Can Video Games Make You Smarter?

Science says yes!

When I was younger I used play video games every day, some of my favourites included Duke Nukem 3D, Call of Duty, Star Craft, and Command & Conquer: Generals.  Nothing like a daily fix of Duke Nukem 3D to reduce stress levels after a long day! However in the last 4 years I’ve had a temporary hiatus on gaming as other parts of life took over. That changed recently when I decided to dust of the cobwebs and bought the latest Playstation 4 Pro (now in 4k).

You’ve almost certainly seen one of the many headlines on the negative impacts of gaming, or the so-called benefits of brain-training games. So when I  recently heard in passing that video games can make you smarter, improve your focus, among other benefits – I decided to find out the facts!

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Action Games

Multiple studies have demonstrated the the impact of action games on  decision making, attention/focus, and even vision. In one study researchers found subjects were up to 25% faster coming to conclusions after playing 50 hours of the action games Call of Duty and Unreal Tournament.

“It’s not the case that the action game players are trigger-happy and less accurate: They are just as accurate and also faster,” University of Rochester professor Daphne Bavelier said. “Action game players make more correct decisions per unit time. If you are a surgeon or you are in the middle of a battlefield, that can make all the difference.”

But it gets better than this, Bavelier performed another study where subjects showed improved vision after playing action games. Subjects became 58% better at perceiving fine differences in contrast.

“Normally, improving contrast sensitivity means getting glasses or eye surgery—somehow changing the optics of the eye,” says Bavelier. “But we’ve found that action video games train the brain to process the existing visual information more efficiently, and the improvements last for months after game play stopped.”

In a third study that Bavelier performed, she found playing action games also decreases visual crowding and increases attention span.

It sounds like action games are the way to go!

 

Role-Playing Games (RPGs)

Role-Playing Games (or MMORPG, massively multiplayer online role-playing games) such as Final Fantasy, and World of Warcraft have been shown to improve problem-solving, strategy, and reasoning skills.

 

Real Time Strategy (RTS)

Real Time Strategy games such as StarCraft 2, Command & Conquer: Generals, and Age of Empires have been shown to improve planning ahead, thinking smarter, and thinking more flexibly.

One particular study concludes that playing more than 40 hours of StarCraft can make people think more flexibly.

“Real-time strategy gaming selectively promotes cognitive flexibility, particularly under conditions in which players must rapidly switch between contexts while maintaining memory for both contexts,” concluded authors Brian D. Glass of the University of London, W. Todd Maddox of the University of Texas at Austin, and Bradley C. Love of University College London. “Cognitive flexibility is a trainable skill.”

In case you couldn’t tell, we at Lucid are passionate about body betterment, neuro-enhancement, productivity & focus. To be kept up to date on any other blogs or infographics, add yourself to our community mailing list.