How Playing Video Games Affect Your Brain
Summary
TLDRThis video script delves into the impact of video games on the brain, focusing on action and strategy games. It highlights how action games can improve visual attention and contrast sensitivity but may also increase activity in regions associated with anxiety and reduce frontal lobe activity. Strategy games, on the other hand, are linked to cognitive development and enhanced brain regions for visual spatial thinking. The script also discusses internet gaming disorder and gender differences in brain activation during gaming. The research is ongoing, indicating the complexity and dual nature of video games' effects on the brain.
Takeaways
- 🎮 There are two main types of video games discussed: action games and strategy games.
- 🔫 Action games, like Fortnite and PUBG, involve high speed, high perceptual and motor load, and unpredictability.
- 🧠 Playing action video games can improve visual attention and contrast sensitivity, which is important for tasks like night driving.
- ⚠️ Violent video games may have negative effects, reducing activity in the prefrontal cortex and increasing activity in regions associated with anxiety and emotional reaction.
- 🤔 Strategy games have been linked to positive cognitive development, including improved memory and visual spatial thinking.
- 🧐 The right hippocampus is enlarged in long-term gamers, suggesting a structural change in the brain due to gaming.
- 🕊️ Strategy games are generally viewed as having minor to no negative aspects on the brain.
- 🔄 Video game addiction, known as internet gaming disorder, can lead to functional and structural changes in the brain.
- 👦👧 A study by Stanford researchers found that male and female brains react differently to video games, with men showing greater activation in reward circuitry.
- 🧬 The connectivity within the reward circuitry in male brains was linked to better game performance.
- 🔬 Research into the effects of video games on the brain is ongoing, with scientists working to understand the full spectrum of impacts.
Q & A
What are the two main types of video games discussed in the script?
-The two main types of video games discussed in the script are action games and strategy games.
What is the most popular video game area mentioned in the script and an example of a game in this category?
-The most popular video game area mentioned is battle royale/slash action shooter games, with Fortnite being a heavily popular example.
How do action video games affect the brain according to the script?
-Action video games affect the brain by including high speed, high perceptual and motor load, unpredictability, and an emphasis on peripheral processing. They can attenuate prefrontal cortex activity and affect cognition in the right hippocampus and occipitoparasial regions.
What improvements in cognitive functions are associated with playing action video games?
-Playing action video games can improve visual attention and contrast sensitivity, which is essential for tasks like driving at night.
What are some concerns regarding the effects of violent video games on the brain?
-Violent video games can lower activity in the prefrontal sections of the brain, increase activity in regions associated with arousal, anxiety, and emotional reaction, while reducing activity in frontal lobes associated with emotion regulation and executive control.
What positive effects do strategy games have on the human brain?
-Strategy games can improve cognitive development, such as greater sensitivity to contrast, better Idaho coordination, superior memory, and increase the size and efficiency of brain regions related to visual spatial thinking.
How does the script describe the potential negative aspect of video games?
-The script describes video game addiction, known as internet gaming disorder, which can lead to functional and structural changes in the nervous system.
What was the purpose of the game involving a vertical line called 'the wall' in the Stanford study?
-The purpose of the game was to study how video games affect different genders' brains. Participants had to click on balls before they hit the wall to gain space, and their brain activity was monitored using an fMRI machine.
What did the Stanford study find about the brain's activation in male and female participants?
-The study found that male brains showed much greater activation in the metacortamic colemic center and the reward circuit structures, which correlated with how much territory they gained in the game.
How did the researchers conclude the effects of video games are still not fully understood?
-Researchers concluded that the effects of video games are still in their infancy because they are still working out which aspects of games affect which brain regions and how.
What is the final message of the script regarding the effects of video games on the brain?
-The final message is that video games have both positive and negative aspects, and it's important to embrace this complexity in understanding their impact on the brain.
Outlines
🎮 Effects of Video Games on the Brain
This paragraph explores the impact of video games on cognitive development and brain function. It distinguishes between action and strategy games, highlighting how action games like Fortnite and PUBG can influence visual attention and contrast sensitivity but may also increase activity in brain regions related to emotional reactions and reduce executive control. Strategy games, on the other hand, are praised for their positive effects on cognitive development, such as enhancing visual spatial thinking and memory. The paragraph also touches on the addictive nature of video games and the potential neurological changes in gaming addicts.
🧠 Gender Differences in Gaming Brain Activity
This section delves into a study conducted by Stanford researchers to understand how video games affect the brains of different genders. The study involved a game with a vertical wall and balls that players had to click before they hit the wall. The study used an fMRI machine to monitor brain activity during gameplay. It was found that while both male and female participants clicked on the same number of balls, males gained more space due to strategic clicking. The fMRI data revealed that the brain's metacortamic colemic center, associated with planning and association, was more activated in males. Additionally, the reward circuit in the male brain, including the nucleus accumbens, amygdala, and orbital cortex, showed greater interconnectivity, which correlated with better game performance.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Video Games
💡Action Games
💡Strategy Games
💡Prefrontal Cortex
💡Cognitive Development
💡Internet Gaming Disorder
💡Metacortical Colemic Center
💡Nucleus Accumbens
💡Amygdala
💡Orbital Cortex
💡Functional and Structural Changes
Highlights
Video games can affect cognition and brain activity, particularly in areas like the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus.
Action video games, such as Fortnite and PUBG, involve high speed and motor load, and can improve visual attention and contrast sensitivity.
Violent video games may reduce prefrontal cortex activity and increase anxiety and emotional reaction, affecting areas related to emotion regulation.
Strategy games have been shown to improve cognitive development, including memory and visual spatial thinking.
Long-term gaming can increase the size and efficiency of brain regions related to visual spatial thinking, like the right hippocampus.
Internet gaming disorder is a recognized addiction that can cause functional and structural changes in the brain.
A study from Stanford University examined how video games affect the brains of different genders, using an interactive game involving a 'wall' and 'balls'.
The study found that male participants gained more space in the game due to better identification of strategic moves.
Functional MRI (fMRI) was used to observe brain activity during the game, revealing gender differences in brain activation patterns.
Male brains showed greater activation in the metacortamic colemic center, associated with planning and association.
The reward circuit in male brains, including the nucleus accumbens, amygdala, and orbital cortex, was more interconnected and influenced game performance.
The study suggests that the connectivity of the reward circuit in the brain can impact video game performance in males.
Research into the effects of video games on the brain is still in its early stages, with scientists working to understand the full impact.
Video games have both positive and negative aspects, and it's important to embrace this complexity when considering their effects on the brain.
The transcript emphasizes the need for ongoing research to fully understand how different aspects of video games affect various brain regions.
Transcripts
when you think of video games what comes
to your mind is it you playing a video
game with your friends and enjoying it
is it one of your parents telling you to
stop playing so much and that you're
rotting your brain wait back up a moment
rotting your brain do video games
actually affect your brain well i'm glad
to tell you you're in the right place
today we'll be looking at the main types
of video games and the myths and facts
surrounding them there are two main
types of video games we're going to be
looking at today action games and
strategy games let's first start off
with what has become the most popular
video game area in the past years battle
royale slash action shooter games most
people minds go to the heavily popular
game of fortnite but there are many
other games in this category even games
that are precisely like fortnite but
were released before it such as h1z1 and
pubg but how do these types of games
affect your brain besides being violent
action games include high speed high
perceptual and motor load
unpredictability and an emphasis on
peripheral processing playing these
action video games attenuates prefrontal
cortex activity and implies that playing
video games also affects cognition in
the right hippocampus and
occipitoparasial regions studies from
nature near science show that playing an
action video game can improve visual
attention another study which also
appeared in nature neuroscience
demonstrated that action games could
improve adults contrast sensitivity
which is essential for driving at night
but violent video games are also an area
of concern to some experts in the gaming
field in a study of 45 teens playing a
violent game for only 30 minutes lower
the activity in the prefrontal sections
of the brain just 10 to 20 minutes of
violent gaming can increase activity in
the brain regions associated with
arousal anxiety and emotional reaction
while simultaneously reducing activity
in the frontal lobes associated with
emotion regulation and executive control
on the other hand strategy games have
received much positive criticism on
their effects on the human brain with
minor to no negative aspects
research has shown that playing
these types of strategy games can
improve cognitive development such as
greater sensitivity to contrast better
idaho coordination and superior memory
evidence is also present that these
types of video games can increase the
size and efficiency of brain regions
related to visual spatial thinking for
example the right hippocampus again is
enlarged in long-term gamers and also
volunteers following a video game
training program but video games can
also be addictive and this kind of
addiction is known as internet gaming
disorder researchers have found many
examples of functional and structural
changes in the nervous system in brains
of gaming addicts let's move on to
another topic
how do video games affect different
genders brains
researchers in stanford decide to study
this topic the researchers designed a
game involving a vertical line
called the wall in the middle of a
computer screen when the game begins 10
balls appear to the right of the wall
and travel left toward the wall
each time a ball is clicked it
disappears from the screen
if the ball hits the wall then they lose
space on the screen making the wall
shrink if they click on the balls that
get really close to the wall before they
hit the wall the wall goes to the right
and gets bigger and they get more space
during this study 22 young adults 11 men
and 11 women played numerous 24 second
intervals of the game while being hooked
up to an fmri machine
fmri is designed to produce an image
showing which parts of the brain are
working during a given activity all
participants quickly learned the point
of the game and the male and female
participants wound up clicking on the
same number of balls
the men however wound up gaining a
significantly greater amount of space
than the woman that's because the men
identified which balls that are the ones
that are closest to the wall would help
them acquire the most space if clipped
after analyzing the imaging data for the
entire group the researchers found that
the participants stored activation in
the brain's metacortamic colemic center
this is the region that is typically
associated with their board and
association
male brains however showed much greater
activation and the amount of activation
was correlated with how much territory
that they gained
three structures within the reward
circuit the nucleus accumbens amygdala
and orbital cortex were shown to
influence each other in much more in men
than in women and the better connected
the circuit was the better males
performed in the game as video games are
still relatively new the research into
their effects is still in its infancy
scientists are still working out what
aspects of games affect which brain
regions and how video games like they
have both positive and negative aspects
and we must embrace this complexity
[Music]
you
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