I’m delighted to present this guest post by Marcus Clarke, the community and content manager at Computer Planet, which talks about the great health benefits of gaming, accompanied by a very informative infographic.
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For many girls, and let’s not be sexist many boys too, a health and wellbeing regime is incredibly important. Eating the right food, and getting enough sleep, and doing everything possible to ensure optimal health and well-being are really important for most women. Given that it’s sometimes difficult to be a gamer, as public perception generally states that gaming is, if not directly bad for you, certainly pretty pointless and unworthy. However, research is starting to smash this perception. How is this?

For example, gaming can increase your memory capacity, particularly if you play certain types of games, i.e. 3-D platform games. Gaming can also actually also increase the size of your brain, and improve your skills in certain areas, for examples spatial awareness and strategic planning. Shooting games may help you to practice your aim and teamwork.  There is also evidence that gaming can reduce depression, perhaps the result of the cathartic nature of many video games, and also because gaming can help you to take your mind off your troubles. Video games have also been used in therapy, such as in treating conditions such as autism, depression, and other things, which showed that gaming could increase resilience and have possibly pretty awesome healthcare applications. As well as this, there is an increasing trend for games that you can play with your body, for example Wii Fit, which also improves your cardiovascular health, in addition to the many other things that we have just mentioned. To stay as comfortable as possible when gaming, always look at the best gaming chairs and don’t scrimp on this.

So, you needn’t feel guilty about your hobby, and it can even help you to improve in other areas of your life. For example, if you’re a student, it may help you, as gaming has been shown to improve attention, as it can help you to focus on targets amidst distractions. Obviously you need to try and maintain your health in other ways, but don’t give up the gaming now. Just see it as a workout!

To find out more about how gaming could benefit your health, see the infographic provided below by Computer Planet.