Video gamers' brains are different

http://www.nma.tv/video-gamers-special-brains/ People like to blame video games for a lot of society's problems. They say video games make people more violent, lazy, addicted, and unhealthy. But there have been several findings that show that video games can be good for you, even good for society, and that there is simply a difference between people who like to play games and people who don't. A test on the brains of frequent game players showed a larger ventral striatum, which is the section of the brain that releases dopamine upon anticipation of a reward such as money, food or sex. (Dopamine is also released when people smoke cigarettes or do cocaine or amphetamines.) Video games also provide a distraction for people who are in physical pain or recovery from an injury. It's good to have an alternative to being shot up with painkillers all the time. Games can also teach social skills to the socially challenged by providing real life scenarios where the player must make choices on how best to respond. Video game players have been found to be better surgeons, soldiers, and drivers. Games can train them to make quick and accurate decisions and practice their hand-eye coordination. A test found that the more games a surgeon had played, the better they were at certain types of procedures.