Video games and physical sports may seem unrelated, but modern research has revealed different findings. According to various researchers, video games make us better beings by improving our bodies and minds. This is a departure from past beliefs, which associated gaming with overweight, depression, and antisocial effects on people.
This article examines how reasonable gameplay can make one a better athlete.
Improves Body Parts Coordination
Playing action games like Grand Auto Theft, God of War, Call of Duty, and Unreal Tournament require swift visual information processing and prompt action.
On the other hand, sports like tennis, baseball, hockey, and boxing require a high level of hand-eye coordination, a skill you can highly enhance by playing video games.
Your visual motor skills come into play during game time, where quick and precise hand responses to visuals are demanded. Gaming helps to coordinate your hand movements with messages collected by the eyes. Playing games can also come in handy during your injury recovery journey as you train different parts on how to coordinate again.
Studies show that experienced gamers portray identifiable visual motor gains demonstrated through ball-catching and tracing tasks. Complex button inputs create advanced neural connections bolstering total body coordination.
Improves Decision Making
Highly competitive top-level games require close judgment calls, mostly under extreme pressure. These calls can make or break the game, meaning your decision-making skills must be incredibly excellent.
Playing video games enables athletes to gradually improve their decision-making skills by providing environments for experimenting with strategic risks without bearing the actual consequences.
Scans reveal increased activity in decision-making areas among regular video gamers. A typical player in an Ausie no deposit bonus casino should be a fast and good decision-maker, something that is also needed in some running events. Repeatedly assessing options and strategising during the game sharpens one’s decision-making ability, which is demonstrated in real gameplay.
Develop Physical Skills
Pre-school children who play interactive games demonstrate improved motor skills such as kicking, catching, and throwing a ball than their non-gamer peers.
Another Boston surgeon study found that gamers were 27 percent faster than those who didn’t play. The findings also show that those who play video games regularly are 37 percent more accurate on the field or court than their non-gaming counterparts.
Enhances Response Time
Almost every sport requires players to execute lightning-quick reflexes and responses to succeed. These split seconds between reacting to the opposing player, ball, or terrain determine the success or otherwise of the game.
Playing video games trains one to react faster to rapidly changing on-screen events. Fast-paced action video games such as Ghostrunner, Doom Eternal, TitanFall 2, and F1 2021 demand split-second reactions to rapidly changing virtual scenarios.
Researchers point out that gamers react 100-150 milliseconds faster than non-gamers. Gaming for 30 minutes daily can significantly enhance your reflexes, improving your response times during physical sports.
Sharpens Focus and Attention
Sports require a high level of concentration, a skill one can learn by playing video games. The game can glue players on the screen, capturing their complete attention while blocking distractions.
Studies demonstrate elevated and prolonged attention in gamers compared to those who don’t play video games.
In addition, regular gameplay improves attention interval and working memory, ultimately enhancing the player’s mental focus. Without distractions, the gamer can adequately zero in on the play’s scenarios, ball, or opponent.
Expands Field of View
A broader field of view is essential for every player participating in any sport. Whether dodging an opponent, passing a ball, or intercepting a play, you need a wider field of view to make intelligent decisions.
Video games offer full-field visuals by training the brain to absorb broader peripheral visual data, enabling you to monitor the entire game environment. This mental broadening plays a critical role on the court or field, where players can effectively spot teammates, opponents, or openings.
Final Thoughts
Talent and intense training are undoubtedly the essentials of an elite athlete. However, video gaming improves player’s skills by offering a convenient and engaging training environment.
Caution should, however, be taken to avoid excessive gaming, leading to undesirable effects. Playing fast-paced titles an hour daily can significantly enhance your skills on the field.
