanto física como mental y que exponer a los niños a estos, es una mala idea

In this post, we will explore the reality of this topic, how advantageous it really is to play video games, and the benefits they bring according to their genre (referring more specifically to Survival Horror).

Depending on their genre, video games help develop certain skills, such as attention and concentration, memory, hand-eye coordination, and visual dexterity. This is especially evident in platform games where you have to learn patterns or pay attention to various elements on the screen and dodge them, which also helps with mental agility (as in the case of the video game Cuphead) or some Mario Bros games.

Collaborative video games such as Left 4 Dead, LoL (League of Legends) Mobile Legends, and Dead by Daylight help with teamwork because they are ‘collaborative’ and their gameplay is for multiple players with the goal of achieving objectives as long as everyone works together to develop strategies, which also helps with mental agility.

Survival Horror, on the other hand, has these advantages and others, such as making the player undergo involuntary exposure therapy. This therapy helps players face their fears in a safe environment. In psychology, it is used to cure phobias. Survival horror games help sharpen the senses, as they are designed so that the audio is played through headphones as the enemies move. If you hear footsteps in your right ear, the enemy is moving on the right, which sharpens your sense of audio. Similarly, in some video games, enemies are camouflaged, which helps improve your eyesight. It's like those mental games of ‘find the penguin in the city’ that usually help with the aforementioned.

It also helps strengthen the immune system due to the release of adrenaline, as these types of games keep you constantly alert, with sudden scares (adrenaline rush) followed by calm moments when you can catch your breath.

The different scenarios help players learn to manage their emotions, as remaining calm (despite fear) in order to think about the right way to deal with dangerous situations helps with emotional control and knowing how to handle difficult situations under stress.

It has also been proven that the satisfaction felt after passing a level, boss or stage in a video game fills the player with happiness and dopamine, thereby generating physical and chemical benefits in their system.

The truth is that there are many other benefits, such as for the heart (rapid heartbeat and adrenaline help to exercise the muscle) and spatial awareness (learning to orientate yourself in space by checking a map so many times or travelling through the same place over and over again), which is applicable to real life.

And now you still think that playing video games is harmful? We know that it is clear that moderation is necessary when playing (especially for minors) and that excessive gaming can cause stomach, kidney and vision problems (due to not going to the toilet, not eating or eating at odd hours, not drinking water and staring at the screen for long periods of time without a break), but as long as it is done in moderation, video games have more benefits than disadvantages. So next time, play in moderation and without guilt.

And well, people, that's all for today's post, I hope you liked it. Thank you very much as always for supporting my work, I welcome new readers, I love you all very much, I send you a hug and I'll see you in another post.

I made the cover and farewell image in Canva

The photos used in this post are my property.