10 Surprising Ways Video Games Are Actually Good For You

8. Increase Prosocial Behavior

Players who kill prostitutes and mimes in the GTA franchise are likely to act our their violent impulses in the real world too, right? Some research in the past has indicated that performing indecent acts in video games can desensitize younger players, but the results were far from conclusive and there's actually a growing body of research that suggests the exact opposite effect can occur. Some psychologists have found that enacting anti-social behavior can elicit feelings of guilt in video game players and research recently conducted by the University of Buffalo extends this further by suggesting that committing morally questionable acts in games can actually increase the moral sensitivity of players. While it may be a stretch to say that controversially violent games like GTA could actually help produce model citizens, there is a possibility that being exposed to ethical conundrums in these games could potentially lead to players displaying more prosocial behavior in reality. Whether 10 hour long Call of Duty marathons could actually make us better people is a whole other story...