3D games improve memory

In the last century, there was a stereotype that playing computer games is unhealthy. It soon became clear that the opposite was true. There are many studies that show the various effects of the development of mental abilities of players in action-simulators: from improving problem-solving skills to increasing learning ability .

Now another study has appeared. It turns out, in addition to all the known advantages, video games also improve memory ! True, in this case we are only talking about 3D games. In contrast, standard 2D games with a passive and simple background have virtually no effect on the brain's ability to form memories.

To test the effect of games on the formation of memories, researchers at the University of California at Irvine asked non-gamer students to play 30 minutes a day for two weeks.

Students played one of two games: Super Mario 3D World with an intricate virtual game space and Angry Birds with a simple two-dimensional environment.

Before and after the experiment, the subjects passed tests for memory with recognition of objects. Such tests involve the hippocampus, the area of ​​the brain responsible for complex learning and memory.

As a result, those students who played in Super Mario 3D World, test results improved by a significant amount of 12%. The effectiveness of brain activity in a person between the ages of 45 and 70 years is about as much worse. At the same time, the players in Angry Birds did not noticeably improve the result.

The authors of the scientific work explain that in the three-dimensional world there is more spatial information that the brain must process. They are more complex, which contributes to learning. Both of these stimulate the hippocampus.

Angry Birds is a fairly simple game, so it’s not surprising that players have little or no brain development. It is possible that the effect of improving memory will appear among gamers in more complex 2D games.

Experts are now discussing whether video games can be used to improve the functioning of the hippocampus, including to reduce its functional deficit, when a person grows older and older. Should I introduce mandatory Counter-Strike sessions in nursing homes? This topic should be explored in more detail.

The results of the study were published on December 9, 2015 in the Journal of Neuroscience .