If you want to boost your intelligence and think smarter, get ready to explore these video games to master your cognitive skills.
There is a misconception about video games that they can have a bad impact on your physical and mental health. However, that is exactly not the case. Modern-day gaming is usually associated with improving your cognitive abilities and making you smarter. There are many studies that suggest that playing video games can improve your hand-eye coordination, sharpen your memory, and make you think smarter.
Playing video games is one of the most fun and engaging activities. For many people, it acts as a mental workout that can help them master cognitive, intellectual, and fine motor skills. Many studies suggest that playing video games is just like a weightlifting exercise for the brain. Video game playing can increase cognitive learning for students, sharpen their memory, and improve their problem-solving skills. From improving hand-eye coordination to pattern discrimination, and spatial visualization abilities, there are a number of benefits associated with playing video games.
If you want to exercise your brain muscles, start playing video games to become smarter. There are hundreds of thousands video games available and not all of them are played the same. Each comes with different cognitive challenges and focuses on different thinking skills. If you are wondering which video games can improve your cognitive and fine motor skills and help your brain to develop multiple skills, here is a list of some of the best video games you can try to give your brain an extra edge.
First Person Shooter Games
First-person shooter (FPS) games are one of the best choices especially for kids who want to improve hand-eye coordination. These types of games offer a variety of cognitive benefits, improve your hand-eye coordination and improve your strategic thinking. When playing a first-person shooter game, the player needs good hand-eye coordination to keep track of the position of the enemy. The player coordinates with his hands and fingertips to perform a quick reaction with the movement. Players need to make fast and accurate decisions even under stressful situations.
Some FPS games are designed for entertainment purposes; however, they are also good for spatial navigation, reasoning, memory and scientific thinking. You can try these first-person shooter games to enhance your cognitive ability.
· Rainbow Six Siege
· Overwatch
· Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO)
· DOOM (2016) / DOOM Eternal
· Far Cry series
· Destiny 2
· Quake Champions
Action Role Playing Games
Action role-playing games or RPGs are famous for providing a high level of entertainment, however, they can improve your cognitive functions and contribute to mental simulation. From problem-solving and critical thinking to decision-making, memory enhancement, and pattern recognition, there are a number of benefits of playing action role-playing games.
RPG games feature multiplayer components, allowing players to collaborate with each other, which will eventually increase your social and communication skills. Action role-playing games contribute to improving your cognitive and emotional intelligence.
These types of games allow gamers to use their imagination by character customization and world-building which foster creativity. These are a few action role-playing games that offer cognitive simulation:
· The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
· Dark Souls series
· Dragon Age: Inquisition
· Divinity: Original Sin 2
· Mass Effect series
· Kingdom Come: Deliverance
· Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire
· Persona 5
· Final Fantasy series
Simulation Games
Simulation games are usually designed to provide gamers with real-world experience. It better teaches real-world skills and helps them how to better manage their time and make decisions. Some simulation games require in-depth analysis, strategic thinking and problem-solving skills to make accurate decisions and actions.
Many simulation games are designed for specific professions, such as flight simulators, medical simulations, or business management games. These simulation games can serve as effective training tools, allowing users to practice and apply skills relevant to their field. These games provide a hands-on learning experience, allowing players to experiment and learn from their actions. This experiential learning can be more engaging and memorable than traditional instructional methods.
Here is a list of simulation games that you can play to improve your social skills.
· Cities: Skylines
· SimCity series
· Civilization VI
· Factorio
· Kerbal Space Program
· Planet Zoo
· Stardew Valley
· Anno 1800
· RimWorld
· Tropico series
· Prison Architect
· Oxygen Not Included
Puzzle Games
Puzzle games are another great choice to improve your cognitive and logical thinking ability. With puzzle games, you can improve your problem-solving skills, pattern recognition, and spatial awareness. Playing puzzle games regularly can sharpen your short-term and long-term memory, helping you remember patterns, sequences, and specific data.
With puzzle games, you can analyze situations, think critically, pay attention to details, and concentrate on a specific task. Many puzzle games require patience, time, and effort to solve. It builds patience and perseverance among players. Engaging in puzzle-solving can have a calming effect and serve as a form of stress relief. The focused and repetitive nature of solving puzzles can be meditative and help reduce stress levels
You can play these puzzle games for your cognitive well-being and mental agility.
· The Pedestrian
· Maquette
· Unpacking
· Cut the Rope Series
· 2048
· Portal
· Little Big Planet
· Monument Valley
· Peak – Brain Training
· Sudoku
Sports Games
Sports video games can offer many cognitive and emotional benefits. Many sports games are based on quick decision-making and reflexes to win the game. Playing sports video games can increase real-world reaction time. Besides improving hand-eye coordination, sports video games can also improve strategic thinking and decision-making skills.
While playing sports video games, you need to maintain attention and focus. It will eventually increase your focus and concentration. Check out the list of some of the best sports video games that you can play to improve your decision-making power, focus and strategic thinking.
· NBA 2K23
· FIFA 23
· Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2
· Madden NFL
· Rocket League
· Wii Sports
· Mario Tennis Aces
· Football Manager Series
Final Thoughts
Playing video games can have many positive effects on your mental health, provided you are played in moderation. You can try any of these games to sharpen your memory, problem-solving, and cognitive ability. Luckily, these games are easily available on video game stores, so you can buy your favorite game online. You can spend some time playing these video games to become smarter.
