New Study: Playing Video Games Helps Brain Function In Elderly People

Contrary to what your mother may have told you, playing video games won’t deteriorate your brain to mush. As a matter of fact, playing games can be good for your brain. A few years ago, I wrote about a study that determined playing video games could help children with a lazy eye since it requires intense eye concentration for long periods of time. Now there is a new study that suggests playing games can also be good for brain function in senior citizens. It can even make them feel young again.

Researchers at the University of California San Francisco conducted a pretty intense study on this. The video game they used was a 3D driving game that requires the player to hit a button when he or she sees a specific sign. Just 12 hours of playing this video game over a month was enough to help short-term memory, attention span and other brain functions that get worse with age.

It’s no surprise to any of us that keeping our brains sharp and our bodies flexible are two of the most important things we can do to keep feeling young throughout our lives. Playing video games naturally plays into that, and it is an easy way to improve brain function.

The study even went on to find that playing video games could stimulate different regions of the brain, which would result in improved communication skills and other unexpected benefits. Another study, unrelated to this one, suggests that playing video games makes older people happier.

You can read the nitty-gritty details about this new study on Video Game Training Enhances Cognitive Control In Older Adults. You can read more about how playing digital games can make older people happier on Medical Express. Overall, I would say senior citizens and video games are a match made in heaven.