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Frontiers in Human Neuroscience: Story Source

Scientists reviewed over 100 studies looking at the effects of video games on the brain and behavior. The research shows that playing video games can change brain regions responsible for attention, visuospatial skills, and the reward system. Specifically, studies found that video games can make attention and visuospatial areas of the brain more efficient, and may increase the size of areas like the hippocampus. Video game addiction has also been linked to changes in the brain's neural reward system similar to other addictions. However, the effects do not always translate to real-life changes, and more research is still needed to fully understand both the positive and potential negative impacts of video games.

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82 views2 pages

Frontiers in Human Neuroscience: Story Source

Scientists reviewed over 100 studies looking at the effects of video games on the brain and behavior. The research shows that playing video games can change brain regions responsible for attention, visuospatial skills, and the reward system. Specifically, studies found that video games can make attention and visuospatial areas of the brain more efficient, and may increase the size of areas like the hippocampus. Video game addiction has also been linked to changes in the brain's neural reward system similar to other addictions. However, the effects do not always translate to real-life changes, and more research is still needed to fully understand both the positive and potential negative impacts of video games.

Uploaded by

Mark Joseph Pelayo Pijo
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Scientists have collected and summarized studies looking at how video

games can shape our brains and behavior. Research to date suggests that
playing video games can change the brain regions responsible for attention
and visuospatial skills and make them more efficient. The researchers also
looked at studies exploring brain regions associated with the reward system,
and how these are related to video game addiction.

Do you play video games? If so, you aren't alone. Video games are becoming more common and
are increasingly enjoyed by adults. The average age of gamers has been increasing, and was
estimated to be 35 in 2016. Changing technology also means that more people are exposed to video
games. Many committed gamers play on desktop computers or consoles, but a new breed of casual
gamers has emerged, who play on smartphones and tablets at spare moments throughout the day,
like their morning commute. So, we know that video games are an increasingly common form of
entertainment, but do they have any effect on our brains and behavior?
Over the years, the media have made various sensationalist claims about video games and their
effect on our health and happiness. "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 on the review, recently
published in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience.
Palaus and his colleagues wanted to see if any trends had emerged from the research to date
concerning how video games affect the structure and activity of our brains. They collected the results
from 116 scientific studies, 22 of which looked at structural changes in the brain and 100 of which
looked at changes in brain functionality and/or behavior.
The studies show that playing video games can change how our brains perform, and even their
structure. For example, playing video games affects our attention, and some studies found that
gamers show improvements in several types of attention, such as sustained attention or selective
attention. The brain regions involved in attention are also more efficient in gamers and require less
activation to sustain attention on demanding tasks.
There is also evidence that video games can increase the size and efficiency of brain regions related
to visuospatial skills. For example, the right hippocampus was enlarged in both long-term gamers
and volunteers following a video game training program.
Video games can also be addictive, and this kind of addiction is called "Internet gaming disorder."
Researchers have found functional and structural changes in the neural reward system in gaming
addicts, in part by exposing them to gaming cues that cause cravings and monitoring their neural
responses. These neural changes are basically the same as those seen in other addictive disorders.
So, what do all these brain changes mean? "We focused on how the brain reacts to video game
exposure, but these effects do not always translate to real-life changes," says Palaus. As video
games are still quite new, the research into their effects is still in its infancy. For example, we are still
working out what aspects of games affect which 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," explains Palaus.
Story Source:
Materials provided by Frontiers. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Journal Reference:
1. Marc Palaus, Elena M. Marron, Raquel Viejo-Sobera, Diego Redolar-Ripoll. Neural Basis of Video
Gaming: A Systematic Review. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 2017; 11
DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2017.00248

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