20 September 2015

Video Games Change Your Brain

There are more than 1.2 billion gamers across the planet, with sales projected soon to pass $100bn (£65bn) per year. The games frequently stand accused of causing violence and addiction. Yet three decades of research have failed to produce consensus among scientists. In laboratory studies, some researchers have found an increase of about 4% in gamers' levels of aggression after playing violent games. But other research groups have concluded factors such as family background, mental health or simply being male are more significant in determining levels of aggression. What is certain is that science has failed to find a causal link between video games and real-world acts of violence. But away from the controversy, a growing body of work is beginning to show these games in a different light. Psychologists are split over whether video games can make you violent. Around the world, other researchers are investigating the potential hidden benefits in video games. At the University of Geneva, researchers compared the visual abilities of gamers and non-gamers. In one test, subjects must try to keep track of the position of multiple moving objects. They found that individuals who play action video games perform markedly better than those who do not. Their theory is that fast action games require the player constantly to switch their attention from one part of the screen to another while also staying vigilant for other events in the environment. They found action video gamers were better than other people at remembering which smiley faces in an experiment were blue. This challenges the brain, making it process incoming visual information more efficiently.


At the Max-Planck Institute of Human Development scientists research the effects of the video games on the brain. In one study, they used fMRI (functional MRI) technology to study the brains of subjects as they played Super Mario 64 DS, over a period of two months. They found that three areas of the brain had grown - the prefrontal cortex, right hippocampus and cerebellum - all involved in navigation and fine motor control. Volunteers had their brains scanned to study how they were affected by playing Super Mario. The visual layout of this game is distinctive: a 3D view on the top screen and a 2D map view on the bottom. Researchers believe having to navigate simultaneously in different ways may be what stimulates brain growth. Arguably the most exciting field of research is exploring the potential of video games to tackle mental decline in old age. While electronic brain training games have long had enormous popular appeal, there is no hard evidence playing them has any effect beyond improving your score. But at the University of California, San Francisco, researchers have created a game with a difference: Neuroracer. They believe pensioners can improve their ability to multitask if they play the right kind of video games. Aimed at older players, it requires individuals to steer a car while at the same time performing other tasks. After playing the game for 12 hours, they found pensioners had improved their performance so much they were beating 20-year-olds playing it for the first time. They also measured improvements in their working memory and attention span. Crucially, this showed that skills improved through playing the game were transferable into the real world.

More information: