All your life, you are told that video games are useless and a waste of time. Your parents tell you to read books or work on math problems instead. But what if video games were actually beneficial?

A study in 2017 showed that playing Super Mario 64 appeared to increase grey matter in the hippocampus – a brain structure involved with memory, learning, and emotions. Surprisingly, this study targeted older adults aged from 55 to 75 years old!

The study divided the cohort into three groups: experimental, active control, and no-contact control. For 6 months, the experimental group received "3D-platform video game training" with Super Mario 64, the active control received "computerized music (piano) lessons," and the no-contact control received no training.

They found that the hippocampus growth was only significant in the group that played Super Mario 64, though the cerebellum, which coordinates muscle movement and balance, appeared to increase in both the experimental and active control group. What's more, the group that did not receive any training displayed a significant decrease in the hippocampal grey matter. Perhaps gaming can protect against memory degradation?

Furthermore, a study in 2018 observed the relationship between video games and patients with Parkinson's Disease. The study divided its 27 participants into three groups: Nintendo Wii^TM, Xbox Kinect^TM, and no video games. Those in the Nintendo Wii^TM or Xbox Kinect^TM groups "spent 10 sessions playing four games of the selected gaming device." Interestingly, it was revealed that "those engaged with the Nintendo Wii^TM significantly improved their performance on single and dual task gait tests, decreased anxiety levels, and improved memory, attention, and reversibility." The same was not found for Xbox Kinect^TM. This finding shows that maybe it's not that all video games have beneficial effects—perhaps it depends on the specific gaming device or its content.

Many other studies have suggested other impressive outcomes of video games. Some include beating depression in adolescents, improving eyesight, or even being more skillful at laparoscopic surgery. In the end, video games appear to be not so bad after all.