Research shows those who game have more grey matter in the brain, which is important for forming memories and strategic thinking.

Kids who play games show improved social behaviour and life satisfaction.

Researchers say that this shows certain areas of the brain can be trained by playing video games.



What an easy childhood we had: long before we started having discussions about heightened aggressive or antisocial traits in children, or about parents limiting the time their kids were allowed to game, we were free to play Nintendo day and night without anyone worrying about our mental capacity or social skills.

We were ecstatic when we found the Special Zone on Super Mario World, Link getting his master sword in the Legend of Zelda momentarily took our breath away and the release of the Nintendo 64 left us unresponsive for a good three weeks.

Nintendo has not only shaped the childhood of an entire generation; the consoles have, in a way, made us who we are — several studies have shown video games have a positive effect not only on our brains but, contrary to popular belief, on our behaviour towards others.

Nintendo players are smarter

In 2013, researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development came to the conclusion that gaming increases the mass of grey matter in areas important for spatial orientation, memory formation, strategic thinking and fine motor skills.

The researchers let adults play "Super Mario 64" for 30 minutes a day for the two-month study. Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), the structure of the players' brains was measured and compared with that of participants who did not play during the same period. The more fun the participants had playing, the more the grey matter in the right hippocampus, the prefrontal cortex and parts of the cerebellum increased.

A study by Brigham Young University suggests siblings get along better when they play video games together. SNES

"This proves that certain brain regions can be trained specifically through video games," said the director of the study, Simone Kühn.

Nintendo players are more sociable

Andrew K. Przybylski from Oxford University wanted to know how video games affect psychosocial behaviour. He examined thousands of children between the ages of 10 and 15 by asking them to write down daily how many hours they spent playing video games, after which they took a personality test. He came to the conclusion that people who consume video games to a moderate extent have high "psychosocial adaptation."

Or in his words: "Compared with nonplayers, children who typically invest less than one-third of their daily free time playing games showed higher levels of prosocial behavior and life satisfaction and lower levels of conduct problems, hyperactivity, peer problems, and emotional symptoms."

A study by Brigham Young University suggests siblings get along better when they play video games together and even more interesting was the finding that when brothers play violent video games together, they experience less sibling conflict.

An earlier study by the same university found that girls who play games like Mario Kart or Mario Brothers with their parents have better mental health and a stronger connection to their parents.

Nintendo players are successful

Game developer Jane McGonical has held several Ted talks about video games. In a talk she says that many gamers have used the "10,000 hour rule for success": brain researchers say you can become a master of your discipline if you've spent 10,000 hours on something before you're 21. That's why she proposes that people in their early 30s or younger are the first generation of virtuoso video game players.

Some video players will be successful on YouTube or in e-leagues but what about the other kids? It turns out the impact video games can have on our success goes beyond game-related success. Mark Zuckerberg attributes his success to his childish passion for videogames like Nintendo, amongst others: "I would never have become a programmer if I hadn't loved video games as a child," he said in a 2015 Q&A session.

A study published in the International Journal of Communication found that children who play online gaming in their free time do better the test Programme for International Student Assessment. "When you play video games, you solve puzzles to get to the next level, often general knowledge and mathematical skills are also required, as well as reading and scientific basics of what you have learned in the morning," says Alberto Posso, author of the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. However, the study didn't reveal exactly how video games have a positive effect on the test results.

Of course, many studies show video games have negative effects on behaviour or cognitive performance — the key is moderation. If you've locked yourself in your room for a few days here and there as a kid to finally make that final level of Mario Bros. 3, it's not a big deal; it just shows you were determined to finally achieve an ambitious goal — a trait that will prove invaluable in adult life.