Introduction!

When people say that a human only uses 10% of their brain in their lifetime what would you have to say? Would you agree with the statement? Since that is what everyone has been told, this theory has stuck with the consensus. What most people do not know is that this 'theory' is untrue. Our brain in fact does use every bit of the itself whether it be consciously or subconsciously. Whether you know it or not, the brain is working all the parts of the brain everyday.

What most people do not know is that we in fact only use 1%-16% of the brain at any given time. This is because our brain is a power generator. Our brain, over a million years of evolution, has been trying to use as much brain capacity while staying concious with the amount of energy we intake. Our brain today only uses 1%-16% of the brain at any given time because that is the most optimal amount of energy we can give it while having enough energy the rest of the day to sustain that percentage. This amazing cognitive evolution is called sparse coding. While using the least amount of energy in the body to send the most amount of information to the body.

Our brains have approximately 100 billion neurons. Having all of these neurons is the reason why humans are so smart compared to other species. Even though our brain is extremely small compared to some, humans have the most neurons of any species. These neurons are electrically excited cells that process and transmit information through electrical and chemical signals to nerve, muscle and gland cells. They are the basic working unit of the brain. All of these neurons need fuel to stay active and healthy. Nevertheless a healthy lifestyle at the same time.

With the brain only being 2% body mass for a typical adult, it consumes 20% of the daily glucose (energy) we intake. A child's brain consumes nearly 50% of their daily intake of glucose. These numbers are staggering. Our brain's need for energy and care is astounding for being such a small organ.

Not only does the brain send information to other cells around the body, the brain itself is learning everyday. Everyday, every action, every thought you hear or have is registered in your brain. It is similar to a muscle in the aspect of the more you work it out the larger and stronger it becomes.

Scientists, until a few years ago, believed that the brain would stop making neuron connections and inevitably slowly make your memory and learning capacity dwindle away. In recent years though, scientists have discovered that no matter your age, you can always 'rewire' your brain and replace older parts of the brain with new neurons. This can only happen though if you keep learning and exercising the brain. It is just like a muscle, keep this in mind. Like any part of the body, a healthy lifestyle can keep your body parts working to their maximum potential. This raises a question among myself and possibly others to the fact that some gamers see people above 25 years of age or higher, too old to compete in competitive E-sports.

Now what does this have to do with E-sports and gamers?

Like a sport, a game is just as much mentally demanding if not more. This means a gamer has to keep care of their bodies just as much as an athelete does. A gamer uses an extreme amount of energy while playing games, no matter how much your parents do not want to believe it. Playing games can improve many aspects of the brain.

One major aspect games help improve to the brain is the ability to retain information at a quick pace. The amount of obstacles thrown at a player during a game is unimaginable. All of these obstacles are like a page out of a book. Except it's more of an experience than something you imagine on paper. All of these obstacles work the brain just as if you are learning a math equation in class. Experiencing something new in a game connects neurontransmitters which allows you to retain certain information you have just learned.

Multi-tasking is another powerful aspect to video games aiding the brain. This one is more self-explanatory. Every game, whether easy or brutal difficulty, there is always multi-tasking involved to master and beat the game.

Maybe one type of benefit that most people have never even heard of is that of contrast sensitivity. In other words, the ability to see subtle shades of gray. This type of vision is important when the visual object and their background is reduced, such as in the night time or foggy weather. Playing games can actually improve vision. Take this with a grain of salt though, staring at a computer or T.V screen for hours on end will eventually deteriorate you vision.

One of the last major benefits gaming can do for the brain is enhance a person's focus and short term memory. With large amount of time spent playing games, one's focus would have to improve. Playing games requires almost 100% of your attention if you plan on playing the best of your abilities. People who suffer from ADHD and other disorders in the brain and benefit immensely. Training your brain to focus on a certain task at hand is relatable to curling a dumbbell. You are simply working out your brain.

Your Brain, Can it Become the Best it Can Be?

Everyone is made similiar. Not one person is the same in any aspect though. We can generalize Challenger level players with other Challenger players, or bronze players with other bronze players for League of Legends. Grandmasters with other Grandmasters in Starcraft. But nothing between these players are the same. All the Challengers in League have different strengths and weaknesses. Same with Starcraft's Grandmasters. What makes the difference between the top tier players and the lower tier players is their willingness to learn. Everything up to this point in the article is to be considered as a whole. You can't go into a game thinking you are the best at it or you will never learn anything. You have already convinced your psyche that you have nothing else to learn. There is always something to learn or process in a game, whether you like to believe it or not. Pro players to this very day, are still learning and taking advice from others to keen on certain aspects of their game to become better. Our brains do not allow us to be perfect. Players like Faker still make mistakes. It's what makes us human.

In our lives, most of us may have heard the saying, "Stay open minded." This quote should be held dearly by players who want to improve in any game. A wise man never became wise by only talking. Every player has the ability to become one of the best in the game they so desire. They just have to have the right mentality and be open to information and always be willing to learn.

Being toxic in a game is a petty way to play a game. Even if you are losing, take everything in the game as a learning experience. Do not lash out in frustration or anger, take it as a blessing to have been taught to not be so greedy in certain situations and be punished for it. Or not have taken enough risks and fall too far behind because of it. Reflect back on a game to see what you as a player could have done differently. Do not blame others for a loss, even if a major part of the game was their fault and it is blatantly obvious, look too see what you could have possibly done different. It is truly the only way to improve in any game and even in life in general.

Keeping Your Body and Brain Healthy

The importance to staying healthy is vital. People can vouch for me in saying that eating junk food, fast food, and pop everyday while barely moving leaves you feeling miserable at some point. This is the body's way of saying that it has had enough. Now don't take this as a never drink pop or energy drink statement. Or even eat more broccoli and stay away from taco bell. Not at all. I myself love to have a soda and crunch wrap supreme every few days. There is nothing wrong with treating yourself to some delicious food. But with everything in life there needs to be balance. Keeping your brain healthy requires a lot of water. The average brain is 73% water. Now soda and other juice drinks have water in them but they also have tons of sugars which can leave you with a few minute high, and then a quick low. Crashing on sugar leaves your brain groggy and does not allow it to be the best gamer you can be. Having a healthy diet and drinking plenty of water is important for your brain to stay at peak performance.

Now it is not only the physical side of health that you as a person and gamer need to consider. Have you ever felt really good at a specific moment and then the next feel like crap, just because of something you thought of that was negative? Having positive thoughts throughout the day can turn a person's life around. Knowing how to deal with stress and how to react to it is very important to master. Flaming players and acting toxic is not a healthy outlet for stress. It will only worsen the problem and have negative results on your own brain. Not only stress can have a negative effect on your brain though. Doubts and failures can lay a heavy toll on your psyche as well. No matter how many times you fail, you always have to get back up and try again. Having doubts leads to stress and resentment and only recycles the pattern.

One last thing that I can not stress enough is the importance of exercise. Any exercise that is good for the heart is good for the brain. With that, almost every exercise is good for the heart. As long as you get up from sitting or laying down and moving your feet, you are aiding your brain. Exercise improves brain functioning and also acts as a first aid kit to the brain. Stress is a huge threat to people now a days. Stress is in our lives more then it ever has been before. Working out for 30 minutes every day, even walking for 30 minutes a day, allows your brain to prepare for mental stress that is bound to come throughout the day. This alone leaves you more clear minded and leaves you not worrying about the little things. Exercising releases many hormones to the brain which all have different functions that allow a healthy environment for healthy brain cells to grow and thrive. The more brain cells, the healthier the brain. The healthier the brain, the more information you can recieve, the more information you recieve the better gamer you will become.

Final Words

This blog is to help the people out there striving to become better gamers and individuals at the same time. Your body is a very sensitive piece of art. Art that needs to be maintained constantly. If you commit yourself to helping your own body, I can promise you the results in your game will be noticed tenfold. With a bit of exercising and healthy eating everyday, your brain will be ready for the grueling hours of hardcore gameplay. Being ready to gain knowledge that you experienced every step of the game. Always think positive thoughts, never try and bring yourself down with negative thoughts. You can always become better at a game if you work for it, you just need to guide yourself in the right direction!