Menu

GS Lantern

Computer Hardware

Computer Games Boost Cognitive and Motor Skills

Computer Gamer

Computer games are a thorn in the side of numerous parents. Their common concern is that gaming could lead to personality disorders or poor social skills. However, gaming can absolutely have positive effects on cognitive and motor skills. Thus, playing coin master and enjoying free coin master spins can boost your skills.

What happens to your body when playing computer games?

Playing itself is a natural action of your organism. It develops, trains, and improves your skills. The most important thing is having fun with it. Today you know that fun also has a neurological basis, such as the release of dopamine during play. A neurotransmitter that has a motivating and energizing effect.

 

What positive effects can computer gaming have on our cognitive or motor skills?

In several controlled studies, researchers let healthy volunteers play a video game called “Super Mario” for about 30 minutes a day for 8 weeks. You have to navigate through a course with your character in order to fulfill certain tasks. Another group was reading a book on a digital reader at the same time. Before and after an eight-week training phase of 30 minutes a day, they made an MRI of the head of each subject to see if there could be a change in brain structure.

They found that after eight weeks of playing computer games, several areas of the brain had enlarged, especially the hippocampus, a brain region that is particularly important for memory formation but also for spatial navigation. The prefrontal cortex has also enlarged. A region that has to do with strategic considerations, and decision-making, for example, but also with reaction time and attention. Even parts of the cerebellum, which are responsible for the fine motor skills of the fingers on the hand, are enlarged. This was not the case for the reading subjects.

The more fun people had with the game, the larger the corresponding brain regions became. So fun isn’t just a nice addition to computer games, it is important for brain plasticity. This also means that you are more likely to reach game goals or the next level if you enjoy it. Put simply, if you enjoy something, you learn faster.

𐌢