Evolution of Cyber Gaming

Learn more about how cyber gaming progressed through the years since Internet was developed:

Benefits and Risks of Cyber Gaming

Introduction

While there seems to be a common consensus that gaming is bad for your health, it turns out that it does provide certain benefits as well!

However, that certainly does not mean that gaming is completely risk-free. You should still limit screen time to be within the healthy range for gaming.

In this section, we will take a look at some of the advantages and disadvantages of gaming and finally provide some advice regarding healthy gaming habits.

Benefits of Cyber Gaming

• Improved vision

  When gaming is carried out in moderation, players may be able to see better in cluttered spaces due to improved spatial resolution. Players may be able to train their brains to notice smaller details as such details are crucial while playing the game.

• Improvements in multitasking

  Many games may require players to pay attention to multiple details while performing other actions such as fighting with other players. This demands attention to detail as well as quick reactions. Such games may help players develop better multitasking abilites.

• Enhances memory

  Games that require strategy and problem-solving skills to win challenge players' abilites to remember and take in information. Such games can benefit players' short and long-term memory as well as allow the brain to process information more rapidly.

• Reduces anxiety and depression

  Many people turn to gaming as a form of entertainment to relieve stress. One reason for this may be that games allow players to take a break from whatever makes them feel worried by shifting their focus to something else positive, such as winning a game or beating another player.

• Promotes teamwork

  Most multiplayer games rely on teamwork to produce the best outcome such as through combos between different players. Players must learn to work with others to have higher win rates. Some may even develop leadership skills by learning how to most efficiently allocate team resources to ultimately win the game.

Watch: Can Video Games Make You Smarter?

Risks of Cyber Gaming

• Aggressive behaviour

  Playing violent games can result in increased aggressive thoughts, feelings and behaviour of a person. Violent games may even be more impactful than violent movies as they involve direct interaction with players through the virtual environment.

• Addiction

  The brain produces a neurotransmitter known as dopamine. It is one of the reasons why people feel a sense of pleasure while playing games.

  When people play games, the brain releases a stable dopamine supply with random bursts sometimes. Over time, more dopamine is released, and players will be more inclined towards gaming, finally resulting in addiction.

• Health problems

  Long hours of gaming can pose severe health problems on an individual. Gaming involves strenuous, repetitive movements of the hands and wrists. Such movements can result in inflammation and injury over time.

  One example of an injury caused by these movements is the gamer's thumb, or De Quervain's Tenosynovitis. It occurs from repetitive stress that results in tendons and the sheath around them being inflammed and irritated. Symptoms of this condition include pain or swelling near the base of the thumb; pain upon turning or flexing of the wrist; and pain upon making a fist.

• Neglecting social life

  When people spend too much time playing games, they tend to neglect other parts of their lives, such as relationships with family and friends. Relationships require regular nurturing for them to develop stronger or even maintain. Having spent most of their time playing games, a person would be left with almost no time to talk with friends and family, eventually leading to poor relationships.

• Social disconnection

  People who spent more time playing games tend to have lower social skills than those who did not. Social interaction is considered a skill. Spending most of the time alone in a room playing games with little to no interaction with other people in real life can cause this skill to worsen. It can also lead to social anxiety, which is likely to further reduce interaction with other people, making the situation worse over time.

Summary

Recommendations for Cyber Gaming

Introduction

While gaming on its own may not necessarily be bad for your health, many people spend too much time playing games that it causes more harm than good. In the long run, such habits can be extremely detrimental on an individual's health.

To prevent such negative consequences while still being able to enjoy playing games, we recommend that you follow some healthy gaming habits explained in the next section.

Healthy Gaming Habits

• Take regular breaks

  Stand up and move around after every 30 minutes ~ 1 hour of gaming. This helps alleviate the negative effects of prolonged sitting while gaming. It also helps to shift your eyes away from the screen, preventing eye strain.

• Limit screen time

  Set a daily or weekly limit for your screen time. This helps to make sure you don't spend too much time gaming every day or every week. It can also help to prevent addiction since there will not be overuse of games.

• Play with family and friends

  Invite your family members or friends to play multiplayer games with you. This will increase the amount of time you spend with them and prevent relationship issues due to neglection from playing games.

• Stretch out

  Always include hand, wrist and even neck stretches in your daily routine. This will help alleviate stress from repetitive hand and wrist movements while playing games. Neck stretches are also a good addition as it tends to get stiff when you stay in one position while playing games.

• Avoid eye strain

  Turn on eye comfort modes on your gaming devices to prevent eye strain from staring at the screen. Remember to sit far enough away from the screen and maintain a good posture as well.

• Stay hydrated

  Last but not least, always stay hydrated. Hydration is crucial for your body to function properly.

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