Can Gaming Be Good For You?

* This is a collaborative post on whether gaming can be good for you 

Most people know that time spent gaming is time spent away from doing, well, anything else. For this reason, many people assume that if you play video games, board games, or whatever relatively “nerdy” hobby is associated with that, you are automatically wasting time. As such, for many it’s something worth growing out of.

But is this something of an archaic attitude? After all, you could say the same for gardening, reading through magazines, even having fun reading blogs online. What matters is the utility, relaxation and balance these habits provide to your life, not necessarily that you can expect a massive payout from them if you practice each one enough.

Yet the counter-argument that “gaming isn’t bad for you actually, at least not as bad as all these other comparisons” doesn’t particularly sound that convincing. What if gaming was actively, and appropriately good for you? Of course, like anything, you would need to experience it in moderation. But with some of the following advice, we believe those who judge you for the hobby could see another perspective.

Let’s consider if gaming can be a good force for us:

Gaming has a huge social aspect

The traditional view of gaming, especially from those who rarely partake in it, is as this solitary activity where someone’s hunched over a console, totally zoned out for hours on end. But in reality, a huge percentage of gaming is social in 2024. If you’ve ever played online multiplayer games, you’ll know exactly what this means. This often means connecting with teammates, chatting with friends over Discord, or even meeting new people in a game lobby.

Online communities form around games all the time, and they can be pretty tight-knit and lead to real online friendships. Now there are some toxic spaces (like anything on the internet), but there are also plenty of positive, supportive groups. You don’t have any obligation to talk to others either, so it’s nice to know this can be at your own pace alone.

Moreover, in-person gaming, like board games or couch co-op video games, is a classic way to spend time with friends and family, perhaps even to bond with the younger people in your family. Giving it a go can’t be a bad idea, even if you just try a couple of titles on your smartphone.

Gaming provides brain training

Of course, playing a shooter is going to magically increase your IQ by ten points or anything like that (if only it could), but certain types of games really do work your brain in beneficial ways and this has been backed by science. Puzzle games, strategy games, and even quick-fire adventures force you to think critically and solve problems, and of course some digitized versions of classic games like Sudoku or Mahjong can count here as well.

Some studies even suggest that certain video games can improve cognitive flexibility, which is the ability to switch between different tasks or think about multiple things at once. This can be quite helpful as we get older and our brains become a little more “set in our ways” as it were. Moreover, games can require players to react quickly while processing lots of information, such as dodging enemies, managing resources, or just working through puzzles that make you think laterally.

As such, people who regularly play video games tend to have pretty sharp reflexes because of all that quick thinking and reaction time. It can also feel nice to complete tasks without the express purpose of trying to earn money or keep a household together, as many of us focus on. If you have some time to unwind, you could do worse than this for a little while, provided it doesn’t overtake your other habits.

Gaming can be great for supporting mental health

A very under-discussed element of gaming being great for health is that of mental health support. Life can be very tough, and sometimes it can be hard to navigate. But if you have space to process your emotions without necessarily feeling tied to your bed or unable to be productive, gaming is a lovely alternative to help you.

For many, it might seem a little odd to think that sitting in front of a screen could help with mental health, but the truth is that gaming can provide some serious emotional benefits when done right. Think about dealing with the loss of a family member or pet – gaming can help you have something else to focus on while you also process those emotions subconsciously.

That’s not to say you’ll distract yourself from your feelings, but tending to a calming digital farm in a cozy environment can be a nice headspace to put yourself in if real life is increasingly tough. That’s not to say you’re escaping, rather you’ll have something comforting to enjoy. That in itself can be a nice way of finding the support you need at a tough time.

Gaming is a multi- faceted discipline of many creative fields

The old idea of video games is that they’re just toys. Of course, they can be viewed in that way, and there’s no real shame in it either. But gaming is also one of the most collaborative creative fields out there. After all, a video game isn’t just code and gunfire. It involves writing, art, music, voice acting, storytelling, and sometimes even live-action performances with real motion capture, sometimes with celebrities you may recognize.

When you play a game, you’re experiencing the creative effort of a ton of different disciplines working together to form one cohesive, interactive piece of entertainment. You can also listen to many of the soundtracks that have been composed and performed by real orchestras and more. It’s a massive undertaking for many studios to provide experiences like this, and often the creatives throw their heart and soul into it. If you like art in any measure, then you could do worse than enjoying modern gaming.

Gaming can also teach you about cultures

It’s important to remember that not every video game offers some fantasy world with space lasers or dragons to fight. Believe it or not, some games are rich with historical and cultural references that can teach you a lot about the world. For example, games like Assassin’s Creed or Civilization offer a fun, interactive way to learn about history, ancient civilizations, and different cultures. Sure, they might take some artistic liberties and aren’t exactly as educational as a strict documentary or non-fiction book, but they can certainly inspire knowledge. Maybe you enjoy a game set in Ancient Rome and wish to learn more about it, or can steer your kids (if you have them) towards games that feature history prominently to inspire their imagination too. It’s a helpful way to feel a little closer to the past.

But of course, even those aforementioned fantasy or sci-fi games often pull from real-world mythology, folklore, or social issues, helping players explore new ideas and perspectives. Plus, the more you get into gaming, the more you’ll come across players from all walks of life, giving you insights into different cultures and communities that you may not have experienced otherwise.

With this advice, we hope you can look at gaming with more perspective, or perhaps help someone in your family do the same. For example, if an in-law questions if allowing your child to have a game console is really a good idea, you can use these arguments to show why doing so isn’t a bad idea after all. This way, we can all beat simple narratives in favor of positive thinking, especially with a hobby that can bring so much joy to people.