Could playing video games actually improve cognitive performance?

[7.62x51]

It seems that it's not really a question:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2871325/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4373892/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4675555/

What do you guys think about this? I'll be turning 27 this year and yesterday my brother who's half my age beat me in chess. He plays a lot of video games just as I used to when I was younger. I knew this would happen eventually since a younger mind learns faster which I definitely noticed in him.

Could video games help slow down our mental aging process? I can't think of any reasons why not but would love to hear some counter arguments.

Also, it seems that real video games work better for this than "brain training" games (ie lumosity).

 

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[Knugs]

I studied this in my degree. Surgeons who played video games for example are significantly faster learners in laparoscopic surgery. Eye-hand coordination but spatial awareness and things such as abstract reasoning are all improved too. Dementia/Alzheimer patients experience a slowing in progression of disease when playing games like puzzles and crosswords.

But what do you mean with mental aging process?

 

[oimate]

Old news-It does, but never allow this to stop you being productive as 'just one more' task on call of duty wont increase your bank balance

 

[7.62x51]

I studied this in my degree. Surgeons who played video games for example are significantly faster learners in laparoscopic surgery. Eye-hand coordination but spatial awareness and things such as abstract reasoning are all improved too. Dementia/Alzheimer patients experience a slowing in progression of disease when playing games like puzzles and crosswords.

But what do you mean with mental aging process?

I was referring to how the rate at which a person learns new concepts decreases with age.

Also, ability to focus probably increases with age and hides this slowed down learning rate.

 

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[Javier Avalos]

I have to agree, I went 4 months without and read books and felt like it took me longer to not only finish but to really understand what it was trying to translate to me. post ill play 20-35 mins a day and find it way easier to spot things in books and learn things the first time around.
other than being able to have rapid eye movements it also improves your decision making skills and speed.

 

[DWX]

Even from an average Joe's perspective - it makes sense. Some video games force you to think fast and strategically. Some are more trivial. Some are less so. Of course this is going to have some effect on the brain.

Remember those "brain games" Nintendo launched years ago? I think you'll find them in museums now.

 

[Choate]

I think it depends on the game and your ability to balance it within the realm of your life and goals. If I have time I will play one or two games of eithet League or Rainbow Six - both are real time strategy games with an emphasis on communication and out thinking an opponent in real time.

But, let it get out of hand and games will be your worst enemy. And it's not hard to have that happen. I think if you played 30 minutes a day, incorporated into a Miracle morning routine that included going to the gym, meditating, and reading, it could be a huge help to get your brain going.

I think playing at night before bed is the worst case scenario because you're likely to stay up late, have troubles sleeping, and lose sight of goals for the next day.

 

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[Mosfet]

Of course they do. If I was able to play LoL or Dota 2 without my mind obsessing about solving game problems over real world problems, I would play every now and then. But I can't.

 

[Rawr]

Exactly, it doesn't matter if they do, because the wasted time is never worth it.

 

[splok]

Exactly, it doesn't matter if they do, because the wasted time is never worth it.

People seem to like to paint video games and gamers in very broad strokes. Not every minute spent on a video game is wasted time, just like not every minute spent on TV or the internet or reading is wasted. People do tend to waste too much time, but that's true no matter what they're actually doing to waste it.

Things are only really good or bad compared to what we'd spend our time doing otherwise. If your choice is spend the next hour on a game or building your business, then clearly you should build the business. However, if it's play a game or do some other non-directly productive activity, I think the game wins much of the time. For example, if we could swap 100% of the time spent on TV with time spent on video games, I'd think we'd be much better off.

 

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[Rawr]

People seem to like to paint video games and gamers in very broad strokes. Not every minute spent on a video game is wasted time, just like not every minute spent on TV or the internet or reading is wasted. People do tend to waste too much time, but that's true no matter what they're actually doing to waste it.

Things are only really good or bad compared to what we'd spend our time doing otherwise. If your choice is spend the next hour on a game or building your business, then clearly you should build the business. However, if it's play a game or do some other non-directly productive activity, I think the game wins much of the time. For example, if we could swap 100% of the time spent on TV with time spent on video games, I'd think we'd be much better off.

dude..i used to play Ultima Online and CS 1.6. I know what I am talking about. I said the same thing you said when I was young. But, I've learned that 1)Games take up much more time than tv, because they are much more engaging - you don't get tired of them as quickly. (it's hard to watch more than 4 hours of tv in a day for example). And 2. you learn A LOT less from playing games than from any other source - such as tv, again. You learn less about the real world, and even if you just watch sitcoms, you learn people's behavior and you train your social muscle. But with games, you learn nothing like that, and the knowledge you do learn can't really be applied effectively in the real world.

 

[BlakeRVA]

@Rawr I think you are being biased against video games. Here is an argument for playing video games in moderation (>2 hours per day). Firstly, video games are great for relieving stress. This helps you make clearer decisions, interact more effectively with others, and live a more enjoyable life overall. Secondly, video games often stimulate ones imagination by painting new worlds and stories throughout them. This enables people to dream and picture things that are not as things that could be, essentially allowing players to be more creative. Developing a sense of creativity is important because it helps you solve business issues, conjure up new business ideas and see things from a different perspective. Lastly, if you play online games, they often require teamwork and organization in order to accomplish a common goal to win the match, kill the boss, earn the equipment etc.

The problem with video games, as several of you have astutely pointed out thus far is that they can be very consuming. Games like League of Legends, DOTA 2, and World of Warcraft can cause you to loose sight of your real life goals and stifle your success. Some people are not wired to do things in moderation, myself included, so I struggle to play a video game without getting in the habit of playing 4 to even 12 hours a day. Each person needs to be mindful of their ability to put the controller down or push the keyboard away and calibrate their playing habits accordingly. This is the reason I cannot play video games. I know how addicted I can get, therefore, it is best for me to steer clear of them. However, I do not condemn them as a whole if someone is able to enjoy them in moderation.

 

[Choate]

dude..i used to play Ultima Online and CS 1.6. I know what I am talking about. I said the same thing you said when I was young. But, I've learned that 1)Games take up much more time than tv, because they are much more engaging - you don't get tired of them as quickly. (it's hard to watch more than 4 hours of tv in a day for example). And 2. you learn A LOT less from playing games than from any other source - such as tv, again. You learn less about the real world, and even if you just watch sitcoms, you learn people's behavior and you train your social muscle. But with games, you learn nothing like that, and the knowledge you do learn can't really be applied effectively in the real world.

I'd rather be engaged and critically thinking with other humans against other humans in a battle of wits and intelligence versus passively being brainwashed and lead to act certain ways and become more slowlane via commercials and non-reality sitcoms. Sitcoms disgust me.

How you choose to waste your time is preference, but imo, the best way to do it is either to sit in silence, take a walk, venture into nature, or read a book.

 

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[splok]

dude..i used to play Ultima Online and CS 1.6. I know what I am talking about. I said the same thing you said when I was young. But, I've learned that 1)Games take up much more time than tv, because they are much more engaging - you don't get tired of them as quickly. (it's hard to watch more than 4 hours of tv in a day for example). And 2. you learn A LOT less from playing games than from any other source - such as tv, again. You learn less about the real world, and even if you just watch sitcoms, you learn people's behavior and you train your social muscle. But with games, you learn nothing like that, and the knowledge you do learn can't really be applied effectively in the real world.

Well, I'm not young, and I quite rarely play games these days (though I did abuse them in the past), but I'll guess that I've learned much more from games than from TV overall. TV can probably be pretty good for your brain if you watch the right kind (mostly documentaries or conference talks), but I find it pretty hard to believe that any useful education comes from sitcoms. I'd come closer to thinking that consuming mass-market TV entertainment is actively destructive to your mental well-being.

I mean, watching sitcoms might be the TV equivalent of playing Candy Crush, but at least that's interactive and causes you to think a little. When you consider multiplayer games, which are essentially sports that you play remotely, to think that you don't learn about behavior and social skills is just simply ignoring reality.

Honestly, I find it tough to believe that you played UO and CS without learning anything about cooperation, competition, strategy, etc. You might have been able to learn the same lessons more efficiently in a different way, but that way certainly isn't watching sitcoms.

 

[Shades]

Does it matter? You cant get the wasted time back.

 

[Guest3722A]

Try learning an instrument like the drumset. You know the ol coordination thing of patting your head while doing circles on your stomach? Now imagine kicking that up a notch with "4-limb independence" AND while keeping a 'feel' (basically projecting the emotion of what you believe the music should feel like).

4-limb independence basically means you are playing 4 different parts at the same time while maintaining a feel AND making it all fit with a group of other players.

Now kick this up a notch to things like displacement which means playing your part purposely ahead of, or behind the beat that the other players are on. A very basic example of this is the ol row row row your boat thing that sometime gets sung in a "round". But that's too easy! Now imagine having to do this displacement in very small increments like a 16th 8th or 32nd (youtube it).

Now imagine really F*cking all of this up by completely going against normal human rhythms which basically falls in groups of 4 (think the chicken dance and 99% of radio music) and doing all of this in groups of 5 or 7... or how about 11. Now imagine playing all of this crazy shit in 7 while the band plays in 4. (creates a spin feel)

 

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[7.62x51]

Personally, I've come to the conclusion that it's not worth it (for me).

- After doing more research I found that there are actually conflicting studies on whether or not there are any real benefits.

- Even if there are some cognitive benefits, as others have mentioned, it's true that it does take your focus/time away from other goals.

- I used to play a lot of video games when I was younger and now I want to take my life in a different direction. Reviving an old habit will likely make me more like my old self.

I'll just stick with jump rope for now to keep a mental edge.

 

[Rawr]

Here is a game you can learn something from. Knock yourself out.

http://guessthecorrelation.com/

 

[marklov]

The hate on video games is unreal.

I enjoyed MMORPGS immensely during high school and still do
makes no sense to stop.

Most who give up games to focus on something....

If you break the day they are working on their ventures they will
throw out yeah I just worked 12 hrs straight and one day the long hrs will be worth it!

Take out social media, texting, random tangents and you get maybe 4-5 hrs of real work at best the rest is filled with time wasting junk.

Fixing inefficiencies in work ethic and proper energy management can go a far way in freeing your time.

 

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[Shades]

The hate on video games is unreal.

I enjoyed MMORPGS immensely during high school and still do
makes no sense to stop.

Most who give up games to focus on something....

If you break the day they are working on their ventures they will
throw out yeah I just worked 12 hrs straight and one day the long hrs will be worth it!

Take out social media, texting, random tangents and you get maybe 4-5 hrs of real work at best the rest is filled with time wasting junk.

Fixing inefficiencies in work ethic and proper energy management can go a far way in freeing your time.

Theres nothing wrong with playing games as a hobby in down time. But trying to justify it as a good thing is weird. Its a time waster. Nothing more.