You parents probably warned you about playing too much video games and for the most part they are right, you want to do things in moderation. But there are also several benefits of playing online games besides the obvious of being tons of fun.

1. Relieve Stress

Let’s face it, if you are busy with work, family, friends, and school it’s only a matter of time until all of that catches up with you and get stressed out. When that happens you need to relax and wind down, but that is not as easy as it sounds. With online games you can learn to relax instantly, since most online flash games take only a few seconds to load. You will have quick access to so many fun games to help you relax and ease tension. There’s nothing better than playing a shooting or a fighting game after a long work week.

2. Make New Friends

Many online gaming sites have a huge global community of like minded people. You can connect with people all over the world and make friends with someone you normally would not have the opportunity to connect with in your current social media circle. Expand your network and maybe even challenge others to beat your top score!

3. A Easy Hobby to Take Up

Chances are you already have a desktop or a laptop computer to play online. That means no extra equipment or membership fees to take up this hobby. What’s even better is you can do this in the comfort of your home. Many other hobbies involve having to commute to different locations and that takes a lot of time and energy.

4. Save Money

Instead of the going to the movies or dining out, you can still have a good time on a Saturday night without spending a cent. Often, people don’t want to stay in on a weekend because they get too bored and end up going out and spending money they were trying to save. Online gaming is a great alternative to weekend entertainment and can help you stay on track reach your finance goals.

5. Build Hand Eye Coordination

A lot of games these days require precise timing and control to be effective, especially when dealing with shooter and racing games. Studies have shown that playing video games helps improve your motor skills and hand eye coordination.

6. Improve Problem Solving Skills.

Not all games are created equal and not all games are easy to play. There are tons of puzzle and strategy games that really challenge your brain. In most of them, you will need significant amount of concentration and focus to be able to think several steps a head to complete the games. Some games also involve a quiz style of game play that helps you flex your thinking and memory muscles.

7. Stay Young at Heart

It’s not how old you are it’s how old you feel. Give yourself a chance to feel like a kid again when play retro Atari and Nintendo games online. Get that sense of nostalgia and travel back in time to the good old days with just a mouse click away.

8. Variety of Life

Tired of watching Netflix or surfing the web for viral videos? Instead of doing the same old stuff, spice up your life with some games. There are literally tens of thousands of NEW and FREE games that you can try out at anytime. You can choose from a wide variety of categories including: shooter, racing, puzzle, simulation, role playing and strategy.

9. Challenge Yourself

Continually challenge yourself to beat your highest score or solve a strategy game faster than you ever had before. It’s a great feeling of achievement to be able to win, but also set a new personal record. The best part is that these challenges are not a huge investment in your time or money, it’s all virtual and you don’t lose anything real if you don’t win.

10. Pass the Time While Waiting

We all have things that we simply just have to sit and wait for it to finish like doing laundry or waiting for a meal from oven. Grab your laptop and fire up a quick game, it will make time fly by!