Before it was video games, it was television, and before that, rock and roll. It’s nothing new that a form of media is held responsible for the degradation of youth. But what if I told you that video games can be good for you?

Whether games have a positive or negative affect on society is an argument that’s much more nuanced than this article can tackle. Yes, it’s true that in many ways, games have the power to harm us, like when they corroborate existing negative ideals such as damaging stereotypes—which can lead us to maintain those ideals in wider society.

However, you don’t need to look far to find how video games have the potential to do Good. Using common game mechanics, they can sharpen your brain and help you navigate the world even after you’ve turned off the screen. With the help of research by Daphne Bavelier & C. Shawn Green that examined the changes that occur in the brain after different types of play, we’ll look into game mechanics and the ways they change you for the better.

Games as brain food

Many mental improvements can happen as a result of play, like increased focus, sensitivity to visual contrast, spatial reasoning, multi-tasking, and prosocial behavior.

Increased focus

Hidden object games (HOGs) are found on all types of gaming devices, from smartphones to next generation consoles. Just like the name suggests, games in this genre ask players to search for specific items in a cluttered space.

In the HOG Nancy Drew: Lights, Camera, Curses!, players do exactly that: sift through the many to find the few. This teaches the skill of focusing on small details, such as reading the packaging on your snack to determine if it contains an allergen.

Sensitivity to visual contrast and pattern identification

It Takes Two excites players by lining up puzzle after puzzle. A couple on the verge of divorce is suddenly transformed into toys and must work together to return to their bodies by climbing, jumping, catapulting each other, and otherwise influencing their environment to advance to the next area. The game is two-player, so cooperation and teamwork are a must.

Not only can this game be used as a communication tool since it demands two players tackle challenges step-by-step, but it also encourages players’ logical thinking and verbal comprehension. By decoding and recognizing patterns and differentiating which situation demands which solution (and which tool), players can develop an increased sensitivity to visual contrast and pattern identification. These are particularly crucial in real life for tasks like driving in the dark or through heavy rain.

Spatial reasoning

Spatial reasoning is an aspect that is measured in TerraYou’s IQ test for a reason, as it’s the ability to identify and predict how shapes fit or move among others.

A very literal example of spatial reasoning is found in the first-person survival horror game Resident Evil VII: Biohazard. Of the many puzzles in the game, none demands spatial reasoning skills quite like the infamous shadow puzzle: players are given a clump of wood or metal with no discernable shape and the ability to spin it in any direction. A spotlight shines behind it, casting a silhouette on a painting on the opposite wall. By rotating the object, eventually the player works out how to cast the perfect shadow that lines up with and completes the painting, unlocking a hidden door or revealing a secret tool.

In reality, spatial reasoning can be applied to all kinds of situations, such as neatly packing items into a suitcase or fitting many uniquely shaped items into the dishwasher.

Multi-tasking

A game that can improve players’ multi-tasking skills is the role-playing, first-person shooter BioShock. In this underwater city full of secrets, the player faces wave after wave of human-turned-monster enemies. When the fighting is at its thickest, players must balance: a declining health bar (and administer bandages to themselves when necessary), a similarly declining EVE bar (like mana, replenished by injecting ADAM), and an awareness of their surroundings (which includes enemies, traps, hostile robots, and much more). By constantly cycling through a status check on all these aspects, multi-tasking becomes something that can be steadily mastered over time.

This skill can tie over to the real world in situations like switching between paying for groceries while sending a text or taking notes while listening to a conversation.

Prosocial behavior

Games can also encourage us to be better people and give back to society. Douglas A. Gentile et al. define prosocial behavior as actions with the intention to help others, and games more and more often feature storylines and characters that teach players compassion or justice.

To the Moon is an emotionally charged, pixelated role-playing game in which the player works to uncover and fulfil the dying wish of the character Johnny. The player sifts through his memories and observes Johnny’s life full of love, joy, tragedy, and longing. In this work of art, players experience the intricacies of what it means to be human. The game ends on a message of hope and understanding—and our ability to see others as people containing multitudes.

Games as teachers

The interactive aspect of video games provides them a unique opportunity to allow players to imagine themselves as part of endless backgrounds or scenarios. Games can be an outlet for emotions like anger or sadness: feelings that are sometimes difficult to find a home for in the real world.

While it’s true that, like any form of media, games can be used to maintain harmful portrayals or attitudes, they can undoubtably be harnessed for Good by teaching us how to better navigate the world, to cooperate with one another, and to be optimistic in the face of (often repeated) failure.