Enhance and Protect Memory Formation by Playing 3D Video Games
Video games have several benefits that make them more than just fun. Recent research shows that 3D gaming can actually help you form better memories as you age.
A study led by Craig Stark and Dane Clemenson of the University of California, Irvine and published in The Journal of Neuroscience involved non-gaming college students to test complex learning and memory functions. One group of participants played 2D games, the other played 3D games, and the third group did not play any games. In the study, participants who played 3D video games improved their scores on memory tests by about 12 percent. To put this in perspective, the researchers note that this is roughly how much your memory deteriorates between the ages of 45 and 70. In other groups, there was little, if any, improvement. Stark explains why this might be:
First, there is something about 3D games that 2D games don’t. They have much more spatial information to explore. Second, they are much more complex and require much more information. In any case, we know that such learning and memory not only stimulates but also requires the hippocampus.
According to Stark, 3D video games can be used to improve the functioning of the hippocampus and prevent it from deteriorating:
It is often speculated that an active, passionate lifestyle can be a real contributor to cognitive aging. While we can’t all travel the world on vacation, we can do many other things to keep us cognitively active and active. Video games can be a good and sustainable way to go.
While playing games all day is still not a good idea, it looks like some video games might do something for the old one. You can read more about the study below.
UCI Study Shows 3D Video Games Can Improve Memory Formation | University of California, Irvine via Popular Science