How Playing Video Games Affect Your Brain

Summary

This 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.