Anyone who plays video games will tell you they are fun and engaging. But playing video games has bonus benefits for your health. Playing video games sharpens your mind in several ways.
There’s more to it. The more you work your mind, the better your body is. And the more you work your body, the better your mind is. The challenges you experience playing video games keep your brain active. The more we do with both of them, our whole body improves. This two-fold mutual development is important as we age.
The anti-aging benefits you build by playing video games don’t just challenge your mind. They help you generate new neural networks. Those networks slow the aging process of your physical brain. You stay motivated, focused, and aware as you preserve your memory.
How Does Playing Video Games Improve My Brain?
Research has demonstrated that video gaming exerts an undeniable influence on the brain, causing transformations in numerous regions. Frontiers in Human Neurosciece published the results of 116 scientific studies on how video games can influence our brains and behaviors.
That’s good news for 212 million adults who play video games! That brings the number in the United States up from 150 million back in 2016.
Memory is one of the significant brain improvements. Studies published in Nature stressed the improvement of cognitive performance. Also, the University of California-San Francisco (UCSF) confirmed that brain training can stimulate meaningful and lasting changes, emphasizing brain plasticity, which means the ability to grow new networks.
Besides memory, playing video games trains your brain to be focused, and it enhances observation skills and sensitivity. Multiple-player games also enhance leadership skills like planning, situational awareness, and strategic thinking.
If you haven’t tried video games yet and want to stay younger, try expanding your awareness and learning about yourself and how you work with others.
Three Video Games To Train Your Brain
With the hundreds of video games available, you may be unsure of where to start. Here are three tried and true favorites that will also challenge your mind with strategies and tactics.
Uncharted is an action-adventure game offered by PlayStation. As you journey through diverse and beautifully designed environments, uncover the secrets of the past.
In a globe-spanning adventure, Nathan Drake and Chloe Frazer confront warmongers and mercenaries. They must reunite with former colleagues, uncover forgotten histories, and conquer their profoundest fears to cement their place in history.
Uncharted very much requires situational awareness, team spirit, planning, a cool head, tactics and strategy.
Sniper Elite from PlayStation will challenge your mind as a single player, incorporating photogrammetry, numerous actual-world sites captured to establish an immersive environment. Each mission gains a fresh viewpoint with multiple infiltration and extraction points and kill list targets.
Sniper Elite is a tactical shooter video game. Sniper Elite can be about as realistic as you want it to be – especially if you play in the sniper mode where there is no assistance from the game engine – everything feels real.
The Last of Us from Steam is set in a world ravaged by a pandemic, a fungal infection has transformed the majority of the population into monstrous beings. In the game, the player assumes the role of Joel, a seasoned survivor tasked with safely escorting Ellie, a resilient 14-year-old girl, across a perilous and post-apocalyptic United States.
Their mission is to reach the Fireflies, a faction believed to be working on a cure for the widespread infection that has turned most of the population into violent creatures. The player must use stealth, hand-to-hand combat, firearms, and improvised weapons to defend against hostile humans and infected creatures.
This game fosters situational awareness, planning, a cool head, tactics, and strategy.
NOTE: This game includes content that may not be suitable for all ages and also may not be safe for work.
Unchartered and The Last of Us have both been adapted for film.
These are three suggestions for you to enter the engaging and brain-building world of video games. Their health benefits for mental development are equal to brain enhancement apps in creating mental stimulation and balance – just in a different way and much more entertaining.
Generate new neural networks, increase memory, and increase self-awareness while having a great time.
About The Author
Zara Altair is a writer and author of historical mysteries set in 6th Century Italy. She is passionate about books, film, film history, and sharing her knowledge with others. Engage with Zara, her educational insights, and her tips for fellow writers by following her on X(Twitter) and Threads.
Total Apex is an all-encompassing content producer. We provide heavily-detailed articles daily on entertainment, gaming, sports, and so much more! Check out all our great sports content Total Apex Sports. Check us out on X @TotalApexEandG and our other sites: Total Apex Sports Bets and Total Apex Fantasy Sports.