Video Games and Psychology

In the last decades, the video game industry has taken the world by storm. We can define video games as « an electronic game that has an interface designed for human interaction on a video device ». As such, the development of video games is correlated to the advancement of new technologies. And nowadays we can find them everywhere. We are surrounded by digital platforms we can play games on. We can play on our cellphones, on our TV, as well as on devices designed for this specific purpose (Xbox, Nintendo DS, Playstation etc.).

With its development throughout the years video games have faced many controversies and were held accountable for violent behaviour and misconduct among youngsters.

Two years ago, the World Health Organization even declared that there were such thing as « gaming disorder » partaking in the mental disorder realm.

A few elements, inherent to video games, make those damages and misconduct possible. First, we have its similarity with real life events that leads some people to no longer differentiate real life from video games (especially for those whose brains are yet to be fully developed). Thus, they reproduce certain types of behaviour learned on video games that are not proper in real life. And then we have the rewarding system activated while video gaming which can be addictive.

But while there’s a lot of things that could be said on the downside of video games, recent studies support the idea that video games could be used as a tool in a variety of circumstances.

Vidéo games and cognition

According to a study published in 2014 by the University of Toronto, video gaming can improve cognition and hand-eye coordination because it enhances the volume of the prefrontal cortex and visual parts of the brain in the process of playing. That‘s why virtual reality systems are often used in medical training. Because they help them improve their surgery skills. A study conducted in 2013 even showed that surgeons who preps by playing a video game are faster and have a reduced amount of mistakes while performing surgery on their patient.

Daphne Bavelier research reaches a similar conclusion. As she explained on her Ted Talk (« Votre cerveau sous les jeux vidéos »), video games are powerful for brain plasticity, learning, attention and vision. Action gamers for example, thanks to the path of their games, have developed skills that allow them to take on a lot of information at the same time and are better at reading small prints compared to non-players. Their ability to track objects is also enhanced by their practice.

Additional studies showed that memory could also be a cognitive ability improved by video gaming. According to Gregory et al. (2015), playing 3D video games increases grey matter in the hippocampus which is involved in memory building. It therefore boosts the formation of memories. It makes sense because in this case, players have to be spatially aware of their surroundings and remember cognitive-builded maps.

Inspired by all those findings, new studies are conducted each day on how video games could help us prevent and slow down the progress of diseases such as dementia and the Alzheimer’s disease.

Video games and therapy

Video games, if used effectively, can change lives for the best.

Cosmin Mihaiu is an example of that. He broke his arm when he was a kid. And because he found physical therapy (advised by his kinesitherapist) boring, his recovery took longer, like a majority of patients who, like him, don’t do their exercises because of a lack of motivation. But years later, when his mom developed shoulder pathology, Cosmin Mihaiu was determined to fix this problem. So he transformed these exercises into video games through a medical device called MIRA that is now helping tons of patients.

Another perfect example of the hidden benefits of video games is Zhenghua Yanghad. He had to be hospitalized for a severe blood disorder for 2 years. During this time, because of his loneliness and despair, he started playing video games like League of legends, an online multiplayer game. While playing, he met people who started to check up on him. It helped him fight his health issues. That is why, he developed video games with the intent of help others like Serenity Forge, Loving Life and more which promote health.

And if you are yet to be convinced by the benefits of video games, we will let your discover, on an endnote, Jane McGonigal’s inspiring work and viral TED Talk :