Virtual reality gaming is emerging to be one of the most sought-after gaming experiences in the 21st century. If you have watched Steven Spielberg’s brilliant movie, Ready Player One, you know what I’m talking about.
The Virtual Reality Gaming experience transports the gamer to an entirely computer-generated world where one can run, jump, kill, fight and do so much more without leaving the gaming arcade.
That said, in an attempt to experience things one can’t in real life, the world is turning to VR gaming. With a plethora of options and experience right from Zero-latency games through to Escape Rooms, virtual reality gaming has changed the way we perceive gaming forever and continues to do so with brilliant new innovations every day.
However, did you know that not only does virtual reality enhance the gaming experience but also presents several health benefits for the gamer?
In this article, we will take a look at six health benefits of virtual reality gaming in 2022.
1. Burns Calories
When it comes to virtual reality gaming, you are actually on your toes fighting, punching, shooting, running and doing all kinds of physical activities in an intensive environment as opposed to sitting on the couch and playing with your joystick.
This helps you get some exercise and burn a lot of calories depending upon how extensive the VR gaming experience is.
2. Helps Overcome Phobias
Research shows that most people with mild to moderate phobias can treat themselves by facing their fears in virtual reality.
The zero-latency gaming experience exposes a person to heights, deep waters, darkness and various other things that scare them without being in any actual danger. This works just like exposure therapy, which is a therapy employed by several psychologists to treat patients with certain phobias.
3. Stress Management
By transporting the user to a new environment, VR gaming allows a person to escape from various stressful situations in life.
It is a proven fact that being a part of various recreational activities on a regular basis, allows a person to relax and reduces the levels of stress, frustration and anxiety in the mind. Therefore, tuning to a VR game every now and then can help you unwind and escape to a new world of your choice.
4. Makes You Sharper
This is probably one of the most fascinating advantages of VR gaming. In a virtual world, you can be a part of various challenging simulations that can train your brain’s motor skills and get your reflex actions to function at great levels. These situations can also make you sharper and more active by improving your cognitive abilities.
Furthermore, if you are a part of a virtual reality escape room, you will also have the opportunity to make plans, solve complex puzzles and use logical reasoning to win the game. Frequent use of these skills substantially improves your intelligence and overall brain functions, making you more agile and fit.
5. Facilitates the Treatment of Social Anxiety and PTSD
Psychologists around the world are using various therapies that involve the use of virtual reality gaming in order to help patients suffering from social anxiety and mild cases of PTSD.
In these therapies, the patient is asked to enter a simulated world where he is faced with his traumas and anxiety-inducers, while the therapist guides them through the experience. This further helps them train the brain to become familiar with various anxiety-inducing situations in real life.
6. Provides Relief from Pain
According to various studies, virtual reality gaming is also emerging as an effective way to treat chronic pains and decrease the intensity of procedural pains. Many researchers have found out that virtual reality gaming greatly helps patients suffering from chronic pain.
A research was conducted at the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles in order to find out whether virtual reality did really reduce procedural pain.
In the research, 143 subjects suffering from diseases like cystic fibrosis, sickle anaemia, cancer and other acute and chronic illnesses were divided into two groups during a simple blood draw procedure. The first group was given standard care that included a basic anaesthetic and a movie playing in the background, whereas the second group was given the chance to have a VR gaming experience playing a game called Bear Blast.
The research was conducted randomly over a period of time and showed that virtual reality gaming considerably decreased procedural pain and anxiety in patients.
Conclusion
In this article, we have observed that not only is VR gaming an absolutely fun experience but also that it greatly benefits our health.
So what are we waiting for? Get your virtual headset and get busy! Play the most exciting zero-latency games with your friends and experience the adventurous VR gaming experience to the fullest.
