Video games can improve mental skills, study finds

Most young people of our time play some kind of videogame, and benefit from the most diverse formats of electronic games. However, what few know is that this practice may not just be mere fun. That's because a new study suggests use of video games for training, understand.

Read more: Studies suggest that perfectionism among young people is on the rise.

How did the study work?

This new perception is the result of a study by researchers at Georgia State University, in the United States. In a recent publication in the journal Neuroimage, the authors share their findings after studying 47 young people.

In this case, the researchers divided the group analyzed into 28 people who see themselves as regular gamers and 19 who do not play video games. They then used Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging technology to test these young people's decision-making.

Thus, the expectation was to find out how the brain of someone who plays video games is better able to make quick and accurate choices. So, the results showed exactly what was already expected, which is the greater skill in problem solving by those who play video games.

With this, it is discussed how much the habit of playing games can influence the emergence of new world leaders with strategic thinking from games. However, the negative consequences of this content on the minds of young people are still being studied.

Use of Games for training

In the same study, the researchers suggest that this information could lead to a new way of doing mental enhancement training. After all, video games can contribute a lot to developing quick reflexes when making important decisions.

For example, the possibility of studying more methods of personal development through games is already being considered. Thus, the person who has no experience in the area will be able to acquire new skills that will be very useful.

Incidentally, this is just one of several studies that appear every day and that correlate the use of video games with the improvement of mental abilities. This demonstrates that neuroscience is increasingly looking for methods to improve people to deal with today's complex problems.