Games and gaming have been a part of society for a long time, serving as tools for recreation, learning, and social interaction. In recent times, games have become a dominant form of entertainment. Both physical and virtual games have lasting effects on the brain and memory. Games such as SPARX, Tetris and Beat Saber have been recommended by health professionals to treat depression, anxiety and ADHD. Although the link between games and intelligence is intricate, it can not be denied. From childhood way into adulthood, games have improved specific cognitive and memory skills.

The Science Of Games and Cognitive Enhancement

The advancements in neuroscience have provided researchers with an opportunity to look into the effects gaming has on the brain. Adam Gazaley’s work has proved that video games could sharpen   multitasking skills and improve memory, mostly in older adults. His custom-designed game laid the foundation for the first prescription video game “EndeavorRX” that has been used to treat ADHD in children.

Research in cognitive psychology has demonstrated that action packed video games sharpens one’s processing speed and visual attention. This makes players become more skillful at sieving through irrelevant information, making decisions on the go and keeping track of many objects at once.

How Different Types of Games Affect the Brain

Strategy Games

Strategy games such as Chess, Oware, Ludo and Uno usually need the skills of resource management, long-term planning and witty decision-making. They sharpen planning and foresight as well as risk assessment skills of individuals.

Simulation and Role-playing Games

Simulation and role-playing games mimic real-life scenarios and players are given control of the characters, making decisions mostly focused on creativity and experimentation. They enhance memory for details and sequences, social cognition in multiplayer environments and strategic thinking.

Action Games

These are fast-paced and require full attention and quick reflexes to situations. Games like Fortnight, Call of Duty, Mortal Kombat and the likes improve reaction time, multitasking and visual attention skills in players. These skills are usually tied to tasks that need rapid information processing.

Puzzle and Logic Games

Games like sudoku, word puzzles, minesweeper, tetris and the likes usually push problem-solving skills to their breaking point, as well as reasoning, deduction and critical thinking skills.

Gamification in Education

Gamification is the art of weaving game elements such as challenges, rewards and points into education. This usually helps increase motivation and engagement in students. Either knowingly or unknowingly, most people incorporate gamification in education. Think of the sing-along you were taught about in primary about the meaning of a noun. Research by Edward Deci and Richard Ryan shows that there are three main factors of human motivation namely Autonomy, Relatedness and Competence. Gamification supports all three when properly designed.

Before the emergence of the digital platforms, African societies had already inculcated gamification into their learning methods. These included proverbs to improve critical thinking skills, storytelling to pass down moral and cultural lessons as well as traditional games to improve social interaction and strategies for living. This proves without a doubt that gamification is not a new concept.

Issues with Gamification

As with everything under the sun, too much gaming can pose risks that must be taken into consideration. Although gaming in itself is not an issue, the intensity and duration of it can cause a great deal of problems.

One issue with gaming is that it might birth an unhealthy addiction. In 2019, the World Health Organization officially recognized gaming disorder in the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11), classifying it as a behaviour characterized by giving increased priority to gaming over other important activities as well as the continued playing in spite of the negative consequences it brings. Neuroscience research has shown that gaming can overstimulate the brain’s reward system, which leads to reinforcement patterns seen in those with substance-related addictions.

Excessive gaming can also have a negative effect on memory and academic work. Instead of learning and sleeping, players usually engage in too much gaming which in the long run might lower academic performance as compared to those who have a more balanced routine between gaming and education.

Finding the Sweet Spot

Gaming is a great cognitive tool but its impact is dependent on how it is utilized. Although gaming hones memory, attention and problem-solving skills, excessive gaming brings about risks that can undermine the benefits. Knowing these risks is critical, especially in this rapidly digitizing era. By finding the balance, especially within the educational space, gaming can be used as a positive force rather than seen as a disease to be eradicated.

REFERENCES

Gazzaley, A., & Anguera, J. A. (2013).
Video game training enhances cognitive control in older adults. Nature, 501(7465), 97–101.
https://doi.org/10.1038/nature12486

Gentile, D. A., Choo, H., Liau, A., Sim, T., Li, D., Fung, D., & Khoo, A. (2011).
Pathological video game use among youths: A two-year longitudinal study. Pediatrics, 127(2), e319–e329.
https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2010-1353

Green, C. S., & Bavelier, D. (2003).
Action video game modifies visual selective attention. Nature, 423(6939), 534–537.
https://doi.org/10.1038/nature01647

World Health Organization. (2019).
International classification of diseases for mortality and morbidity statistics (11th Revision, ICD-11).
https://icd.who.int/