Video games
Video games are far from undisputed. While it’s perfectly normal for today’s generation in the West to grow up with them and be able to play them freely from a certain age, this isn’t the case everywhere, even today. China in particular is publicly known for being strict on video games and severely restricting access to them.
The reasons for opposing video games are varied – some argue that they are addictive, while others claim that they encourage anti-social behavior such as violence in children and young people. In general, playing video games at an early age disrupts the development of adolescents, some critics say. However, a new study now suggests the opposite.
New study
The results of a brand new study are said to show that playing video games not only improves people’s decision-making skills, but can also lead to “increased activity” in some parts of the brain.
The study reportedly involved 47 college-age participants (28 “regular video gamers” and 19 who didn’t play video games) who plugged into a device called an FMRI (Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging). They were shown a clue, then a meter of moving dots, and asked to indicate which direction the dots were moving (or if they were moving at all).
Results of the study
The results are promising for video game fans:
“Video games are played more than three hours a week by the overwhelming majority of our youth, but the positive effects on decision-making and the brain are not well understood,” said lead researcher Mukesh Dhamala.
“Our work provides some answers. Playing video games can be used effectively for training – for example, decision making training and therapeutic interventions – once the relevant brain networks are identified.”
The results of the study showed that the participants who played video games not only reacted faster, but were also more accurate. Also, the results of the scans showed that they showed increased activity in some areas of the brain.
“These results suggest that playing video games may enhance multiple sub-processes of sensation, perception, and attribution to action to enhance decision-making,” wrote the authors of the study.
“These findings shed light on how playing video games alters the brain to improve task performance and what implications this may have for increasing task-specific activity.”