Are some video games mentally beneficial?!


Question:

Are some video games mentally beneficial?

After just finishing a stage on Guitar Hero, I had an interesting notion pass through my head. I was getting upset that my mind, hands, sense of beat and timing seemed to be working on their own accords when trying to perform a song and it hit me, isn’t this an incredibly beneficial mental exercise? And then I think of the coordination and problem solving skills some, but by no means all, game demand of the brain. On the con side I do know the feeling you get playing the games watching the TV screen and I can’t distinguish if it is just and exercise in learning or if the game is simply “training” you to perform certain tasks. I also understand the war some have launched on games, don’t know if you heard but the AMA has all but declared video games addictive, but is this a legitimate way to give your brain healthy dose of exercise? Please refrain from any pointless remakes i.e. “Ya, video games rock!!!”


Answers:

Yes. Games that involve lightning-fast reactions (like Guitar Hero) sharpen the neural pathways that lead from visual perception to the motor cortex. [You also have some Guitar-Hero-specific training going on, such as the primary motor cortex delegating some Guitar Hero actions to the secondary motor cortex. This doesn't translate into other activities.] But the increased reaction time does translate into other activities, because you are developing a well-pruned, well-myelinated neural pathway.

Some other games promote analytical and strategic skills.

And many promote none of the above. So my answer is yes, *some* video games have a physical, beneficial effect on the brain.




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