ARoleModel.com, a site about psychology and self-improvement, is running a series about the positive effect playing videogames can have on our real lives. Today they examined the psychological benefits of the fighting game by analyzing the gameplay of Daigo Umehara himself. They also take a look at the skills fighting games teach us such as pattern recognition, decision making, patience and… relaxation? You can find an excerpt from the article below. Be sure to check out the whole thing over at ARoleModel.com.

Whilst the actual fighting in fighting games is very exciting and serves to get the blood boiling, fighting games can very quickly be turned into a tool for relaxation by heading to the training room. Any fighting game player will instantly know what this is about, but for those readers who do not play fighting games themselves, the training room can best be thought of as a sandbox where players can try out new moves, tricks and combos on a dummy-opponent. Here, two key relaxation tools can be found. Firstly, there is the relaxation found in exploration as the player sets about trying out new moves and set-ups. Perhaps better than this however, is the ability to perform combos over and over again. Learning combos in fighting games is rather like learning basic piano tunes, and, as with piano playing, the rhythm and repetition of combos naturally serves to calm the mind.

Source: ARoleModel.com