A study by East Carolina University has identified improvements in the cognitive function of video game players over 50 years old compared to non-players.
The study, which has been underway for nearly six months and will be completed later this year, involves over 40 people age 50 and older. It explores the effects of casual games on subjects’ short-term cognitive acuity.
In each instance, “sizable” improvements were identified in the performance of the experimental group as compared to the control group.
Those subjects who played PopCap’s popular Bejeweled or Peggle games for short (30 minute) periods showed an 87 per cent improvement in cognitive response time and a 215 per cent increase in executive functioning when compared to a control group.
According to the researchers, these improvements in overall cognitive acuity are comparable to changes recorded after other types of “cognitive interventions such as mindfulness-based cognitive therapy and cognitive remediation therapy”.
Dr. Carmen Russoniello, Director of the Psychophysiology Lab and Biofeedback Clinic at ECU presented the initial data from the study at the annual Games for Health Conference in Boston on Friday.
“The initial results of the study are very intriguing, in that they suggest that the ‘active participation’ required while playing a casual video game like Bejeweled provides an opportunity for mental exercise that more passive activities, like watching television, do not,” says Dr Russoniello.
“Future applications could include prescriptive applications using casual video games to potentially stave off Alzheimer’s disease and other dementia-type disorders.”
Dr Russoniello says more complex or “hardcore” video games might provide similar cognitive benefits for many people.
“But those games take significantly longer to learn to play and appeal to a considerably narrower subset of the overall population, especially older consumers,” Dr Russoniello says.
“In our experience, ‘casual’ video games are ideal both in terms of their accessibility and ease of understanding and because they appeal to nearly everyone.”
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