Four Facts: Are Computer Games Good for the Brain?

The video game market is more successful than any other market in the entertainment industry. In 2024, global revenues are estimated to reach 260 billion euros, approximately 14 billion of which will be earned through “serious games ”. These games are not primarily designed to be entertaining pastimes; instead, they are meant to educate or exercise the brain. Researchers, however, are not entirely convinced.

1. Commercial educational games: great promises, little proof
“It seems reasonable to translate basic neuroscientific facts into learning methods and games”, says Uwe Ilg. He is the head of the Oculomotor Laboratory and the Pupil's Lab Neurosciences at the Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research in Tübingen, Germany. “We often refer to this type of simplified translation as neuromyths.” According to the expert, the problem resides in the fact that the effectiveness of most commercially available “brain games” is not scientifically proven. Studies have refuted many of the theories on which these games are based, for example, the idea that humans can be categorized into different “learning types”, or that there are specific phases during which it is easier to learn. In 2016, the company Lumosity, which offers brain training programs, was sentenced to pay a penalty of two million dollars. The reasoning of the US Federal Trade Commission: Lumosity used false claims to advertise its products.

2. Brain games may be used in the context of therapy
“The effects of many games on the market are not evidence-based”, agrees Dr. Susanne Jaeggi, professor of psychology and neuroscientist at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. She designs games that are supposed to do it better. With success, she says. “We have been able to show that people are able to exercise their executive functions through playing these games.” For example, in these studies, seniors improved their ability to solve problems, and children with ADHD improved their ability to concentrate. Thus, Jaeggi sees the potential of brain games in their application to specific cases such as these, and less in their use by average people who want to exercise their brains. “In those cases, the improvements are so subtle that it takes a lot of effort to measure them.” It could also be possible to develop games targeted to specific professions; for example, air traffic controllers whose work requires them to concentrate for extended periods of time.

3. Even recreational games change the brain
Serious games claim to be jogging the brain whereas the primary purpose of recreational games is fun. Whether, and how, they influence our brains is a topic of intense debate within the research community. The concept of neuroplasticity, however, is an undisputed fact: our brains can change, and the brain adapts to its challenges. Indeed, many studies show a connection between gaming and the improvement of cognitive abilities such as attention span or spatial orientation. These studies have been critiqued, however, as they frequently report only a correlative rather than a causal connection. Furthermore, the training effects observed are often not transferable to daily life. At the same time, in 2023, a team led by Benoit Bediou at the University of Geneva determined in a meta-analysis that playing action video games can, in fact, improve cognitive abilities – for example, visual attention and three-dimensional thinking. AVG are games which challenge the reaction speed and skill of the players.

4. Gaming can be addictive
So far, research has arrived at mixed results when it comes to the transfer of learned skills to other areas of life. In any case, one negative consequence is supported by substantial evidence, says Christian Montag, Professor for Molecular Psychology at the University of Ulm in Germany: “In 2019, the WHO officially recognized computer game addiction as a psychological illness.” This is not talked about enough in the context of gaming, says Montag. One study conducted by his research team shows that excessive gaming may be accompanied by a reduction in brain volume in parts of the orbitofrontal cortex. This area plays a possible role in the development of addictive behavior.