Table of Contents
Introduction
As an activity understandably labeled to be a bad vice towards the young, online gaming is definitely not a hobby that any parent would encourage their children to pick up, but rather to keep away from. However, it cannot be denied that online gaming has over the years become a form of activity that brings about various benefits; Online games like Beat The Fish have certainly evolved to become one of the most engaging forms of entertainment, connecting people of all ages and professions. Technological advancements and heavier use of the Internet has further spread the fun of gaming, enabling anyone easy access to conventional games. In particular, card games have also transitioned into their digital forms, allowing for more convenient play of these beloved traditional games. The following are five psychological benefits that online gaming can bring.
Stress Relief
After a long day of work, playing online card games can really help to take one’s mind off work-related matters, and ease you into a happier and more relaxed state. Concentration on game strategies does not tire out the brain in a stressful way but instead energizes the brain in focusing on the fulfillment of game goals. Research has shown that playing online card games can bring about significant psychological benefits. Regular players exhibit lower levels of cortisol of less than 17%, where cortisol is a primary stress-related hormone.
Development of Skills
Challenging online card games require players to work the brain and can contribute to improving one’s memory, concentration, as well as analytical skills that adds on to the overall mental health. Whether you’re playing by yourself or with friends, many card games involve the use of money and the application of strategies that require much attentiveness and concentration. In a game, you’re keeping your mind alert to any giveaway moves committed by your opponents which you can use to your favor against them; and at the same time, your brain is coming up with all the possible moves that your opponent may make which you want to prepare yourself for.
This extreme cautiousness you hold in online card game plays can flow through to other aspects of your life like at your workplace and in a public space, making you even more aware and alert of what others do around you. Online card games can thus give rise to the development of cognitive and interpersonal skills, which keeps your brain exercising and functioning the best it can.
Keeping the Mind Engaged
Mental stagnation can be bred from a mundane lifestyle and daily routine, and such lifestyles are certainly common for the average person. There can be various instances in one’s life where there seems to be nothing to do, and this is where online games can add value. They bring fun while keeping your brain occupied and actively engaged at the same time.
Even though online games depend primarily on short-term memory, playing games can keep the mind occupied and productive psychologically and mentally, and thus aid in the improvement of long-term memory among other essential skills. In fact, playing online games against virtual competitors or human competitors in the virtual setting can cognitively engage the brain as much as when playing against someone else in real life. Although playing online games may mean a lack of real conversations and social interactions, they can often lead to a greater depth of concentration and focus being utilized. As such, the allied benefits that playing online games can bring to one’s psychological and mental health should not be ignored, but be brought to greater light.
Promoting Interaction and Teamwork
The playing of online games entails much communicating and the essence of teamwork. The interaction between you and other game users towards attaining a common goal of winning can help to promote better interaction habits in the workplace or in day-to-day life offline. This can be particularly useful for the more introverted individuals, as online gaming acts as a medium to help them brush up their communication skills and gain greater confidence to express themselves better in real-life scenarios. With time, such accumulation of experience can allow them to become more comfortable when it comes to interpersonal interactions.
Form of Entertainment
Most evidently, online games can fulfill one’s common need for entertainment, and at great convenience. Online games can be played in the form of your mobile phone, desktop, laptop, and all the technological devices that you may own. As long as you’re connected to the Internet, online gaming can take place at any place, and at any time of the day. Playing online games can thus allow you to fill an empty void of time that would otherwise be wasted away.
Given the wide variety of games available today, there’s bound to be something you’ll enjoy playing. Also, online games provide a good competitive atmosphere and various other benefits that include the anticipation of daily prizes to be earned, and reward points tournaments; There’s always going to be something that players can look forward to! Online games are also easy to pick up, and most of the gaming platforms provide video tutorials as well as practice rounds to let beginners get better familiarized with the game, before competing against the crowd.
Online gaming platforms are also well-designed to ensure a user-friendly gaming experience and provide many other features that overall contribute to making the gaming experience a pleasant one. The features include encryption-based security and responsive chat-based support.
Conclusion
As mentioned above, online games have a wide variety of benefits to offer. Through playing online games, players can improve their leadership skills, problem-solving skills, as well as the responsiveness in dealing with unexpected situations. They can also aid in enhancing players’ observation skills, concentration abilities, and hone their intuitive sense and alertness, among many other psychological benefits. In all, playing online games can be a great relaxation and recreation activity that can fill up your leisure time; but as with everything else, this should be done in moderation!
