Grand Theft Auto V will hit the shelf tomorrow, and as the video game industry prepares for the launch of the most expensive game ever produced, the medical world continues to explore how video games can enhance a person’s cognitive abilities.
A recent study by researchers at the Center for Integrative Neuroscience found that video games could help boost a person’s multitasking ability, as well as other cognitive processes like attention and memory.
Creating the Game
For their study, researchers created a customized three-dimensional game called NueroRacer, which asked the player to complete two tasks;
- Drive a car using a joystick to keep it on the road and prevent it from going too fast or too slow; and
- Push a button only was a certain sign with a green circle appeared on screen.
Performing one of the tasks was defined as “single-tasking,” while preforming both tasks simultaneously was considered “multitasking.”
Researchers carried out two separate experiments for their study. First, they observed how going from single tasking to multitasking changed as the participants got older. Their results showed that as a person ages, it becomes more difficult to successfully multitask.
“Every decade of life got worse and worse, to the point where 70-year-olds had about a 63% decrease in multitasking abilities compared to single-tasking,” said Dr. Anguera, lead researcher for the study.
Practice Makes Perfect
In the second experiment, researchers attempted to see if participants could improve their multitasking performance with regular training. For this part of the study, researchers divided 46 adults between the ages of 60 and 85 into one of three groups: A multitasking training group (MTT), a single-task training group (STT), and a control/no training group.
Each participant competed an array of tests to measure baseline scores for multitasking ability and other cognitive abilities. The MTT group then participated in 12 hours of multitasking training by playing the game in their home over a three-week period, while the STT group practiced single-task training over the same duration. All three groups then reconvened for a 1-month and 6-month assessment.
In order to determine how their abilities changed over time, researchers assigned each participant a score for both single tasking and multi-tasking. The team then subtracted the single task score from the multitasking score to get what they called a “cost” value. For example, if a person exhibited 80% functionality at the single task, but only 50% while multitasking, the participant would have a -30% cost score. Using this scale, researchers found
- The MTT group was significantly better at multitasking after they had experienced the training. Their pre-training cost score was -64.2%, while their post-training cost score was only -16.2%.
- The MTT groups cost value remained stable at the 6-month interval, having only slightly increased to a cost value of -21.9%.
- Only the MTT group showed improvements in working memory and sustained attention.
Dr. Anguera said your body naturally begins to train other skills as its multitasking ability increases.
“The idea is that you get better on things that were related to the underlying cognitive processes that you trained on, and you improve other abilities that you never trained on,” said Dr. Anguera. He added that the MTT group “improved their multitasking ability costs above and beyond both the other groups.”
Although the results are encouraging, Dr. Silverman added that this doesn’t mean kids should plop down in front of a console for hours on end.
“Similar to drinking a soda or eating a candy bar, you’ll want to practice moderation when it comes to playing video games,” said Silverman. “30 minutes of gaming is fine, but marathon sessions can be extremely detrimental to your health. Sometimes, they can even be fatal.”
Related source: Medscape