Brain Activity And Decision-Making Skills Are Highly Stimulated By Videogames

A new study came to the conclusion that playing video games for a certain amount of time each week stimulates more activity in the brain and also enhances cognitive skills necessary for decision-making.

The authors of the research believe that playing video games might be used as a tool to educate the brain’s systems for making snap decisions, particularly in people who have had brain injuries.

The majority of today’s children play video games for upwards of three hours each week, yet the beneficial effects that this activity may have on cognition and decision-making have not yet been completely recognized.

• Video game players (VGP) are more accurate and faster in decision-making than non-VGP.

• VGP have increased activity in the brain regions for visuomotor processing.

• VGP have increased directed network activities to the SMA and to the thalamus.

• Brain node and network activities negatively correlate with decision response time.

The researchers used functional magnetic resonance imaging, often known as fMRI, to analyze the brain activity of 47 college-aged volunteers. Of these subjects, 28 were avid gamers, while the other 19 did not play video games regularly. Real-time strategy games, shooters, as well as team-based “arena” and “royal” combat were the most preferred types of video games among those that participated.

The participants were given the task of clicking on various buttons in response to the movement of dots that were shown on a screen in front of them. According to the results of the fMRI scans, avid gamers not only reacted more quickly and accurately, but some regions of their brains also showed significantly increased levels of activity.

Playing video games might potentially develop numerous sub-processes for sensation and perception, particularly mapping to action, which can lead to improvements in decision-making skills.

One of the researchers took part in a test when he was five years old in which he was told to cover his stronger eye and play video games using just his weaker eye. The purpose of the exercise was to improve the sensory processing capabilities of the eye that was being used in the test.

Even though they were considered to be legally blind with just one eye, the training enabled them acquire the eyesight sufficient to play lacrosse and paintball. In the end, it’s possible that you’ll be able to use this training to enhance sensorimotor decision processing too.