Scientists say that playing video games is like a gym workout for your brain...

PEOPLE loved playing Brain Training back on their DS, but a new study has found that video games as a whole are good for your brain.

We all know that exercise is good for keeping our bodies healthy, but we rarely think about how to keep our brains in tip-top condition.

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The UK’s National Health Service recommends 150 minutes of exercise a week, not only to keep your body in shape, but to help improve your mental health.

A recent study found that while exercise can help with conditions like anxiety and depression, video games are far more effective for memory, attention, thinking, and reasoning skills.

Professor Adrian Owen, a neuroscientist from Western University in Canada, carried out a study looking into the connections between health and lifestyle.

Owen said: “People who frequently play video games, that is five or more hours per week for a single type of game, performed cognitively, on average, like people who were 13.7 years younger [than them].”

The study conducted by Professor Owen and others from the Science Museum Group surveyed 1k adults aged between 18 and 87.

It asked questions about each person’s medical conditions, education level and employment status.

Owen said: “I was surprised that video games improved cognition, whereas regular exercise did not, in part because we have shown conclusively in the past that computerised ‘brain training’ games do not improve cognitive function.

“However, the sorts of games that frequent gamers play nowadays are really quite different from consumer brain training games.”

The gamers who took part in the study cited a wide variety of games like Minecraft, Grand Theft Auto, and Mario Kart.

It seemed that anyone who played these popular games frequently had improved cognitive function.

Owen said: “Typically, [video games] are highly engaging, strategic and may enhance visual attention and processing speed, and problem-solving abilities, through intense repetition and practice.

“Any gamer also knows that these games are designed to activate the reward systems of the brain, which leads to the release of neurotransmitters like dopamine.

“This may also have long-term effects on cognitive function.”

However, it wasn’t just the effect of video games on cognition that impressed researchers, but the lack of effect that exercise had.

Owen said: “As for exercise not affecting cognition, that was also a surprise, given the World Health Organisation recommendations that moderate exercise can benefit cognition.

“However, we only looked at the long-term effects of regular exercise so it may well be that a short burst of vigorous exercise does affect cognition – as many people report feeling ‘sharper’ after a workout.”

Gaming for good

The results of this study don’t surprise me at all, and we’ve seen similar results in other studies, such as the recent NewScientist study that showed video games are good for mental health.

When you break down how video games work it makes sense, they all test hand-eye coordination, and many test memorisation and reaction times.

Those who don’t play video games probably take part in more passive entertainment activities like scrolling social media or watching TV.

This would lead to an even wider gap between the cognitive abilities of those who game and those who don’t.

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