A researcher in Wisconsin says he has figured out how you can improve your brain power. His new study seems to suggest that video games might be the answer. And that includes first person-shooters like Call of Duty – often criticized for their graphic violence.
Psychology professor Shawn Green of the University of Wisconsin-Madison says video games often improve a person’s perception skills and critical thinking.
“These games will trigger the fight or flight response,” he says. “You have to identify targets among clutter, you have to make very quick decisions, but they have to be accurate.”
He also says that driving games, such as Need for Speed, help with critical brain skills. And benefits from gaming can be long-term. “We’ve seen that they’ve lasted anywhere from six months to two years when we tested,” he says.
As for the oft-cited link between gaming and aggression, Green is skeptical – but of course, anything done too often is going to have some downside.
“There is realistically no strong link between playing these types of games, and any kind of real criminal violent behavior,” he says. “Not gonna turn a kid into an ultra-violent individual. On the other hand, you don’t want to diminish the fact that it could lead to those minor changes in aggression.”
Going forward, Green plans to use MRI’s to see if people’s cognition improves when they play other video games as well, such as puzzle games and adventures.
SOURCE: KOMO TV News, Seattle