Are RTS games good for health?

[Tackyben]

Real-time strategy (RTS) games are a popular video game genre worldwide. Although many people may view them simply as a form of entertainment, these games can have a positive impact on mental health and cognitive development.

First, RTS games require high levels of concentration and the ability to make quick decisions. When playing an RTS game, you have to be aware of everything that's happening on the screen, from building structures and producing units to planning attacks and defense. All of this requires you to have a good attention span and to make decisions efficiently.

Furthermore, RTS games can also help improve long-term memory. When playing, you must remember the location of your units and buildings, as well as the location of resources and enemy units. You must also have good short-term memory to perform simultaneous tasks and keep track of several missions and goals.

Another positive aspect of RTS games is that they encourage planning and problem-solving. When playing, you must plan your actions effectively and make decisions based on available resources and units. You must also be able to solve problems efficiently when unexpected situations arise in the game.

Furthermore, RTS games can also help develop social and team skills. Many real-time strategy games allow you to play in teams with other players, which requires good communication and teamwork to achieve common goals. This can be especially useful for those who have difficulties socializing or working in teams in real-life situations.

 

What do you think? I await for your awnsers!

[Sapphro]

Hello.
Most non-casual games are healthy in this definition. However, respectfully, I would not say RTS has a lot common with real planning abilities, nor it is beneficial for playing skills, and vice versa. It might keep memory from some kind of degradation, though as games rely on visual-sound perception only, it barely can improve. In term of socializing, it is true, as the game is being an identity agenda and so, is a basis for building a social group (community) around it. The fact of common responsibility within the group, as well as in any other, might help in real-life situations.

In my take, the RTS is not a strategy simulation in literal meaning, and there are not any.
As for me, I would value the game by it's historicity or a well written lore, because it is a kind of art and retains its qualities.

Edited February 11, 2023 by Sapphro

[BeTe]

@Tackyben  Good topic. It'd be interesting to find some research, paper of more serious work. But regardless, we can share thoughts here for sure...

I'd partly agree with you and say, RTS games are a bit better than other no-brain games. I'd say it's complex and more fun version of chess with additional requirement to make quick decisions. It has some useful elements. But...   

But, another aspect is that too much gaming is not healthy at all. First of all your spine can suffer b/c muscles are becoming weaker if you don't work and move them. Gym is not enough. Many people today have big problems with spine. It's not health for heart for same reason. It's dangerous for eyes and many other organs. Problem is to clarify what is "too much" as it's individual and depends on your body/mind characteristics and environment. For example if you are developer and play 3h/day of games after work, I'd say it's bad.  

At the end, I'd say it's not good for mental health, for concentration, for ability to be still, to stay in peaceful environment, to think deeply in silence, to plan long term. In real life (RL) it's spawn of 5-10 years while in RTS it's 5-10-15 mins. And in RTS it's repeatable unlike in RL.

At the end it's not good for memory. It's addictive, which is dangerous, especially for kids/teenagers without ability to introspect themselves. But for us adults it's not much different. Plenty of kids are in mental clinics healing from game addiction. RTS gamers are not immune to that.

Also today in internet era, when we are overwhelmed with information, with entertaining signals (sound, visuals), screens, car/machine noice, etc. playing games is  additional stress and additional amount of unnecessary information that brain MUST process, that consume psychological energy/will and physical energy/calories, etc.

Edited February 12, 2023 by BeTe

[Akira Kurosawa]

No. Since RTS is a genre infinitely divorced from reality (oh my god, here even units often do not consume food), then at its core it is a solution to contrived useless tasks. This is nothing more than entertainment. You're more likely to get carpal tunnel and walk around with a bandaged wrist like Age of Empire champions. For me personally, the same 0 A.D. is design and terrain, rather than planning and tactics, especially if you take into account the "pathfinding" of units.

Edited February 12, 2023 by Radament

[Lion.Kanzen]

here they give you an idea.

https://youtu.be/2_0wuv5KEsI

It cannot be played directly from the forum.