BEHIND THE LEVEL UP AND HIGH SCORE: THE BIOLOGY OF YOUR NERVOUS SYSTEM WHEN GAMING


 

Your Nervous System is a Gamer Too

You’re deep in a video game. A split-second decision means the difference between winning and restarting.
Your fingers move before you even consciously register what just happened.
Your eyes are scanning the screen, your hands are reacting with precision, and your mind is locked in.

This isn’t just skill, it’s a full-body symphony led by your nervous system.
Gaming is more than entertainment, it’s a real-time demonstration of brain-body coordination, sensory processing, and lightning-fast reaction loops.

Let’s explore how your nervous system powers your gameplay. Just like the levels in a game

Level 1: Sensory Input Comes First

Every move you make starts with sensory information.
In a gaming scenario, this includes:

  • Visual input: You’re scanning for enemies, colors, movement, or cues. Light hits your retina, is processed by your visual cortex, and interpreted in milliseconds.
  • Auditory input: Footsteps, alerts, dialogue and much more, your auditory cortex processes directional sound cues.
  • Tactile input: You feel the controller, mouse, or keyboard, detected by mechanoreceptors in your skin.

Your sensory neurons carry this information to your central nervous system (CNS) which is your brain and spinal cord, and where the real work begins.

Level 2: Fast Decision-Making & Processing

Once your brain receives the info, it starts calculating what to do, incredibly fast.

- The parietal lobe helps interpret spatial awareness, where objects are on the screen.

- The prefrontal cortex helps with decision-making, especially in fast-paced games requiring strategy.

- The motor cortex plans movements based on what’s happening.

- The cerebellum (the brain’s “motion coach”) fine-tunes speed, timing, and hand-eye coordination.

For competitive players, this decision-making loop becomes hyper-efficient through repetition and practice.

Level 3: Motor Response: Brain to Hands

Once a decision is made (often unconsciously), the command travels from the brain:

  1. Down the spinal cord
  2. Through motor neurons
  3. To the muscles in your fingers, hands, and arms

The result? You hit a button, swipe, aim, or dodge, all in real-time.

This loop, which includes, sensory input → decision → motor output, is called the sensorimotor pathway, and it’s being exercised constantly while gaming.

What About Reaction Time?

Reaction time is the measure of how quickly you can respond to a stimulus.

For gamers, average human visual reaction time is around 250 milliseconds, but pro-level players can shave that down to 150–200 ms with training.

Factors that influence reaction time:

- Neural efficiency (how fast signals travel)

- Practice and muscle memory

- Focus and attention

- Fatigue, stress, or distraction

Some parts of your reaction like reflexes, may even skip the brain entirely and go through spinal reflex arcs (similar to flinching), especially in high-speed games.

Gaming Is Brain Exercise Too

Research has shown that gaming, especially action or strategy games, can lead to:

- Improved hand-eye coordination

- Faster visual processing

- Increased cognitive flexibility

- Enhanced working memory and focus

And yes, games can help train your nervous system, particularly the circuits responsible for attention, timing, and coordination. Below is a video by psychiatrist Dr. Tracey Marks who explains the good of video games.

https://youtu.be/P7I3HOEHBKs?si=i71ohfCEU2SXVOsS

Fun Fact: Brain Plasticity at Play

The more you game (within reason), the more you train specific brain regions to perform faster and more efficiently.
This is a form of neuroplasticity, your brain’s ability to adapt and rewire based on experience. To learn more about neuroplasticity at length, check out the video below by psychiatrist, Dr. Tracey Marks.

https://youtu.be/pe3ndaTKjuM?si=UVSgmVbVYZyKQnNW

It’s why even non-gamers can benefit from occasional fast-paced games as brain training.

Final Thoughts from the Biolab desk: Gaming is Nervous System Gymnastics

Next time someone says video games are a waste of time, remind them:
Gaming is a full-body neurological performance.

Your eyes, ears, brain, spinal cord, and fingers are working together in beautifully precise coordination.
Gaming isn’t just playing, it’s your nervous system in peak action mode.

What are some of the favourite games, you've really enjoyed playing? Let us know in the comments below.

Have a topic you want us to cover? Feel free to let us know in the comments too.

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