A Study Says Video Games Have Beneficial Effects On Brain

New research found that playing video games could make you smarter and promote better decision-making skills. Contrary to what parents argued for decades, scientists now say that people who play video games are better at decision-making compared to people who don’t play them. What makes video games beneficial? 

The research found that a vital part of these players’ brains tends to activate while playing video games. The researchers also believed this could be used as one method to help train one’s mind in making decisions. Perceptual decision-making refers to the daily practice where humans take information through their senses and use it to make decisions. For instance, a driver would use perceptual decision-making when cruising along the road at night when they spot a dark object moving toward them.

“Video games are played by today’s youth for more than three hours weekly. But, the beneficial implications on decision-making abilities and the brain are not precisely known,” says Professor Mukeshwar Dhamala, lead researcher from Georgia State University

“Our work provides some answers on that,” Professor Dhamala added. 

We can effectively use video game playing for training. Once the relevant brain networks are identified, it could help decision-making efficiency training and therapeutic interventions.”

How Was The Study Conducted? 

The 47 participants were all university-aged. Twenty-eight were keen gamers, while the other 19 did not play video games. Below are the procedures administered during the study: 

• Participants were asked to lay down in an MRI scan machine with a mirror that allowed them to see a signal immediately followed by a display of moving dots. 
• They were instructed to press a button in their left or right hand to indicate the direction the dots were moving in and not press a button if nothing was moving.
• The exercise showed that video game players responded faster and more accurately.

The brain scans showed that the differences were connected to enhanced activity in the gamers’ brains. While there was no trade-off between speed and accuracy of responses, video game players were better at both.

The researchers concluded that these results indicate that video game playing may enhance several parts of the sub-processes for sensation and perception and signal improvement in decision-making skills.

Findings of Other Related Studies

Several studies were conducted previously to answer the question, “are video games beneficial?” According to a review by American Psychologist, some researchers say it may boost children’s learning, health, and social skills.

An American Psychological Association (APA) task force conducted a comprehensive review of research in 2014 on violence in video games and interactive media.

Isabela Granic, Ph.D., of Radboud University Nijmegen in The Netherlands, said there are previous studies on the harmful effects of games. This includes addiction, depression, and aggression. Still, we should ignore this. However, Granic said, to understand the impact of video games on children, and adolescents’ development, a more balanced outlook is needed. 

While others argue that playing games is intellectually draining, such games may strengthen specific cognitive skills, including spatial navigation, reasoning, perception, and memory. 

According to the study, a meta-analysis in 2013 suggested that playing shooter video games enhanced a gamer’s brain. It improves their capacity to think about objects in three dimensions, similar to academic courses designed to enhance these skills.

“This has critical impacts on education and career development, as previous research proved the effect of spatial skills for excellence in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics,” Granic says.