A study from Georgia State University (USA) has found that regular video game players have superior sensorimotor decision-making skills, as well as greater brain activity in key regions, all compared to those who play video games. they are not entertained in this way.
The study, published in the journal Neuroimage, was based on functional magnetic resonance imaging of 47 university students, where 28 were regular video game players and the remaining 19 were not. According to Mukesh Dhamala, one of the researchers, young people spend more than three hours a week playing video games, so it is important to know how they can interfere with their brain.
Although most of the time playing video games has been associated with negative effects, Dhamala explains that “video games can be used effectively for training, for example, decision-making efficiency training and therapeutic interventions, a once the relevant brain networks are identified.
Faster and more accurate
The tests carried out were carried out by placing the participants in an MRI machine with a mirror in which they could visualize a signal followed by a screen of moving dots. Subjects were required to press a button with their right or left hand to indicate which direction the dots were moving, or not to press a button if the dots were stationary.
Playing video games potentially enhances several of the sensing, perceiving, and mapping-to-action threads to improve decision-making skills
The results showed that regular video game players were faster and more accurate in their responses than non-players, and brain scans showed differences in the activity of certain parts, which was higher in gamers.
“These results indicate that playing video games potentially enhances several of the sensing, perceiving, and mapping-to-action threads to improve decision-making skills. These findings begin to illuminate how video games alter the brain to improve task performance and its potential implications for increasing task-specific activity,” the authors state.
Another of the findings indicated that there was no compensation in terms of the speed and accuracy of the response to the tests, since video game players showed better scores in both values. This lack of balance between speed and accuracy, the authors explain, could mean that video games are a good tool for cognitive training when it comes to decision-making.
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