It’s been said that gaming rots the brain and is an unhealthy hobby overall. A report back in 2022 even went so far as to say that video game addiction was on the rise and, if left unchecked, could prove to be a hindrance in daily life.

But did you know that contrary to belief, gaming can be extremely helpful for your everyday life? While too much video gaming can be problematic, gaming helps build useful character traits. Let’s take a look at some of them and see how playing video games can help build you up as a person.

1) Enhances Problem-Solving Skills

Believe it or not, gaming actually helps build up a person’s ability to look for alternative solutions. Good games encourage the proper use of problem-solving skills and ask their players to think of a solution and apply it successfully. Having this ability to adapt and look for alternative answers is one skill that remains always relevant, especially because it’s a habit that’s hard to train safely. Games allow for this, and whether it’s dabbing in strategy games or digging in deep with action games, all gamers will have some experience in this vital skill.

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2) Improves Memory and Learning Capabilities

Gaming doesn’t just help you make better decisions; it also helps you learn and remember things better. Learning game mechanics is a vital part of any game, and as such, the mere ability to play and learn new video games is already someone to digest and remember vital information for success.

3) Allows Training of Vital Communication Skills

Games have long stopped being a one-person hobby. With the advent of online games and online forums, gaming has turned into a social hobby that can be enjoyed by people all around the world. It makes perfect sense that gaming actually helps train people to better communicate with others.

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With how diverse gaming has become, navigating cultural and social differences is a vital part of any gamer’s experience. Whether they like it or not, learning how to approach, communicate, and discuss with your peers is an essential skill to learn, and it’s one that starts on the forums and chat rooms of a person’s favorite video game.

4) Helps Train Leadership Capabilities

Believe it or not, gaming actually does help enhance someone’s capability to lead. Multiplayer games like MMOs and MOBAs often rely on someone taking point, and the leadership dynamics change from map to map. Fans of this genre are accustomed to taking the mantle of leadership, and while being a leader is difficult, gaming allows its fans a safe, enjoyable avenue to test their skills as leaders out.

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Even single-player games test this skill as well. A game’s campaign hinges on a player’s execution of strategies and tactics that lead to success, and oftentimes, these rely on the player taking initiative and leading AI companions around. While it doesn’t perfectly replicate the experience of working with others, it at least prepares its audience for such an occasion and presents a call to action to lead and be the hero that people need them to be.

5) Allows the Practice of Stress Management Techniques

Believe it or not, gaming can get pretty stressful at times. Fighting games have time limits; strategy games have limited resources. FPS games have limited ammunition and health; adventure games can have choices and consequences that impact the story. The stress of all these things adds up, and just like in real life, too much of it can be detrimental to your health.

A good game, however, helps its players get used to this idea and channel it towards more positive emotions. It helps them adapt to the pressure, allows them an avenue to channel out their frustrations and fears, and makes it into an enjoyable experience. It helps people get used to enormous pressure while giving them a creative outlet to release this negative energy.

6) Tests Your Capability to Work Under Time Pressure

Every game has to end sometimes, and gamers know this fact well. It’s why they take the time and effort to maximize their enjoyment of it! Being a gamer is about being used to time pressure and deadlines and learning how to be productive despite their presence.

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These are simply some of the few good habits that gaming helps train. Gaming can still be a big distraction if it takes over someone’s life, but it’s hard to deny its impact on building someone’s character and giving them positive habits that will last them the rest of their life.

Gaming has much more to offer than entertainment. It serves as a platform for developing essential life skills that can benefit individuals in various aspects of their lives. Working with Mega Cat Studios exemplifies this idea. Just as gaming can enhance problem-solving skills, memory, communication, leadership capabilities, stress management, and the ability to work under time pressure, collaborating with a studio like Mega Cat can further nurture these skills in a professional setting. Want to be part of the team? Check out this form!

This article was written by Alexander Cuaycong.