Might video games actually be good for us?

Jane McGonigal summarizes some research here about video gaming. She links to the research on each of the points below.

Gamers of all ages perform better than non-gamers on tests of attention, speed, accuracy, and multi-tasking.

Children who spend more time playing videogames score higher on tests of creativity.

Massively-multiplayer online role-playing games improve cognitive function among elderly players, and can help stave off age-related dementia.

Scary or violent videogames improve children’s ability to manage difficult emotions, such as fear and anger.

Parents who spend more time playing games with their kids have better relationships with them – and the kids have better moods, higher grades and less behavior problems.

First-person shooter games improve our vision – so much so, that they can effectively treat cataracts.

Playing videogames gives us the ability to control our dreams and stop our own nightmares – and therefore are being used to treat post-traumatic stress.

Videogame technology can increase physical activity in children by 60% and decrease physiological risk factors for heart disease and diabetes.

Jane also points to research that shows prominent emotions gamers experience. They range

from bliss, to relief, to personal pride, to feeling emotionally close to another player, to surprise, to curiosity, to excitement, to awe and wonder.

What’s extraordinary about these ten positive emotions is that gamers have figured out how to spark and feel them whenever they want, no matter where they are, or what kind of day they’re having. It doesn’t matter if they’re bored or stressed or lonely or frustrated or anxious – gamers can change how they feel, just by starting to play. We know that this is true even for gamers in incredibly difficult conditions. For example, children in hospitals prior to surgery are able to control their anxiety by playing a handheld videogame (see the research), while soldiers in Afghanistan are able to reduce psychological stress by nearly 75% by playing videogames for three to four hours a day (see the research, specifically pages 33-34). In fact, recent clinical trials have demonstrated that online games can outperform pharmaceuticals for treating mild to moderate depression and anxiety.

The last point she makes in her article is that

There is something transcendent about playing games that lifts us up and out of the tedium and pain of everyday life.