1. 'Mario'
Is Like Steroids For Your Brain
To better understand how video games affect the human brain, German
researchers conducted a study, which was
released this week. They asked 23 adults with a median age of 25 to play
"Super Mario 64" for about 30 minutes a day over a period of two months.
A
separate control group did not play video games at all.
Examining
the brains of the two groups using an MRI machine, they found that the gaming
group had a rise in gray matter in the right hippocampus, right prefrontal
cortex and the cerebellum -- areas of the brain responsible for spatial
navigation, memory formation, strategic planning and fine motor skills in the
hands.
"While previous studies have shown differences in brain structure of video gamers, the present study can demonstrate the direct causal link between video gaming and a volumetric brain increase," study leader Simone Kühn said. "This proves that specific brain regions can be trained by means of video games."
Kühn and her colleagues concluded that video games could
potentially be used as a therapy for patients with mental disorders that cause brain regions to shrink or be
altered. Such diseases include schizophrenia, post-traumatic stress disorder
and Alzheimer's.
2. 'Starcraft' May Make You Smarter
In August, British researchers found that certain video games, particularly
strategic games such as "Starcraft," can increase a player's
"brain flexibility," which the
scientists described as "a cornerstone of human intelligence."
The study,
conducted at Queen Mary University of London and University College London, is
based on psychological tests conducted before and after 72 volunteers played
"Starcraft" or the life-simulation game "The Sims" for 40
hours over six to eight weeks. They found that the participants assigned to play
"Starcraft" experienced gains in their performance on psychological
tests, completing cognitive flexibility tasks with greater speed and accuracy.
"We need to understand now what exactly about these games
is leading to these changes, and whether these cognitive boosts are permanent
or if they dwindle over time," study researcher Brian Glass said in August.
"Once we have that understanding, it could become possible to develop
clinical interventions for symptoms related to attention deficit hyperactivity
disorder or traumatic brain injuries, for example."
3. Video Games May Slow The Aging Process
Playing brain teasing game for just two hours a week may help slow the degree of mental decay
associated with the natural aging process, according to a study this year from
the University of Iowa.
A study of
681 healthy individuals ages 50 and older revealed that playing 10 hours of a
specially designed video game was able to stall the natural decline of
different cognitive skills by up to seven years, in some cases.
Over five
to eight weeks, one group of seniors was given computerized crossword puzzles
while three other groups played a computer game called "Road Tour."
The game involves matching pictures of vehicles while remembering the location
of a particular road sign as more and more "distractors" appear as
the player advanced. The sense of experience is meant to mirror the difficulty older
drivers have when they have to process information from multiple points of view
at an intersection.
Jason Allaire said "Whether
it's a specially manufactured game or something like 'World of Warcraft,' games
are cognitively complex and require mental energy and abilities to play
them,", an associate professor in the department of
psychology at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, who was not involved
with the study. "Whenever you do anything that requires mental energy,
you're exercising your abilities -- it's just like if you exercise your
muscles, you get stronger."
4. They May Help Dyslexic Kids Read Better
A study from the University of Padua throws cold water on the
idea that video games are bad for
the brains of young children. In February, the Italian researchers presented evidence that playing fast-paced video games can improve the reading
skills of children with dyslexia.
The team
separated children age 7 to 13 into two groups, one of which group played an action
game called "Rayman Raving Rabids" while the other played a lower
tempo game. When the reading skills of the children were tested afterwards,
those who played the action game were capable of reading faster and more
accurately. The authors of the study hypothesized that the action games helps
kids increase their attention spans, a skill considered crucial to reading.
5. Video Games Can Be A Pain Reliever
In 2010, researchers presented evidence at the American Pain
Society's annual scientific meeting that video games, specifically ones with an
emphasis on virtual reality, have proven effective in reducing anxiety or pain caused by medical procedures or
chronic illness. The study
found that when people undergoing chemotherapy or other serious treatments were
immersed in a virtual gaming world, they reported significantly less stress and
fear. In addition, those being treated for burn wounds found a decline in their
pain ratings by rates of 30 to 50 percent.
Referencing
the motion sensor technology of the Xbox Kinect or the Wii, Charles Friedman of
the Pain Relief Centers said that gaming allows the brain to stay busy using
other senses instead of focusing on pain. Gaming also releases endorphins in
the brain, a chemical that is generally associated with happiness and capable
of numbing discomfort.
6. 'Call Of Duty' Can Improve Your Eyesight
According to a study of University of Rochester , shooting bad guys
in video games can unexpectedly give you
better vision.
In the 2009
study, expert action gamers played first-person shooting games like
"Unreal Tournament 2004" and "Call of Duty" while
non-experienced action gamers played "The Sims 2." Those playing the
shoot-'em-up games saw a boost in their "contrast sensitivity
function," or the ability to discern subtle changes in the brightness of
an image. Considered one of first of the visual aptitudes to diminish over time,
the ability to pick out bright patches is key to tasks like driving at night.
The study's
authors believe that the process of locating and aiming at enemies exercised
gamers' eyes. And with bad guys unpredictably popping up, the shooting games
also helped players learn to analyze optical data on the fly. The researchers
believe their study shows the potential of video games -- particularly action
games -- to serve as an aid in the way we correct bad eyesight.
7. Video Games Can Be As Effective As One-On-One Counseling
While video
games are often blamed as a cause of mental illness, studies have shown that
they can also be a cure.
In 2012, researchers in New Zealand created a novel way to treat depressed teenagerswith
"SPARX," a video game designed to give therapy to kids in a way that
was more fun and active than traditional counseling. The acronym stands for
“smart, positive, active, realistic and x-factor thoughts,” strategies that
have been commonly used to battle depression.
The study included 168 teens with an average age of 15
that had previously sought help or struggled with depression. Half of the group
was randomly assigned to "treatment as usual,” which was usually
one-on-one counseling over five sessions. The other half played SPARX, a
fantasy game where the subjects created avatars in order to squash “gloomy
negative automatic thoughts,” and restore order in the virtual world. Each
level taught players basic facts about depression, strategies for dealing with
intense negative emotions and relaxation techniques.
The results
for the SPARX group were extremely encouraging. About 44 percent of SPARX
players recovered completely from depression while only 26 percent of the
control group were no longer depressed.
8. They Can Help Stroke Victims More Fully Recover
For stroke victims, recovery can be a long or even impossible
process. Seeking a more affordable and effective approach to restoring speech
and movement after a stroke,Debbie Rand of Tel Aviv
University turned to video games.
Individuals
who had a stroke one to seven years before the study were assigned to one of
two groups. The first did traditional rehabilitation exercises while the other
played video games on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii.
For an
occupational therapist like Rand, the advantages of using video games for
rehabilitation were clear in several ways. While both groups showed improvement
in things like grip, only the video game group continued to show improvement in
hand strength after the treatment. The video gamers not only performed double
the number of arm movements during each session, their movements were
"goal-directed" and not merely repetitive exercises.
“When
individuals plan their movements and move deliberately in order to accomplish a
specific goal, it is likely to have a positive impact on brain plasticity,”
Rand said, noting that because video games are fun and enjoyable, subjects are
more likely to commit fully to the rehab.
