Your Brain on Games

After school, 8-year-old Griffin Higdon can usually be found playing video games. One of his favorite games is Minecraft. He and his friends from school meet up in the game’s online world and work together to build castles. “We plan out what we want to build during recess,” Griffin says. 

Griffin isn’t alone in his love of video games. In the U.S., about 64 million kids between the ages of 2 and 17 play them. That’s 97 percent of kids in the country!  

But since video games became popular in the 1980s, many adults have worried about how they affect young players. Over the years, scientists have researched what happens inside a person’s brain when he or she plays video games. What they have learned might surprise you!

Griffin Higdon is 8 years old. He can often be found playing video games at school. One of his favorite games is Minecraft. He and his friends meet up in the game’s online world. They work together to build castles. “We plan out what we want to build during recess,” Griffin says. 

Griffin isn’t alone in his love of video games. About 64 million kids in the U.S. play them. Their ages range from 2 to 17. That’s 97 percent of kids in the country!  

Video games became popular in the 1980s. Many adults have worried ever since. They’re concerned about the games’ effects on young people. Scientists have studied the brains of video game players over the years. What they’ve learned might surprise you!

Your brain is involved in everything you do, from walking to class to talking with friends to playing video games. Different parts of your brain control different actions.

When you’re playing a video game, you’re using areas of your cerebrum, the part of your brain that solves problems. It receives information from your eyes about what’s happening on the screen. Your brain then sends messages to your spinal cord. This tube-like structure directs the signals through bundles of fibers called nerves to your hand. You press a button, causing your game character to move. All this happens in less than a second (see Inside the Gamer’s Brain).

Your brain takes part in everything you do. That could be walking to class, talking with friends, or playing video games. Different areas of your brain control different actions. 

You use your cerebrum when you play a video game. This part of your brain solves problems. It works with your eyes. They provide information about what’s happening on-screen. Your brain then sends messages to your spinal cord. It’s a tube-like structure that moves the signals through nerves. These bundles of fibers reach all the way to your hand. As a result, you press a button. That causes your game character to move. All this happens in less than a second (see Inside the Gamer’s Brain).

Pressing a button is an example of a motor skill. Playing video games can strengthen motor skills, memory, and other skills. That’s because when you repeat an action, messages travel along the same pathways in your brain over and over again. Over time, the paths become stronger and the action gets easier.

Because video games are repetitive, they can help people learn all kinds of skills, says Matthew Barr. He’s a video game researcher at the University of Glasgow in Scotland. Barr studies how multiplayer video games can help improve teamwork. “If characters have different abilities, one player can’t do everything,” says Barr. “That promotes cooperation.”  

Pressing a button is an example of a motor skill. Playing video games can build these and other types of abilities. That’s because you repeat actions. So messages travel along the same paths in your brain again and again. The paths become stronger over time. That makes the actions get easier. 

Because of this, video games can help people learn a lot of skills, says Matthew Barr. He’s a video game scientist. He works at the University of Glasgow in Scotland. Barr studies multiplayer video games. He wants to see whether playing these types of games improves teamwork. “If characters have different abilities, one player can’t do everything,” says Barr. “That promotes cooperation.”  

 If gamers follow certain guidelines (see Smart Playing), most experts agree, video games can have many benefits—including social ones. “Games can strengthen relationships because they’re a shared activity,” says Kowert. 

Today, designers are making video games for purposes beyond entertainment. Physical therapists are using games to help build patients’ strength and balance. Other games are being used in classrooms. Barr is excited by the good games can do. “Hopefully the potential of video games will be recognized more and more,” he says. 

Gamers should follow certain guidelines to play safely (see Smart Playing). Most experts agree that video games can have many benefits. That includes social ones. “Games can strengthen relationships because they’re a shared activity,” says Kowert. 

Today, designers are making video games for more than having fun. Physical therapists use video games. They can help build patients’ strength and balance. Teachers also use video games in classrooms. They can help students learn. Barr is excited by the good that games can do. “Hopefully, the potential of video games will be recognized more and more,” he says.