Physiological Effects: How the Human Brain Reacts to Video Games

Video games often times get a bad wrap in the face of the media, as they are consistently being targeted for causing violent and addictive-like behavior in young teens and adults. And now, with the video game industry distributing thousands of titles a year to an enormous sea of gamers, people are playing video games more than ever. In fact, according to an article from Science Daily, "the average young person will have spent some 10,000 hours gaming by the time they are 21." (Douglas Mental Health Institute). Due to this frequent rate of play, the media continually touts the negative effects that video games can have on a developing brain. However, is this really fair? Can you just simply say that playing games will automatically effects a developing brain negatively? Or can video game provide young gamers with a way to positively stimulate their mental abilities?

This is your brain on video games

According to many psychologists today, they believe video games can have a positive effect on young gamers brains, as they require the player to assert some type of mental cognitive skills, in order to traverse through missions and puzzles. Recently, studies have revealed that playing video games can help to stimulate and even improve upon certain mental attributes, such as motor skills and visual abilities. In fact, according to one study done at the Max-Planck Institute of Human Development in Berlin, playing video games can even stimulate overall brain growth in young teens and children. The study revealed that after a subject had been playing the game Super Mario 64 DS for 2 months that, " three areas of the brain had grown- the prefrontal cortex, right hippocampus, and cerebellum- all involved in navigation and fine motor control." (BBC News).

However, positive mental stimulation and development from playing video games isn't just being limited to younger gamers anymore. Now, developers of also using video games as a platform to help relieve the declining mental state of old age. These "brain training" games provide older gamers with a way to stay sharp, by implementing tasks in the game that help to improve memory and attention span skills, which then can be applied to their real world lives (BBC News).

Personally, I agree with the recent studies, which state that video games can have a positive effect on our brains. As a gamer myself, I believe that even when I am engaging in action or first person shooter games I am still using a certain level of mental cognition to even comprehend what tasks to complete. In this sense, I think that even video games that carry a controversial label, like Grand Theft Auto V, can still provide the player the ability to improve their mental abilities. As games continue to become more complex, in terms of graphical presentation and content, the more gamers will find themselves mentally challenged, which will help to develop better brains through games.

TED Talk: Your Brain on Video Games (Video)

References:
Douglas Mental Health University Institute. (2015, May 19). New light on impact of video gaming on the brain. Science Daily. Retrieved December 1, 2015. 

Horizon: How video games can change your brain. (2015, September 16). BBC News. Retrieved December 1, 2015.