Gaming Is Good For Your Brain
Millions and millions of people across our planet are actively involved in gaming. There has been much feedback and evidence claiming gaming is good for you because it develops new neurological pathways in your brain.
Gaming can help you with long and short term memory, allow you to make quicker judgments and decisions, as well foster problem solving techniques and enhance concentration.
Many of the games being played today are video games and online games requiring electronic devices. These are great but, the ones that are most beneficial for your brain are those that involve your ability to concentrate and listen.
Listening and concentration is a skill that you can easily develop through a wide range of fun and entertaining games. However, they don’t always have to involve a TV or computer screen.
All the world’s greatest musicians, athletes, artists, poets, philosophers, scientists and intellects were and are masters of listening. Before there were computers and gaming devices, the great ones used art, music, poetry and science as their form of gaming – it was their passion and they enjoyed these activities as much as the modern world enjoys gaming on electronic devices. These activities which were their passions and professions, developed their concentration and listening skills.
Today, there are a multitude of ways we can improve our listening skills and concentration skills. It involves many forms of game playing including writing and the creation of art, music and science. It may involve learning a new language, taking dance lessons or learning to play the guitar.
In my opinion these are all forms of game playing. Many of these forms develop your listening and concentrations skills that enhance the functioning of your brain and allow you to become more efficient and effective in your daily lives.
There are also many specific types of listening games and exercises out there that you can play. If you are not learning a new language, learning to play an instrument or gaming that actually involves you having to really listen then I encourage you to explore and find some of these exercises and games to play in your spare time.
Here is one I have discovered and it is an extremely effective and valuable listening exercise that can tremendously improve your listening capabilities and enhance your brain functioning. It involves reading or listening to a story with the intention of being focused and remembering the details of that story.
Read the story below out loud to yourself or better yet have someone else read it to you and then answer the specific questions relating to the story. Have fun, and try not to cheat or peek at the answers.
After sometime, play the game again and see if you made any improvements. If you got all the answers right, congratulations, you are definitely a good listener but you should continue to play games and challenge yourself. Have someone create some new stories and questions for you and enjoy playing these game often.
The Story:
Mr. Black just moved from Boston to San Francisco to start his new job as a psychiatrist. It is Monday morning and he needs to drive from his new residence in San Sailto to the medical institution at 1123 Berkley Avenue for a 9 AM start. He wakes up at 6 AM brushes his teeth and goes to the local health club to exercises for an hour.
He gets home at 7:30, has a shower and gets dressed wearing a lovely Armani pinned stripe blue suit and yellow tie. He then goes to the kitchen and has oatmeal, rye toast with peanut butter and an apple for breakfast. After breakfast he proceeds to the living room and reads a few pages of his book “Things Happen for a Reason” for 15 minutes. Hethen hops in his red Porsche 911 and drives to work arriving at 8:45.
After signing in at the security desk in the lobby, Mr. Black gets into the elevator and pushes the button for the 14th floor. Halfway up, the elevator breaks down. He’s able to exit the elevator and walk up the remaining flights to his first day on the job, but he’s late, arriving at 9:05. Mr. Cooper, his supervisor, says that he is fired because he came to work on his first day late and will not tolerate anyone who is not punctual. Mr. Black explains that the elevator broke down and had to walk up the stairs. Mr. Cooper expresses his regret but says that the company has a strict no late policy and there is another man, Mr. Hunter who will replace Mr Black’s position. Mr. Black gets so upset that he runs upstairs to the roof and jumps off the building.
Questions:
1. What is the main characters name in the story?
2. In what city is the man going to start his new job?
3. Where did he move from?
4. What time is he suppose to start work?
5. What time did he wake up at?
6. Describe his attire?
7. What kind of car does he drive?
8. What did he have for breakfast?
9. What was the first thing he did after he woke up?
10. What was the second thing he did after he woke up?
11. What was the name of the book he read right after breakfast?
12. What time did he arrive to work?
13. What floor did he work on?
14. What happened to the elevator?
15. How did he handle the situation?
16. How late was he?
17. Who was the supervisor in charge?
18. What did this man say?
19. Who will be the new replacement?
20. What did the main character do at the end?
Answers:
1. Mr. Black
2. San Francisco
3. Boston
4. 9 AM
5. 6 AM
6. Armani pinned stripe blue suit and yellow tie
7. Red Porche 911
8. Oatmeal, rye toast with peanut butter and an apple
9. He brushed his teeth
10. He went to the local health club
11. “Everything Happens for a Reason”
12. 8:45 AM
13. The 14th floor
14. It broke down on the 7th floor
15. He walked
16. 5 minutes
17. Mr. Cooper
18. He is fired because the company has a strict no late policy
19. Mr. Hunter
20. He jumped off the building
image courtesy of Ludovic Maillard
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