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We have decided to choose Video Games

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As technology continues to advance, the number of people who play video games is increasing at an alarming rate. With 65 percent of Americans claiming that they play video games regularly, it is clear that the potential consequences of playing video games should be taken very seriously (Clement, 2022). Until recently, this field of study has been neglected for the most part, but recent neurological research has revealed important information about the positive and negative effects gaming has on the brain. It is worth noting that this field of study is still in very early stages, so no complete explanation has developed yet.

The first problem we encounter is that there are so many different video games out there that it is impossible to say anything meaningful about all of them collectively. To simplify this problem, we can divide most video games into two categories: strategy and action. As you can imagine, these two types of video games have much different effects on brain function. For the most part, strategy games don't have any clear negative effects, and they are generally seen as a good thing. On the other hand, the positive and negative effects of action games are much easier to observe and quantify, so they are the main focus of research regarding this topic.

Positive Effects

Let's first examine the positive effects of actively playing video games. There are many skills learned and used in video games that are also useful in other circumstances outside of the game. For example, people who play shooter games naturally become very good at keeping track of multiple moving objects. Playing action games enhances abilities such as quick thinking, spatial awareness, and contrast sensitivity, which is especially practical when you are driving at night (Shadrak, 2021). However, these benefits are heavily outweighed by the negative effects of gaming.

Negative Effects

Due to the addictive nature of recent online games, video game addiction is becoming more and more relevant, especially in kids and teenagers. Immediately, video game addiction is a sketchy topic because it is hard to define in a quantifiable way. More research is needed before it can become a formal diagnosis, but it definitely does exist. People who are addicted to video games display similar behavior to people with other addictions, the most obvious example being signs of withdrawal when the game is taken away.

The reason video games are so addictive can be narrowed down to two reasons: fast pacing and unpredictability. On one hand, fast pacing can be a good thing because adapting to new information and environments quickly is a good skill to have in everyday life. However, it is generally seen as a bad thing because constantly overloading yourself with new information can make it hard to focus while doing work in the comparatively boring real world (Paturel, 2014). In addition, most video games have some aspects determined by randomization that have effects on the brain virtually identical to those of gambling addiction. In short, every time someone wins a gamble, a lot of dopamine is released, causing the person to feel a sense of pleasure. As a result, they will want to keep coming back to get the dopamine hit associated with this unexpected reward.

Perhaps the most alarming discovery is that playing violent action games is directly associated with reduced activity in the prefrontal cortex. In super basic terms, the prefrontal cortex is the part of the brain that controls logical thinking and decision making, and it doesn't become fully developed until you are well into your twenties.

A two-week study revealed that people who played violent games had significantly less activity in the prefrontal cortex compared to people who didn't play video games (Paturel, 2014). This is the reason why young people often spend several hours straight playing video games while neglecting basic needs like food and sleep. The long-term effects of gaming on the prefrontal cortex are still relatively unknown.

References

Clement, J. (2022, May 13). Percentage of adults in the United States who ever play video games in the United States in 2020 and 2021. Statista. Retrieved October 30, 2022, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/499703/share-consumers-ever-play-video-games-by-age-usa/

Paturel, A. (2014). How Do Video Games Affect Brain Development in Children and Teens? Brain&Life. Retrieved October 30, 2022, from https://www.brainandlife.org/articles/how-do-video-games-affect-the-developing-brains-of-children

Shadrak, S. V. (2021, October 15). How Playing Video Games Affects Your Brain. BrainFacts.org. Retrieved October 30, 2022, from https://www.brainfacts.org/neuroscience-in-society/tech-and-the-brain/2021/how-playing-video-games-affects-your-brain-101521#:~:text=Just%2010%E2%80%9320%20minutes%20of,emotion%20regulation%20and%20executive%20control.

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As technology continues to advance, the number of people who play video games is increasing at an alarming rate. With 65 percent of Americans claiming that they play video games regularly, it is...

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By: Peter Grinspoon, MD, Contributor

More than two-thirds of Americans play video games, also known as gaming. While gaming can be a fun distraction or hobby (and is even becoming a competitive sport on many college campuses), there are health risks that come from too much gaming. What are these harms, and what can be done about them?

Is there anything good about gaming?

Before discussing the harms of gaming, it is only fair to mention the benefits. Aside from being entertaining and a fun pastime, gaming can provide a way for people to interact with each other - a virtual community - as they work together toward completing common tasks. Our society suffers from an epidemic of loneliness, and gaming can be a vehicle to connect with others, including otherwise difficult-to-connect-with people in your life, such as kids, grandkids, or (I've seen this be quite helpful) with autistic children, who can have challenges with traditional modes of communication.

There is mixed research that there are some cognitive benefits to gaming, such as better control of one's attention and improved spatial reasoning, though it isn't entirely clear how much these benefits extend outside of the video game sphere into the real world. Finally, video games have medical applications, such as training people with degenerative diseases to improve their balance, helping adolescents with ADHD improve their thinking skills, or training surgeons on how to do technically complicated operations.

Gaming injuries

Repetitive stress injuries, or overuse injuries, are injuries that come from activities that involve repeated use of muscles and tendons, to the point that pain and inflammation develop. If these injuries are allowed to progress, numbness and weakness can develop, and permanent injury can result. Overuse injuries of the hands and arms are rampant among gamers.

One common example is carpel tunnel syndrome, which many gamers develop. Carpal tunnel syndrome, often seen in office workers, involves inflammation of a nerve in the wrist, which causes pain and numbness.

"Gamer's thumb," which was previously called "PlayStation thumb" (or "nintendinitis" or "nintendonitis" when Nintendo was popular), occurs when the tendons that move the thumb become inflamed. The medical term for this is de Quervain's tenosynovitis, and it can lead to swelling and limited movement. Gamers are also at risk for trigger finger, or stenosing tenosynovitis, which is when a finger gets stuck in the bent position due to chronic inflammation. Gamers can also get tennis elbow, a painful inflammation of the place where the tendon inserts into the bone on the outside of the elbow.

Gaming is also associated with obesity in teens and, plausibly, the same would be shown in adults, if studied. This is due to the obvious phenomenon that if a teen is sitting in front of a screen for hours every day, he or she isn't getting much exercise. The obesity is also thought to be due to increased food intake while playing video games. According to a study in the Journal of Clinical Nutrition, "a single session of video game play in healthy male adolescents is associated with an increased food intake, regardless of appetite sensations." The proposed mechanisms are that either the signals that indicate satiety (fullness) get impaired, or that the mental stress involved with playing video games activates the reward centers, which leads to increased food intake.

Vision problems are common complaints of gamers. The most common vision problem is eye strain, which can lead to headaches and poor concentration. Gaming has been reported to result in seizures, leading to warnings on the packaging.

Gaming addiction

Gaming has also been associated with psychological problems. It is still an open question whether video game addiction, or internet gaming disorder (IGD), is a unique syndrome. According to the American Psychological Association, IGD is defined as experiencing at least five of the following nine criteria over a 12-month period:

gaming preoccupation

withdrawal

tolerance

loss of interest in other activities

downplaying use

loss of relationship, educational, or career opportunities

gaming to escape or relieve anxiety, guilt, or other negative mood states

failure to control

continued gaming despite psychosocial problems.

According to one study from the American Journal of Psychiatry, between 0.3% and 1.0% of Americans might have an internet gaming disorder. Treatments for this problem are a work in progress, as the disorder isn't fully understood or agreed upon, but can include public health approaches such as education and harm reduction, stricter labeling on the packaging, as well as cognitive behavioral therapy. There are even support groups, such as Computer Gaming Addicts Anonymous, which leverage the power of group support - also helpful in the treatment of other addictions - to the realm of gaming addiction.

Gaming has also been associated with sleep deprivation, insomnia and circadian rhythm disorders, depression, aggression, and anxiety, though more studies are needed to establish the validity and the strength of these connections. There has also been concern that exposure to the extreme violence that is commonly found in video games can desensitize teens and young adults to such violence, causing emotional problems and even leading to young people committing acts of violence.

Gaming in moderation

As with many other activities that have potential benefits and harms, moderation is the key. Most of the harms that come from gaming can be improved, if not avoided altogether, by limiting the number of hours spent in front of the screen, and by engaging in healthy activities like exercising, or socializing in the real world instead of the virtual game world.

Education is an essential key to injury prevention. Gamers need to be educated on how to protect their thumbs, wrists, and elbows, their waistlines, their emotional state, their sleep, and their eyes. Simple education around taking breaks, stretching, eating healthy snacks, and resting and icing your thumb, wrist, or elbow when it starts hurting can address injuries early, before they become significant. For the eyes, gamers can try the 20-20-20 rule: every 20 minutes, try to look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds.

In short, playing video games can be fun and a social activity when integrated into a healthy lifestyle that includes plenty of sleep, exercise, and good nutrition, rather than letting the game become your life.

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The health effects of too much gaming - Harvard Health

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While playing video games can be a fun pastime, and there are some potential benefits, there are health risks associated with too much gaming. They include repetitive stress injuries, vision problems, sleep deprivation, depression, and possibly addiction to playing.

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Video gaming may be associated with better cognitive performance in children

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Additional research necessary to parse potential benefits and harms of video games on the developing brain.

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Abstract

The brain controls how we see, hear, think, learn, and interact with the world. Importantly, the brain is not set in stone. It can be changed over time by the things we do. One of those things is playing video games! Playing video games can lead to a number of changes in the brain, some of which allow us to see, hear, think, and learn better. Crucially though, not all video games are equal. Just like eating different kinds of foods will affect the body in different ways, playing different types of video games will affect the brain in different ways. In this article, we will describe how scientists can measure changes in the brain and how playing video games can change the brain.

The Brain and Cognition

The brain is responsible for , or the way we process and understand information. Cognition includes things like seeing, hearing, paying attention, learning, remembering things, planning actions, and making decisions. One interesting thing about the brain is that, over time, it can be changed. This quality is called brain plasticity. As we experience and learn more things from the world around us, plasticity allows the brain to physically change, creating stronger connections between certain brain regions. Many of our everyday activities, from daily interactions with others, to things we learn in school, to after-school hobbies, can have an impact on our brains and our cognitive functions. Video games are one of those things! The good news is that some of these changes in the brain caused by video games may help improve our cognitive functions. Under the right conditions, video games provide an ideal environment that allows players to exercise various cognitive functions and promote brain plasticity [].

Measuring Brain Activity and Cognition

To measure how our brains change after playing video games, cognitive scientists can use a few types of techniques ( Figure 1). One is called magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which uses strong magnetic fields to show the brain's structure. Using an MRI, scientists can see whether and how the cells that make up the brain have changed after some type of experience []. Another technique, called functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), measures how much blood has flowed through specific areas of the brain, which tells scientists which brain areas have been active. A third technique is called electroencephalogram (EEG), which measures the brain's electrical signals. This tells scientists how much activity is happening in a given brain region at any moment.

Figure 1 - Examples of brain-imaging techniques.

(A) An MRI of a person's brain, showing brain structures. (B) An fMRI showing brain activity in the colored areas. (C) An example of EEG signals showing five different types of brainwaves, which indicate different types of brain activity.

While these brain imaging techniques help scientists to visualize changes in the brain, they also need to know whether video game playing actually changes cognitive functions. To determine that, cognitive scientists developed tasks designed to test various components of cognition, which we will call cognitive tasks for simplicity. These cognitive tasks include tasks to measure how well people can think about and remember information that is constantly changing (called working memory), how well they can direct their attention while ignoring distractions, and how well they can problem solve ( Figure 2).

Figure 2 - Example of a cognitive task.

Raven's Progressive Matrices [3] is a measure of problem-solving ability. The person completing this task sees a matrix of images and must select the image that completes the matrix. Here, the answer is 4.

Using both brain imaging and cognitive tasks, cognitive scientists can conduct experiments to determine whether playing a specific video game changes the brain and/or cognitive functions ( Figure 3). For example, maybe they want to know whether playing the video game Fortnite can improve people's brains and cognition. First, the scientists recruit participants and conduct a series of brain imaging scans and cognitive tasks. This is called a pre-test because it tells scientists about participants' brain structure and cognitive performance before they are asked to play a video game. The scientists then assign participants to play either Fortnite or a different video game that they do not expect to affect cognition. This second game is called the , and it is used for comparison with Fortnite. Participants then play their assigned video games for an hour a day for several weeks, for example. Then, the scientists conduct the same brain scans and cognitive tasks as in the pre-test. This is called a post-test, because it tells scientists what the participants' brain structure and cognitive performance is like after they have played the video game. Finally, the scientists compare participants' brains scans and cognitive task performance between the pre-test and post-test. If the participants who played Fortnite are found to have certain brain changes, such as a greater volume of brain tissue in some brain areas, or if their performance on cognitive tasks has increased more than the participants who played the control video game, researchers can conclude that playing Fortnite positively impacts the brain and cognition more than the control game does.

Figure 3 - In a typical video game training experiment, participants first take a test measuring their cognitive function (pretesting).

They are then assigned to play either an action video game or a control video game for some number of hours (no more than 1 h per day, with the whole thing being spaced out over several weeks). They then return and take the same test from before again (post-testing). If the target video game group improved more from pretesting to post-testing than the control video game group, then we know that playing that game improved cognitive function [Adapted from [1]].

So, How Does Playing Video Games Affect the Brain?

Across many experiments, research has found that playing video games can change many brain areas. As just a few examples, playing certain video games can increase the volume as well as the activity in small regions in many parts of the brain ( Figure 1) [ 2]. However, some research has also found that playing video games can decrease activity in some of these areas, like the frontal lobe. How can video games both increase and decrease activity in the brain? One explanation is that exposure to a video game may at first increase activity in regions associated with gameplay. Then, as a player's performance improves and playing becomes more automatic, less "brain power" is needed, resulting in a decrease in activity of those brain regions [ 2]. Thus, depending on the length of training or the timing of the post-test, either increases or decreases in brain activity can be associated with playing video games.

Along with the changes seen in the brain, playing video games has also been shown to improve some aspects of cognition, including the ability to identify information that comes into the senses (like vision and hearing); the ability to understand the surrounding space, like remembering where objects are located or how to navigate to a specific location; the ability pay attention; the ability to ignore distractions; the ability to multi-task; and working memory [, ].

Effects on the Brain and Cognition Are Complex

The extent to which video game play alters the brain and cognition depends on many factors, such as age, amount of time spent playing video games, and what kind of video games are played. For instance, while playing video games does seem to have at least a small positive effect across all ages, video games tend to improve cognitive functions more in younger adults than in older adults over the age of 65 [ 4].

Similarly, while any duration of video game play likely leads to some brain changes, research suggests that the more time individuals spend playing video games, the larger the changes will be [ 4]. Critically though, all the available research suggests that binging on video games (playing for very long sessions) is not a good idea. Video game play most powerfully affects the brain in a positive way when the play sessions are distributed across a wide range of time. For instance, when we are trying to use video games to improve brain function in our lab, we only allow participants to play for 1 h per day.

Finally, not all video games affect the brain equally. In general, cognitive scientists assume that the types of cognitive skills that are required to play a certain game and the brain regions associated with those cognitive skills would be the skills and brain areas to change after playing that game for some time. This is similar to practicing sports. Soccer and basketball require different physical skills. If you practice kicking a soccer ball, you can expect that your leg muscles will get stronger and you will get better at kicking, but you would not expect your arms to get stronger or to get better at shooting a basketball.

Action video games are one gaming genre that has been studied extensively and consistently shown to improve some aspects of cognition. Action video games include first-person shooter games, like Fortnite, and third-person shooter games, like Splatoon. Games like Animal Crossing and Minecraft, however, would not be considered action video games. Researchers have found that action video games improve perception, spatial cognition, and attention more than other parts of cognition [ 4]. Other video game types, such as puzzle games, like Portal 2, or strategy games, like Starcraft 3, may tap into problem-solving abilities, suggesting that these games could improve those parts of cognition. However, the findings on the effects of these games on cognition have been mixed, so more research is needed [].

Conclusions

In summary, the effects of video games on the brain and cognition are somewhat complex. Research has shown that playing video games can positively impact some parts of the brain and cognition, but the impact largely depends on the type of video game being played. Keep in mind that this field of research does not necessarily consider how playing video games affects other parts of a person's life besides cognition. For example, other lines of research have focused on the potential addictive features of video games or how they affect kids' social and emotional development. When thinking about how video games can affect us, it is important to look at their impact on all aspects of our lives.

Glossary

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

References

[1] ↑ Nahum, M., and Bavelier, D. 2020. "Video games as rich environments to foster brain plasticity," in Brain-Computer Interfaces, Vol. 168, eds N. F. Ramsey, and J. del R. Millán (Amsterdam: Elsevier). p. 117-36.

[2] ↑ Paulus, M., Marron, E. M., Viejo-Sobera, R., and Redolar-Ripoll, D. 2017. Neural basis of video gaming: a systematic review. Front. Hum. Neurosci. 11:248. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2017.00248

[3] ↑ Raven, J. 2003. "Raven progressive matrices," in Handbook of Nonverbal Assessment, ed R. S. McCallum (Boston, MA: Springer).

[4] ↑ Bediou, B., Adams, D. M., Mayer, R. E., Tipton, E., Green, C. S., and Bavelier, D. 2018. Meta-analysis of action video game impact on perceptual, attentional, and cognitive skills. Psychol. Bull. 144:77-110. doi: 10.1037/bul0000130

[5] ↑ Powers, K., Brooks, P., Aldrich, N., Palladino, A. A., and Alfieri, L. 2013. Effects of videogame play on information processing: a meta-analytic investigation. Psychon. Bull. Rev. 20:1055-79. doi: 10.3758/s13423-013-0418-z

[6] ↑ Parong, J., Holman, C., Cunningham, E., Green, C. S., and Bavelier, D. 2021. "Video games and higher cognition," in Using Cognitive and Affective Metrics in Education-Based Simulations and Games, eds H. F. O'Neil, E. L. Baker, R. S. Perez, and S. E. Watson (Oxfordshire: Routledge; Taylor and Francis).

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The brain controls how we see, hear, think, learn, and interact with the world. Importantly, the brain is not set in stone. It can be changed over time by the things we do. One of those things is playing video games!

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Video games offer a considerable amount of adventure and entertainment. Traditional games, like Tetris, or the more modern Candy Crush Saga, are puzzling brain busters that require a certain level of strategy in order to be successful.

Others, like Nintendo's Breath of the Wild or Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed series, provide an escape from the real world and into familiar or far-off places. And even violent video games like The Last of Us 2 have become critically acclaimed for their level of inclusivity and accessibility, impactful storytelling and innovative game design.

But in recent years, regardless of genre, the pros and cons of video games and how they affect our brains have been a hot topic of discussion - particularly when discussing video game addiction. Defined as a mental health disorder by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2019, video game addiction is a controversial diagnosis that has left researchers debating on whether it should be classified as an addiction or mental illness at all, leaving many of us asking the question: Are video games good for you?

Pediatric behavioral health specialist Michael Manos, PhD, explains how video games affect your brain in good and bad ways, and when video game addiction can be a real problem.

Is gaming good for your brain?

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends children under 2 should have no screen time and kids ages 2 to 5 should get an hour or less of screen time per weekday and three hours on the weekend days (and Dr. Manos agrees that this is a good rule of thumb).

But a recent study of more than 2,200 children discovered that gamers who played more than 21 hours a week performed better than non-gamers when they were tested for impulsive behavior and memorization. In fact, researchers observed gamers had more activity than non-gamers in regions of their brains that were associated with attention and memory.

While the direct causes for these changes in children's brains are unknown, there have been a number of other positive findings related to positive effects of video games. In fact, there's even a video game treatment called EndeavorRX for children who have ADHD between the ages of 8 and 12. Here are some other benefits:

Increases brain matter

Much research has been done to show that video games impact brain plasticity (your brain's ability to change in response to learning) through the use of attentional control and reward processing. The idea here is that the more you're able to direct attention toward a certain task, the more stimulated you are by completing that task. From there, you can then move on to more complicated tasks. This is especially important when you consider that your brain's gray matter - the outer-most layer of your brain - contains billions of neurons and is responsible for controlling your movement, retaining your memories and regulating your emotions. Essentially, the more you learn, the more your brain can adapt.

"Like stimulants, video gaming can increase gray matter in the brain," says Dr. Manos. "Gray matter provides interconnectivity and allows parts of your brain to communicate with other parts of your brain and advance your self-perception."

Provides stimulating activity

Unlike TV shows and movies, video games are interactive and require attention to detail and task management. Take a role-playing game (RPG), like The Witcher or Mass Effect, for example: There's a long list of main quest objectives you have to complete in order to beat the game. But you also have a longer list of side objectives that are optional in order to flesh out the game's story and reward system.

For every task you complete, a game will usually reward you with experience points to advance your character's skill. You'll also get in-game trophies that symbolize your achievement. This relationship of risk and reward isn't specific to RPGs (you see it in simulation games like Animal Crossing, too) but it's particularly rewarding for completionists wanting to accomplish everything they can in a game before moving on to the next.

"A constant barrage of reinforcement occurs often and in succession with video games," explains Dr. Manos. "The danger of a particular situation and the resolution of a situation gives you a sense of accomplishment, which doesn't happen very much in real life. This makes video games incredibly stimulating."

Improves focus and visuomotor abilities like hand-eye coordination

Because of the level of detail and interaction, you often have to pay close attention to visual and auditory cues to accomplish certain tasks in a video game.

"When you're watching a video game, you've got to pay attention to every little thing that comes into your visual field and react to it," notes Dr. Manos. "Being able to visually contrast, being able to tell the difference between one thing and another, is also a skill that can be developed by playing video games."

We see this often in action-adventure games like Tomb Raider or Resident Evil, when you participate in quick-time events (or QTEs) where you have to push a button that matches a symbol on the screen within a very limited amount of time in order for something to happen.

But Dr. Manos cautions that although video games can improve focus and hand-eye coordination with mechanics like QTEs, there are real-world examples, like driving through fog, that present a greater opportunity for learning.

"If you're driving through fog, you have to be hyper-alert to see whatever is in front of you. That's a skill you really want to learn and that kind of thing can be improved in playing a video game," he states. "But just because a person can distinguish something in a video game, that doesn't mean they're going to be able to distinguish it in real life."

Improves ability for set-shifting and other cognitive functions

Set-shifting is the ability to move back and forth between different tasks in quick succession. The ability to start one thing and immediately pick up another is an important factor in determining your cognitive flexibility. We often mistake set-shifting as multitasking, but the ability to direct our attention from one thing to the next - like cooking dinner on the stove while listening to a podcast or pausing a video game to start a load of laundry - is an important skill to have.

"People switch tasks all the time," says Dr. Manos. "That executive function tends to get a little better when playing a video game."

Plus, other cognitive functions can be improved by video games, too. This 2020 overview of commercial video game studies suggests different types of video games improve different cognitive functions. Action video games, for instance, are highly associated with improving someone's ability to direct their attention and filter specific information. Traditional puzzle games, like Tetris, were associated with increased performance in navigation, perception and recognition.

Can video games be bad for you?

As you can see, the good effects of video games are broad, but it's hard to recreate those effects in real life outside of gaming. That's also true about the negative effects of video games and there's much to be discussed about exactly how these effects play out in other areas of your life.

The difficulty with research in the field of video games is that several studies contradict each other and it's challenging to determine the exact mechanisms behind what's being studied.

Some studies are small with a very narrow scope, like this one that suggests children who are physically active have faster reaction times than those who only play video games. Other studies are much broader in their approach, like this one that suggests people who play video games have an increased ability to learn from their experiences and manage conflict.

Part of what makes research into video games and their effect on brain function so controversial is that there's been a large body of research that's been slowly building over the last decade that suggests internet and video game addictions are a real problem, despite video game addiction only affecting 3.05% of the world's population.

Since The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders added the term "internet gaming disorder" in 2013, continued research has suggested that video game addiction is similar to other well-established addictions related to substance use disorders. This may partially be because the same parts of your brain, specifically those that release dopamine (the feel-good hormone), are activated when you have any addiction.

Specifically, people who play massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) are believed to be the most at risk for developing a video game addiction because of the ever-present pressure to level up their characters, participate in seasonal or time-sensitive limited events and constant access to in-game rewards.

"Video games are so stimulating that kids want to sustain engagement with them, as if that's life," says Dr. Manos. "The next stimulating event is always right around the corner, and you know you just have to get to that corner. That's what prompts addiction."

And while one study discovered an increase in concentration and visuomotor abilities like spatial awareness and hand-eye coordination in gamers who played MMORPGs, they also discovered structural brain differences and a loss of self-control.

To better understand the exact impact video games have on our brains, more research is needed to look at the specific cause and effects associated with gaming. In fact, some researchers are determined that a multidisciplinary approach is needed when studying the effects video games have on brain function because of advancements made in the game industry (with game analytics, game design and player experience), alongside advancements in the medical fields of cognitive science, machine learning and social sciences.

How do you know if you or your child is addicted to video games?

As with any addiction, when it starts taking over someone's life and altering their ability to participate in and enjoy day-to-day activities, there may be some reason for concern.

"When parents start noticing their kids are avoiding certain tasks, they're replacing certain activities, like playing with friends or participating in sports, with video games, you have to start getting concerned," states Dr. Manos. "When a child is willing to sacrifice or compromise a formerly high-interest activity in order to play a video game, then it's useful to begin observing how much time the child is actually playing and perhaps limit their playtime."

This is especially true if your child has emotional outbursts or gets physically aggressive when they're asked to pause the game or turn it off.

"It's not easy to take a child away from a video game," says Dr. Manos. "When emotional reactions occur when the child is deprived of a video game, that's a problem."

If you're concerned about your child's time spent playing video games, or if their behavior becomes worse over time, you can ask your healthcare provider or child therapist about whether or not they need cognitive behavioral therapy to help manage any underlying causes that might be leading to an over-reliance on video games.

But at the end of the day, if your child is content, continues to participate in social and physical activities with their friends and family members, and they're developing critical thinking skills necessary to analyze and navigate the world around them, there's no harm in allowing for occasional video game enjoyment.

"There have been some positive findings that when parents actually sit down and engage the child while they're playing video games by talking about it, watching it or even playing with their child, that it can be a very positive experience for parents and kids," says Dr. Manos.

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How much play time is too much? Video game addiction is a concern for many parents, but video games can have positive effects on your brain, too. A pediatric behavioral health specialist discusses the pros and cons of gaming.

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Around the world, video gamers spend billions of hours per week in front of their screens. Some scientists have researched the impact of video games. Here, find our how they affect the brain and behavior.

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There is increasing research focused on the impact of video gaming on the brain.

At a glance, more than 150 million people in the United States play video games regularly, or for at least 3 hours per week. The average American gamer is a 35-year-old adult, with 72 percent of gamers aged 18 or older. For video game use by children, most parents - 71 percent - indicate that video games have a positive influence on their child's life.

Video game sales continue to increase year on year. In 2016, the video game industry sold more than 24.5 billion games - up from 23.2 billion in 2015, and 21.4 billion in 2014.

The top three best-selling video games of 2016 were Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, Battlefield 1, and Grand Theft Auto V. These games fall into the first-person shooter or action-adventure genres - the top two genres, accounting for 27.5 percent and 22.5 percent of sales, respectively. First-person shooter and action genres often stand accused of stirring aggression and causing violence and addiction.

Decades of research examining video gaming and violence have failed to reach consensus among scientists. Scientists have been unable to find a causal link between playing video games and acts of violence in the real world.

A growing body of evidence, however, shows that video gaming can affect the brain and, furthermore, cause changes in many regions of the brain.

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Game addicts have functional and structural changes in the neural reward system.

Scientists have recently collected and summarized results from 116 scientific studies to determine how video games can influence our brains and behaviors. The findings of their review were published in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience.

"Games have sometimes been praised or demonized, often without real data backing up those claims. Moreover, gaming is a popular activity, so everyone seems to have strong opinions on the topic," says Marc Palaus, first author of the review.

By looking at all research to date, Palaus and team aimed to observe whether any trends had emerged with regard to how video games impact the structure and activity of the brain. A total of 22 of the reviewed studies explored structural changes in the brain and 100 studies analyzed changes in brain functionality and behavior.

Results of the studies indicate that playing video games not only changes how our brains perform but also their structure.

For example, video game use is known to affect attention. The studies included in the review show that video game players display improvements in several types of attention, including sustained attention and selective attention. Furthermore, the regions of the brain that play a role in attention are more efficient in gamers compared with non-gamers, and they require less activation to stay focused on demanding tasks.

Evidence also demonstrates that playing video games increases the size and competence of parts of the brain responsible for visuospatial skills - a person's ability to identify visual and spatial relationships among objects. In long-term gamers and individuals who had volunteered to follow a video game training plan, the right hippocampus was enlarged.

Researchers have discovered that video gaming can be addictive - a phenomenon known as "Internet gaming disorder."

In gaming addicts, there are functional and structural alterations in the neural reward system - a group of structures associated with feeling pleasure, learning, and motivation. Exposing video game addicts to game-related cues that cause cravings, and monitoring their brain responses, highlighted these changes - changes that are also seen in other addictive disorders.

"We focused on how the brain reacts to video game exposure, but these effects do not always translate to real-life changes," notes Palaus. The research into the effects of video gaming is still in its infancy and scientists are still scrutinizing what aspects of gaming impact what brain regions and how.

"It's likely that video games have both positive (on attention, visual and motor skills) and negative aspects (risk of addiction), and it is essential we embrace this complexity," Palaus continues.

A team of researchers from the Florida State University has stated that people should be skeptical of adverts that promote an increase in the performance of the brain that results from brain training games. They have said that science does not support these claims.

Playing brain-training games did not improve cognitive abilities in older adults.

"Our findings and previous studies confirm there's very little evidence these types of games can improve your life in a meaningful way," says Wally Boot, associate professor of psychology, an expert on age-related cognitive decline.

People are increasingly under the impression that brain-training apps will safeguard them against memory loss or cognitive disorders.

Researchers tested whether playing brain-training games enhanced the working memory of players and thus improved other cognitive abilities, including reasoning, memory, and processing speed - a process scientists call "far transfer." However, this was not the case.

"It's possible to train people to become very good at tasks that you would normally consider general working memory tasks: memorizing 70, 80, even 100 digits," explains Neil Charness, professor of psychology and a leading authority on aging and cognition.

"But these skills tend to be very specific and not show a lot of transfer. The thing that seniors, in particular, should be concerned about is, if I can get very good at crossword puzzles, is that going to help me remember where my keys are? And the answer is probably no," he adds.

Charness points out that if your goal is to improve cognitive function, then aerobic exercise may help. Some research has found that aerobic activity rather than mental activity enhances the brain.

In contrast, a study published in Nature found that through the use of a specially designed 3-D video game, cognitive performance could be improved in older adults and some of the adverse effects on the brain associated with aging, reversed.

Scientists at the University of California-San Francisco (UCSF) clarify that this provides a measure of scientific support in the brain fitness arena - criticized for lacking evidence - that brain training can stimulate meaningful and lasting changes.

After 12 hours of training over the period of a month, study participants aged between 60 to 85 years improved performance on the game that surpassed that of individuals in their 20s playing the game for the first time. Moreover, two other significant cognitive areas were improved: working memory and sustained attention. These skills were maintained 6 months after completion of their training.

"The finding is a powerful example of how plastic the older brain is," says Dr. Adam Gazzaley, Ph.D., UCSF associate professor of neurology, physiology and psychiatry and director of the Neuroscience Imaging Center. Dr. Gazzaley notes that it is encouraging that even a little brain training can reverse some of the brain decline that occurs with age.

A recent study conducted by neurobiologists at the University of California-Irvine (UCI) found that playing 3-D video games could also boost the formation of memories. Participants were allocated to either a group that played video games with a 2-D environment or a 3-D environment. After playing the games for 30 minutes per day for 2 weeks, the students were given memory tests that engaged the brain's hippocampus.

The participants in the 3-D group significantly improved their memory test scores compared with the 2-D group. The 3-D group's memory performance increased by 12 percent - the same amount that memory performance usually declines by between 45 and 70 years of age.

"First, the 3-D games have a few things the 2-D ones do not," says Craig Stark, of UCI's Center for the Neurobiology of Learning & Memory. "They've got a lot more spatial information in there to explore. Second, they're much more complex, with a lot more information to learn. Either way, we know this kind of learning and memory not only stimulates but requires the hippocampus."

Strategy video games, in particular, have shown promise in improving brain function among older adults and may provide protection against dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

"If the target is to improve older adults' cognitive control, reasoning, and higher-order cognitive skills, and stave off dementia and Alzheimer's disease as long as possible, then maybe strategy games are the way to go," informs Chandramallika Basak, assistant professor at the Center for Vital Longevity and School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences at the University of Texas at Dallas.

Basak, like Charness, agrees that cognitive training should come second to physical activity programs when it comes to improving cognitive function. Physical fitness programs have been linked with positive effects on cognition and brain function and structure.

There is evidence to suggest that video games may be a viable treatment for depression and improve memory and mood in adults with mild cognitive impairment.

The effect of video games on the brain is a new area of research that will continue to be explored. We may just be scraping the surface of the potential that video games could present in enhancing cognitive ability and preventing cognitive disorders.

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Video games are often mentioned in the same sentence as aggression and violence, but how do video games affect the brain? Medical News Today investigate.

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15 Surprising Benefits of Playing Video Games

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Game Theory: The Effects of Video Games on the Brain

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How do video games affect brain development in children and teens?

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How much time do you spend playing video games each day? This number might change during the seasons, as you age, or if a global pandemic is forcing you to stay inside. If you tell people you play more than ten hours a week, you might raise some eyebrows. But is playing video games as bad for the brain as people think?

Not at all. Think of video games like wine or corn syrup. When consumed in moderation, video games are not evil or a brain-melting activity. But an excessive amount of time playing video games may be better spent doing other things.

In fact, video games have some positive benefits for the brain. Scientists are working to create the perfect video game that enhances cognitive skills and entertains. We're not there yet, but we may be close!

How Do Video Games Affect the Brain?
The experience of video games gives players the opportunity to form new connections. This uses working memory and enhances task-switching but may prioritize speed over accuracy. And when players win rewards, they also activate the reward center of the brain and experience the release of hormones like dopamine.
That being said, let's dive into some cognitive skills that may be affected by playing video games.

Video Games and Multitasking

Have you ever heard of the Stroop Effect? This is a pretty fascinating phenomenon. Here's how it works. When presented with the names of colors written in a different color, you freeze. The task at hand is to say the color, not the word itself. But your brain is multi-tasking, reading the word and recognizing the color simultaneously. Most people blurt out the word and have to backtrack to recognize the color.

In 2018, scientists tested how video game players performed on the Stroop Test. What they found was fascinating. Although experienced video game players worked faster than those who didn't play video games, they made more errors. Video games taught them to switch tasks fast, prioritizing speed over accuracy.

Many studies before this suggest video games can improve the ability to multitask. This doesn't mean that you can text and drive after playing a lot of Halo. Pure multi-tasking is a myth. We cannot hold onto two tasks at once - we must switch back and forth. Video games just reduce how much time it takes to switch.

Memory and Video Games

Our brains usually have to hold onto multiple pieces of information at once, even if they are redirecting their focus back and forth. These pieces of information are stored in our working memory.

When was the last time you had to remember a phone number? Maybe you sang a song to yourself or repeated the numbers until you could write them down on paper. Of course, those numbers disappeared as soon as you started focusing on other things. That's how our working memory works. We can juggle a few pieces of information at once, but not everything reaches our short-term and long-term memory.

Video games require strong working memory. Players must hold onto several pieces of information at once in a short amount of time. As players practice these skills, they can strengthen their working memory. (Memorizing phone numbers may become a lot easier!) Does this mean video game players have significantly better working memories than non-players? Studies say not exactly. But video games don't hurt or numb your brain as some people say.

Reward Centers and Video Games

Our brains are affected by video games in ways that don't only build cognitive skills. Consider our reward center. It feels good to win a game, right? Just like it feels good to send a bouldering route or check a task off your to-do list. This function of the brain explains why video games are so addicting.

To know why video games are addictive, you have to know our brains were originally built to help us survive. So when we did something that aided our survival (eating, drinking, having sex,) the brain released feel-good hormones. This center of the brain is known as the "reward center."

Nowadays, we feel rewarded for things that are much less important to sustaining the human race. Video games feed into the reward center of the brain. Dopamine and other feel-good hormones are released when we reach a new level or earn coins. Think about how many chances there are to earn "rewards" in video games. No wonder we like them so much!

Of course, there is a downside to this quick access to dopamine and other feel-good chemicals. Our brains want to activate the reward center! The feeling can become addicting - literally. Although video addiction only affects a small percentage of gamers, it is possible to become addicted to gaming. The same is also true for other types of screen time!

Do Video Games Make Children More Violent?

We've all seen news stories warning parents about the perils of video games. One story may focus on children throwing tantrums when their games are turned off. Another may show the graphic images that children are witnessing as they play these games. But while many of these stories blame the game manufacturers, the real culprit is the child - or the child's brain.

Children have underdeveloped brain s. No amount of fish oil tablets or studying for tests can change this fact. The prefrontal cortex does not develop until a person has reached the age of 25. I mention this specific part of the brain because it speaks to how children and teens make decisions. The prefrontal cortex uses logic and rationale to make decisions. Other parts of the brain that develop earlier are emotionally charged. Teens aren't emotional or rash because they choose to be. Their brains just haven't developed the ability to step back, weigh their options fully, and make a logical decision. That's why they scream and pout instead of trying to reason with their parents to turn their video games back on.

Parents should set limits on how often their children play video games. Experts recommend one hour a school day and two hours on a non-school day. Focusing too much time on video games starves children of the ability to form other types of connections in their brains.

As for the content of the game, parents should consider the rating of the game and how children can interact with players. Many video games offer the ability to talk to players around the world - and this chatter isn't regulated. Play a few rounds with your child to get a sense of what media they are consuming.

Not All Video Games Are the Same

Be aware of how long you are playing games and what you are playing. Know that not all video games are the same. Video games come in different genres, like movies or TV shows. The Sims is a "sandbox game" in which players have no predetermined goal. Action games like Super Mario Bros take users through a series of levels and challenges that test their skills. Strategy games like online chess or League of Legends test your ability to think, plan, and carry out a strategy.

As you can already tell, these games have the ability to test certain parts of the brain. Different parts of the brain fire when playing Sudoku than when playing Halo. When reading information about the vague category of "video games," look at what types of games were being studied. Are these the games you play? And how might different games affect your reward center and your ability to build certain skills?

Reference this article:

Practical Psychology. (2022, April). How do Video Games affect the Brain?. Retrieved from https://practicalpie.com/how-do-video-games-affect-the-brain/.

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