Video Games May Boost Older Brains

Study: Gaming is Exercise for the Brain that Improves Mind Function

Dec 16, 2008

Older brains may benefit from playing video games as a new study suggests, but is too much of a good thing bad?

Featured in the December issue of Psychology and Aging, a new study suggests that older people who play complex video games may retain or improve their cognitive functions that typically decline with age.

Past studies have shown that playing video games has many benefits from improved problem-solving skills to improved operating skills in surgeons.

In this study, which was not funded by any gaming companies, researchers tested the cognitive abilities of 40 people in their 60s and 70s before and after playing the video game “Rise of Nations.” The game rewards the complex task of creating a society, including building cities, employing people and expanding territory. Half of the group received training before playing while the others served as a comparison group and received no training.

Cognitive Abilities: What They Are and How They Improved

Cognitive abilities are the brain-based skills and mental processes that are needed to carry out any task, from the simplest to the most complex. Every task can be broken into different cognitive skills that are needed to complete that task successfully. If not used regularly, cognitive abilities will diminish over time.

Testing showed that people in the trained group performed better on the game and also on tests of memory, reasoning, and the ability to identify rotated objects compared to those who were not trained.

Improving Older Brain Function is an Important Development

According to the study, the concept that the older brain in aging individuals can improve is an important development, said Paul Sanberg, director of the University of South Florida's Center for Aging and Brain Repair.

Less than 24 hours of training not only improved mental and cognitive functions, but also enhanced their ability to function in some other tasks, he said.

Questions remain, researchers said, about whether people with better cognitive abilities are naturally attracted to video games and other complex tasks, or whether the act of playing the video games boosted cognitive ability.

Too Much of a Good Thing

While a growing number of studies have found that playing video games can be beneficial, experts warn against too much of a good thing, noting that playing video games can be an isolating experience that mitigates other health benefits.

Clearly mental exercises, whether through a game or another media outlet, are not that bad, but you want to establish societal connections as well, a researcher cautioned. Doing too much of one thing might not be the best idea.

Researchers suggest that playing strategy-based games such as chess or games with other people might offer a way to achieve the same benefits without sacrificing social interaction.

“Playing Video Games May Boost Older Brains,” by Tate Gunnerson, HealthDay Reporter, Dec. 16, 2008.

The copyright of the article Video Games May Boost Older Brains in Health Psychology is owned by Scott Rupp. Permission to republish Video Games May Boost Older Brains in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.