AW collaboration
Do you remember playing your favourite game on console or PC when you were younger? There was nothing like getting home and watching the start screen load up.
That was for many of us 20-plus years ago. If you look back then to how they’ve evolved today, most games boast breathtaking graphics, engaging gameplay and storylines that will help take you out of your day-to-day life and into a world where you can be anything.
What was the majority of single-player games soon became multiplayer games where you would socialize with your friends in your room. Then what came next was the dominance of playing games online.
There are many engaging games you can play on console, PC and micro casino games to play online. Top brands range from different genres like FIFA and World of Warcraft, and if you like casino board games, you should try the very popular craps game at Virgin Games.
So, how can gaming benefit professional athletes? Well, athletes are human and while they are high performing; they, too, need to switch off from the world and relax.
Studies have found promising information about the benefits that video games bring to the player and the skills that they can help develop that are important and sometimes crucial to athletes. So here we will go through some of the benefits computer games have on athletes.
Quicker decision making
While playing games that are constantly putting you in situations where you have to make quick or sometimes split-second decisions can help train your brain to absorb information more quickly and react to that situation.
Quicker decision making will help an athlete develop the skills to make right decisions at a fast pace on the field, which could be crucial to the individual or team’s performance.
Studies have shown that people who play computer games hold an advantage in removing useless or unnecessary clutter faster – meaning they can see what and what isn’t going to make an impact.
Face-paced games like FPS or sports games are great to help subconsciously hone this skill, especially if those games have online capability offering the chance to play with other real-time players.
Socialising
Most games today can be played online, meaning with other players around the world. This is great for socializing and improving your communication skills which are vital for athletes.
Having the ability to communicate confidently and complete objectives in computer games can easily be transferred to the field.
While socializing with gamers online and not in person, it helps you to keep connected with friends and helps you practice communication – which is beneficial on the field or the office.
Problem-solving
Problem-solving is not just a key attribute to have for an athlete, but it’s also vital to have good problem-solving skills in real life. As the team captain, you will be responsible for communicating with your team a change-up in team tactics to combat an opposing team’s play.
The best games for problem-solving are usually strategy games, but problems can be found in a variety of games like RPG (role-playing games) such as Assassin’s Creed or Fallout.
Improved coordination
It speaks volumes that health companies and clinics are introducing computer games to surgeons to improve hand-eye coordination and precision movements.
This could be beneficial for an athlete whose sport is confined in a limited closed space, such as Tennis, Table Tennis and squash.
The reaction times are essential for these sports, and improved hand-eye coordination can help that. It has been shown that people who play video games over an extended or regular amount of time tend to have better hand-eye coordination and develop this skill faster.
Stress relief
Games can help us zone out after a hard day’s work and, for some, provide comfort if they’ve had a stressful day. This is particularly important to athletes as they can face constant scrutiny from pundits if they have yet to perform to what’s expected from them.
Playing games will give athletes an anonymous way to rid themselves of any stress that may have occurred from a field game. Reducing stress levels will help the athlete perform to their maximum potential.
Enhanced creativity
Recent studies with students found that those who played video games had higher levels of creativity. In teams, sports creativity is essential for success and can allow the execution of team play and ideas.
Creativity helps a player showcase a unique play style and provides an unpredictable approach for opposing teams. This also ties in with problem-solving and tackling problems that may occur on the field.
So the benefits have shown that playing video games can not only develop but also improve critical skills that athletes need on the field.
There are a lot of video games based on sports; It is one of the most important reasons why people should play computer games as it could encourage them to pursue and participate in sports.
