If you watch a
lot of television or are a frequent user of websites with commercials (such as
YouTube), then you may have seen an advertisement for something called
Lumosity. Lumosity is a subscription based “brain training” program that uses
game-like exercises with the aim of helping one improve core cognitive
functions (such as memory, attention, and processing speed). Yet while Lumosity
(and other “brain training” games) aims to make brain training more fun and
immersive, it is apparent that these programs are about training first and fun
second. While this is not necessarily a bad thing, games designed in this way
could be susceptible to losing their novelty quickly, at which point the only
motivating factor for playing the game would be brain training (in contrast to
playing a game because it is fun or novel). With this in mind, let us consider
the following question: what do games designed for fun do for your brain?
In a recent
study, researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Berlin,
Germany tested the effects of daily video game “training” on participants with
little to no prior video game experience. In this study, 23 participants played
the Nintendo DS version of the well-known game Super Mario 64 for at least 30 minutes a day over a two-month
period. The researchers found that those who played Super Mario 64 over the two-month period (in comparison to a group
of participants who did not) exhibited significantly larger grey matter
increases (in comparison to no-increases or decreases) in brain areas associated
with spatial processing and navigation (right hippocampus), motor skill
acquisition (cerebellum), and the facilitation of relevant action based on
sensory information, rules and rewards (dorsolateral prefrontal cortex).
Furthermore, they found that these increases (in all but the motor skill
acquisition brain area) were greater in participants who reported a stronger
desire to play.
As
a result of this, the effects of video game engagement in cognitive training
may be worth looking into further. Going back to Lumosity, one of the key
scientific underpinnings of such training is the idea of neuroplasticity
(which, put simply, means that our brain can change/develop based on what we
expose it to…the more we do certain things, the better we become at them). In
the study described above, the authors mention that there is evidence that increased
dopamine (a chemical that helps control the brain’s reward and pleasure centers
that can be increased through pleasurable activities) levels can be related to
improvements in brain plasticity for some areas in the brain (including the right hippocampus and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex mentioned above). As such, the cognitive benefits that are inherently present
in games like Super Mario 64 may be
further facilitated by the fact that the game is enjoyable, rather than just a
training experience.
So
why does this research matter and who does it matter to? Firstly, this research
matters because it provides evidence that video games do not have to possess a
‘training first’ approach to contain cognitive benefits (although admittedly
this would help in targeting the areas of the brain one wishes to train).
Secondly (and possibly more interestingly), this research matters because it
provides evidence that someone’s desire to play a game can also play a role in
facilitating the process of neuroplasticity (and thus grey matter growth) in certain
areas of the brain. When considering possible applications of these research,
both of these points are worthy of consideration. For example, the second point
could be of particular importance to educational software producers. If
producers could find ways to incorporate specific aspects of cognitive training
into the core aspects of a game that is fun and keeps people engaged, not only
will they get people “training” longer, but the fact that people are having fun
may further facilitate any cognitive benefits that the game would provide (improving
results while blurring the lines between fun-first and training-first games). Furthermore,
both points could also be important in developing clinical applications. For
example, grey matter loss in some of the brain areas mentioned earlier has been
associated with diseases like Alzheimer’s and schizophrenia. With regards to
this, the researchers from the study above mention that the observed
neuroplastic effects of video game training could mean that such training could
be used in interventions that aim to counteract risk factors for mental disease.
In this case, the engagement that video games provide could also be important,
as patients may be more motivated to stick with a video game based treatment
program in comparison to a traditional treatment program.
At the end of
the day however, most people do not play video games for training, they play
because it is fun, and with that in mind I say have fun exploring, racing,
battling, solving puzzles, strategizing, and/or fixing the problems of a
galactic civilization in whatever virtual world you like to play in, because
you may gain more than just a smile on your face.
-Rylan Waring
Kühn, S., Gleich, T., Lorenz, R. C.,
Lindenberger, U., & Gallinat, J. (2013). Playing Super Mario induces structural brain plasticity: gray
matter changes resulting from training with a commercial
video game. Molecular Psychiatry.
Advance online publication. doi:10.1038/mp.2013.120
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