Video gaming has long been known as a hobby that boosts productivity and cognitive performance. They are admired by billionaires like Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk, and American schools use them to teach critical thinking and science to kids. Let us first define these games.
#1. Civilization
From Cleopatra and Genghis Khan to Catherine the Great and Theodore Roosevelt, take on the roles of famous political leaders in this iconic turn-based strategy game series. Each country you rule has unique buildings and bonuses (for example, in Civilization VI, the Egyptians can build a sphinx that will greatly increase the states faith and culture, and the Vikings have dragon ships that can attack coastal settlements). The game develops not only the skills of strategy, but also diplomacy – you will repeatedly have to participate in negotiations with the leaders of neighboring states.
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg loves Civilization very much. On the day of the release of Civilization VI, he wrote on his Facebook page that he had been playing games in this series since high school. “This is my favorite strategy and one of the reasons I got into engineering,” he said.
#2. World of Warcraft
World of Warcraft may not be the first in the development of logic, but this game helps users learn many important lessons of leadership. First, it’s good at building a virtual team and collaborating. Raid leaders will not be able to complete a particular mission if they select the wrong team members.
Moreover, at any time, the raid leader must be aware of what is happening in the game and adjust the team’s tactics. Even the correct and timely use of boosting services like https://skycoach.gg/ can affect the outcome of the game. After all, sometimes you need to defeat the boss in the game faster than wasting precious time that can be spent on something more important. The outcome of the raid largely depends on the leader’s ability to redistribute resources.
#3. StarCraft II
StarCraft II teaches you how to make decisions, such as whether to send troops to attack right away or whether it’s better to wait until you develop your technologies. The game also develops time management skills: when exactly you create squads of soldiers and make the necessary improvements, the outcome of the battle may depend.
The phenomenal impact of the game on intelligence has attracted the attention of Google DeepMind. The company entered into a partnership with game developer Blizzard Entertainment making StarCraft II a testing ground for exploring the possibilities of artificial intelligence.
#4. Portal
Portal and Portal 2 are challenging space puzzle games. The portal gun mechanics drive the gameplay: this equipment allows you to build portals in space with which you may complete numerous logical problems – you can walk through them yourself or toss items through them. Furthermore, the item retains its speed and direction of travel when passing through the portals.
This is frequently employed while completing puzzles, where portals must be created in such a manner that the player obtains kinetic energy before entering one portal and spends it on overcoming a barrier after exiting another. Such puzzles foster logical and spatial thinking, require you to consider all of your activities, and force you to recall physical rules.
#5. Battlefield 4
The player controls a Sergeant in Battlefield 4. “Rek” Rekker in command of a squad of troops. Battles take place on land, in the air, and at sea, as well as in aquatic vehicles. The game makes use of a heads-up display to present a simplified map of the battlefield. Players can employ various weapons and survival strategies.
According to research published in Psychological Research, games like Battlefield help players to efficiently judge what knowledge should be maintained in working memory and what should be discarded given the tasks at hand.
#6. Minecraft
Minecraft is a huge “sandbox” where you can build almost anything from pixel blocks. Such unlimited creative freedom is very attractive to people of all ages. That is why Minecraft is the most popular game in the history of Youtube.
The game develops creativity and logical thinking (you need to think about how different types of blocks interact with each other). In 2014, Microsoft acquired Minecraft and its developer Mojang for $2.5 billion and is going to actively develop the educational direction of the game. With the help of a special educational version of the game Minecraft Education Edition, it is planned to teach history, mathematics, physics and programming.
#7. Hearthstone
Hearthstone may appear to be a simple card game, but it needs you to think like a chess player. Strategic thinking is crucial not just for making the right actions in the game, but also for putting together a powerful deck of cards. One of the best things about Hearthstone is how easy it is to play on a tablet or phone.
Elon Musk personally recommends this game. In an interview with Y Combinator founder Sam Altman, Musk stated that his children frequently play Hearthstone. Furthermore, SpaceX’s CEO enjoys another game from the same creator, the online team shooter Overwatch.
#8. The Elder Scrolls
Here the player freely roams the lands of Skyrim, an open world consisting of wild expanses, dungeons, cities and towns. You must shape the player’s personality so that he can complete the game’s tasks. In order to be strong in combat, the hero must also pick from a variety of weapons, armor, and magic. The Elder Scrolls promotes general thinking skills since you must assess and make decisions rapidly, exactly like in first-person shooters.
However, because there are so many additional elements to consider, the decision-making process is more extensive than in first-person shooters. Games also help to develop the player’s inductive reasoning capacity, or the ability to think scientifically by testing ideas, which is essential for learning
Wrap up
Keep in mind that, while video games can be beneficial to the brain when played in moderation, video game addiction or compulsions can be detrimental. It’s also crucial to devote more time to things that boost mental function, such as reading and workout.
