Gamers Are Better at Making Decisions, Research Proves
Recent studies show that playing video games positively affects brain function. Players excel in tasks that require decision-making using sensorimotor mechanisms, so video games could find new applications.
Source: Unsplash / Author: Erik Mclean
Study by researchers at Georgia State University indicates that video games improve brain function in its vital regions. Gamers perform better in sensorimotor activities.
How was the research conducted?
The project involved 47 college-aged people. 28 of them were regular gamers. The study used functional magnetic resonance imaging. The subjects lay inside the fMRI, where they watched moving dots being displayed. The subjects' task was to use the appropriate button to indicate the direction of the animation or to pause when it was inactive. The gamers beat the competition.
The fMRI results enabled the scientists to track the subjects' brain functioning. Winners were characterized by increased activity in certain brain regions. This was positively correlated with their efficiency and precision. At the same time, their results on both issues did not indicate that the gamers were losing out when measuring these parameters.
In short - gamers are just better
The researchers, publishing their results, indicated that gamers are good candidates for cognitive training in decision-making. There is simply no room for dissenting voices and reasons to criticize players.
"The findings indicate that playing video games potentially enhances several sub-processes in the brain's workings for sensation, perception and action mapping to improve decision-making skills."
"The findings begin to explain how playing video games changes the brain toward its improvement in performing actions and the potential implications toward better performance on specific tasks."
Researcher Mukesh Dhamala sees a future for video games:
"Playing video games can be used effectively to, for example, improve performance in decision-making and therapeutic interventions (...)."
