As gamers or parents, we always see it as a bad habit to be lounging around all day in front of the TV screens. But did it occur to you that those games may be helping you?

Research carried out has proven that 55% of gamers in a study said that gaming “helps them to unwind and de-stress”. Gaming is also notoriously known for improving decision-making and innovative thinking. Strategic games such as Fallout and Starcraft can help gamers improve their reaction speeds and problem-solving skills when faced with real-life work-based problems.

Online gaming especially can prove as a great social interaction tool for all ages, removing the obvious cursing that some of you may be all too familiar with. It is very common for two people of completely different ages and backgrounds to form lasting relationships due to online sessions. Although they’ll never meet, chemistry and trust will build up quickly. This can be very helpful when faced with team-building exercises and finding common ground when meeting new co-workers.

While gaming won’t cure disabilities, it can be very beneficial for those who are autistic or are faced with dyslexia. As autism tends to entail a lack of communication in most social situations, a sense of enjoyment and achievement from team-based games can aid their interaction skills and make bonding less daunting.

Sufferers of dyslexia may improve their comprehension skills from games that involve ever-changing environments. Particularly where important information/text must be remembered for future stages of the game. Fast-paced games can lengthen our attention spans and ability to memorise.

Here’s A few facts about the gaming industry you should take note of:

The average age of a daily gamer is 35

GTA V grossed over $1 Billion in the first 3 days after release

People between 11-64-year-old in the UK play 9 hours of video games a week on average

For the second year running, the global video game industry surpassed sales revenue of $100 billion

So, if you were considering playing some Xbox tonight, go ahead, it may be helping you more than you think…

References : http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/video-games-stress-playing-strategy-key-gamers-study-a8202541.html https://voicebunny.com/blog/video-game-addiction-benefits/ http://mentalfloss.com/article/65008/15-surprising-benefits-playing-video-games https://ukie.org.uk/research