In other words, video games can do great things for the learning brain, and even make your kid smarter in the long run. The end result is a cognitive training exercise that simultaneously hones multiple skills, including information processing and visual capabilities (among other things). Per the National Institutes of Health (NIH), a recent analysis of the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study found that regular gameplay is associated with superior cognitive performance in areas such as impulse control, multitasking and memory.Ī scientific article published by Brain & Life magazine explains that video games engage the prefrontal cortex-the brain’s executive functioning center-in a way that’s particularly cognitively demanding and less task-specific. When played in moderation, video games boast some significant brain-boosting benefits. The Prefrontal Cortex Is Activated to Boost Cognition The expert cites this brain activity as one of the major contributing factors to video game addiction, “a behavioral addiction that’s having a large impact on youth of this generation.” Indeed, a 1998 study published in Nature found that the amount of dopamine released while playing video games is comparable to an intravenous injection of stimulant drugs. Olivia Grace, a clinical psychologist and specialist in Internet Gaming Disorder at The Mindful Gamer, “video games activate reward pathways, which release dopamine and other feel-good chemicals in the brain.” But feel-good doesn’t necessarily mean good for you. One thing no one will contest is that video games are seriously fun-and there’s a neurological explanation for this. Instead, keep reading for a more complete picture of what happens to kids' brains when they play video games-the good, the bad and the ugly. But don’t abandon those screentime rules just yet, friends. In fact, recent research suggests that playing video games can actually be beneficial for kids. Will that PlayStation steal your tween’s innocence and ruin him for years to come? When should you lay down the law and unplug the Xbox? Are these violent games going to create a monster?įirst, the good news: Video games are no longer regarded as the root of all evil by the scientific community. The subject of video games and their effect on the developing brain has long been of interest to parents.
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