As gamers, we tend to get all riled up when some or other study shows our favourite hobby as something likely to turn us all in to mass murdering psychopaths. We’re much more open to those that say playing videogames is actually good for us. A new one from Berlin says playing games gives you a bigger brain.
The study was conducted by researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development and Charité University Medicine St. Hedwig-Krankenhaus and was recently published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry. It says that playing videogames potentially increases the volume in brain areas responsible for spatial navigation, strategic planning, memory and motor skills.
Playing video games, researchers say, is a "highly pervasive activity, providing a multitude of complex cognitive and motor demands" that "can be seen as an intense training of several skills," and thus perfect for testing the brain’s ability to change structure over time.
They used a fantastic game to test too; Super Mario 64. 23 adults with an average age of 24 were tasked with playing the open-world adventure for at least a half hour every day for two months. Their brain sizes were compared to a control group who played nothing. The results found that those who played the game exhibited significant gray matter increase" in the bits of the brain responsible for memory, spatial navigation, planning and motor skills 0- and that those who were more enthusiastic to play exhibited greater increases.
"While previous studies have shown differences in brain structure of video gamers, the present study can demonstrate the direct causal link between video gaming and a volumetric brain increase. This proves that specific brain regions can be trained by means of video games," said Simone Kühn, senior scientist at the Center for Lifespan Psychology at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development
Of course, a sample size of 23 is statistically insignificant, but at least games aren’t being blamed for killing people.
Last Updated: November 6, 2013
oVg
November 6, 2013 at 09:21
Us gamers all knew this since the day we picked up the controller. So its taking 35 years for these laymen to finally figure it out. SHHHHHHhhhhhh I want it to be our secret.
I does not matter anyway, because as soon as a positive article about gaming is released we get swamped by the negative articles about gaming being the cause of the next POSTAL shooting.
Let the laymen figure it out themselves.
SaintsRowNigri
November 6, 2013 at 09:35
What really amazes me about all those studies linking real life violence to video games:
If we are all a bunch of raving mass murderers waiting to just happen, why would they risk pissing us off to no end with their stupid “research?”
Do they not fear the collective snap as we all just lose our minds in a murder brawl fueled rage and we go on a rampage?
ToshZA
November 6, 2013 at 09:35
And considering the sales of GTAV, there would be a LOT of dead people in the world.
SaintsRowNigri
November 6, 2013 at 09:42
Maybe, but have you seen how many assholes there are on the road these days? I blame GTA for that…
ToshZA
November 6, 2013 at 09:48
They’ve been around since before GTA. Sorry, blame selfishness and carelessness for that.
TiMsTeR1033
November 6, 2013 at 09:56
Gta has increased my driving skills!
Hammersteyn
November 6, 2013 at 09:22
Give it time, soon we will be able to kill with our minds.
Alien Emperor Trevor
November 6, 2013 at 09:30
You mean you ca… sure… erm… time, yes.
Hammersteyn
November 6, 2013 at 09:31
Emperor indeed, you shall lead the first.
Admiral Chief Ninja
November 6, 2013 at 09:22
Max Planck? Is there a Minimum Planck too?
Spathi
November 6, 2013 at 09:26
Sure, he and Isaac Oldton was best friends….*Badamtish!*
I know, I deserve a downvote for this, just give it to me!!
RinceandRepeat
November 6, 2013 at 09:27
I know there is a plank level? 0-O
RinceandRepeat
November 6, 2013 at 09:25
I am sure there have been a multitude of studies like this; think I read one about 10 years ago. It makes sense to me though. What doesn’t is how it is supposed to help with, well, insanity and yet we have @disqus_CmSOeB7F9d:disqus as contrary evidence 🙂
oVg
November 6, 2013 at 09:27
Gaming prevented me from regressing 😛
Alien Emperor Trevor
November 6, 2013 at 09:28
Imagine how much better it would be if they didn’t dumb games down.
oVg
November 6, 2013 at 09:29
COD IS ART 😛
Alien Emperor Trevor
November 6, 2013 at 09:31
I’m going to assume ART stands for Always Really Terrible.
Hammersteyn
November 6, 2013 at 09:32
It’s more than ART it’s FART
oVg
November 6, 2013 at 09:34
LOL
Unavengedavo(aka. IceCreamMan)
November 6, 2013 at 09:37
Lol… ART, not even once 😛
SaintsRowNigri
November 6, 2013 at 09:39
Your mother is a real work of art!
LAblak22
November 6, 2013 at 09:45
Well it sure doesn’t give you a bigger anything else. [sigh]
Unavengedavo(aka. IceCreamMan)
November 6, 2013 at 10:02
That’s what cock pumps are for… Uh… Or that’s what I’ve been told…
Blaster
November 6, 2013 at 09:49
WHAT WOULD YOU EXPECT FROM THESE NERDS? NOT HAVING FRIENDS MEANS A LOT OF TIME TO READ AND BROWSE WIKIPEDIA. SMART YES, BUT ALSO FAT AND LIVING WITH MOMMY.
Gavin Mannion
November 6, 2013 at 09:55
Do you even lift bro?
Alien Emperor Trevor
November 6, 2013 at 09:57
lol!
oVg
November 6, 2013 at 10:01
I blame linear entertainment for his anger.
ToshZA
November 6, 2013 at 10:02
Like CoD?
Unavengedavo(aka. IceCreamMan)
November 6, 2013 at 10:02
I blame… uh… ART 😛
Unavengedavo(aka. IceCreamMan)
November 6, 2013 at 09:57
Most ners/gamers I know aren’t fat, but rather average built ad have friends and even wifes/girlsfriends(me included) and families. We also tend to have our own houses and we can hold a decent job. I do appreciate your effort to troll on this site, but we are accustomed to your kind and only feed you because all the signs say that we aren’t allowed to.
TiMsTeR1033
November 6, 2013 at 09:59
Well said man! GIVE THIS MAN A BELLS!
Hammersteyn
November 6, 2013 at 10:02
Turn this button off when typing, your computer will still work. I know you may think that all the lights need to be on but it doesn’t
Mark Treloar
November 6, 2013 at 10:05
you realize you are probably speaking to someone whose phone still has buttons, hence the reason he is so pissed off.
Hammersteyn
November 6, 2013 at 10:06
He probably still sees snake on the Nokia as the greatest achievement in the cell phone industry.
ToshZA
November 6, 2013 at 10:10
Wait, there’s SNAKE ON PHONES??! When did that happen?
Hammersteyn
November 6, 2013 at 10:14
Hahahaha
Unavengedavo(aka. IceCreamMan)
November 6, 2013 at 10:31
…
Mark Treloar
November 6, 2013 at 10:04
You realize nerds gave you the opportunity to waste our time with your pointless comment
Alcatraz1921
November 6, 2013 at 10:09
Booooooooooooo! I’m an independent, lean, and fit gamer. Troll alert.
LAblak22
November 6, 2013 at 10:10
Blaster, you need to calm down, okay? You’re being a real Negative Nancy right now and unless you want us to start calling you Negative Nancy, you need to calm your titties down, son. Okay? So let’s just take a breather and not take the almighty Wikipedia’s name in the artery, Negative Nancy.
Matewis Jubilai
November 6, 2013 at 10:18
Nerds? Salt of the earth imo and I take it as a compliment 😛
Johan du Preez
November 6, 2013 at 11:16
I prefer that to dumb jocks any day… dealing with idiots is much more draining than dealing with someone that’s smart.
Blaster
November 6, 2013 at 11:29
AS CLEVER PEOPLE YOU SURE KNOW HOW TO WASTE YOUR OWN TIME. BYE BYE NOW.
Johan du Preez
November 6, 2013 at 11:37
I assure you I am fitter and better build than you even though I spend my life in front of a PC. Oh and by the looks of it more grey matter.
What have you got going for yourself other than your caps lock being stuck and being a douche.
Matewis Jubilai
November 6, 2013 at 11:39
O so the troll decided to leave? I’ll believe that once I hear a toilet flush…
TiMsTeR1033
November 6, 2013 at 09:56
If what they saying is true, the good lord our brains are MASSIVE!!
Hammersteyn
November 6, 2013 at 10:03
My neck hurts.
TiMsTeR1033
November 6, 2013 at 10:13
IT SHOULD! BE PROUD!
Johan du Preez
November 6, 2013 at 11:19
No wonder I am getting so many headaches from playing, my skull is probably getting to small for my brain 😛
Where do I get a upgrade ?