Sports Video Games May Make You Better at Sports

As most gamers know, video games sometimes get a bad rap outside of the gaming community. One of the most frequent criticisms is that video games encourage a sedentary lifestyle. Of course, this is not true and there are even video games built explicitly around fitness and sports and active living. Playing games like Mario Tennis, for example, actually makes someone likelier to want to try out the sport in person, not less. In this article, we explore the various ways playing sports video games can translate to improved fitness and athletic performance. 

A Gateway to Playing Sports

Playing sports-themed video games and loving sports often go hand in hand. It’s not uncommon for avid gamers to play Madden NFL 22 during the day and watch Sunday night football at night. Sports fans and gamers alike often enjoy testing their sports knowledge by betting on the biggest games of the week. Many sportsbooks make it easy to place a wager on the biggest games of the week by offering free bets to new customers. With so many ways to enjoy sports and gaming, it’s no surprise that gaming has a positive impact on gamers’ participation in real-life sports, both as spectators and and as active participants. 

Researchers at Canada’s Brock University took a closer look at the connection between playing video games and participating in sports. The researchers found that the more time a person spent playing video games centered around physical activities and sports, the more likely they were to participate in real-life sports. This connection was particularly pronounced with respect to sports-themed video games.

What Makes Sports Video Games Special?

Playing sports-themed video games has been shown to increase self-confidence around physical activity among gamers. Sports-themed video games do an excellent job of teaching kids and adolescents how to compete, especially if they already have an interest in sports. When they win, their confidence increases, and when they lose, these games can help motivate them to develop and improve. 

Gamers take what they’ve learned playing video games to the playground and gymnasium, experiencing less fear of failure than their non-gamer classmates. When they step onto a sports field in real life, they’re already equipped with the skills needed to compete, making them more confident players at whatever sport they choose. 

That’s not all; sports-themed video games appear to encourage some gamers to turn off their computers and gaming consoles in favor of playing sports in real life. Researchers have several theories about why this happens, including gamers who play sports video games having higher self-esteem than their peers and these video games giving players a safe space to develop their sports knowledge and skills. Plus, sports-themed video games teach gamers that hard work comes with rewards. 

Improved Performance

Once you’re out on the field in a real-life sporting competition, the lessons you learned while playing sports video games will help you perform to the best of your abilities. Video games help improve hand-eye coordination, which is essential for performing well when playing most sports. 

It doesn’t end there. Playing sports video games can help gamer-athletes understand sports better. If you’re playing the same sport in real life as you play on your computer, you may acquire more in-depth knowledge than you would just playing the sport casually in your free time. Playing these games helps gamers learn about the diverse offensive and defensive concepts sports teams use to achieve victory. 

Advances in video game technology have led to more realistic sports games requiring players to know a lot about the actual sport to play the video game successfully. For example, Madden players need to master situational strategies, offensive and defensive tactics, and position roles. If you play NBA 2K16, you have to know how a pick and roll and a jump shot works, even if you’ve never picked up a basketball. All of these gaming experiences translate into gamers who want to get out and play the sports they’ve spent so much time playing in virtual settings.