A new study suggests that playing video games isn't that bad for your brain after all, and that they can even help you ace that upcoming math test.
Researchers at the University of Rochester have found that action titles can help players improve general learning skills, not just gaming skills, according to PC Magazine. Daphne Bavelier, a research professor in brain and cognitive sciences at the university, says the results exist because action gamers are better learners than other gamers, and that playing "fast-based action games" makes them even better learners.
Baveilier added that this activity is also healthy for the brain, which is always working to improve prediction skills needed to paint a better picture of the world. Methods include driving, listening to conversations, and even performing surgery.
"The better the template, the better the performance," she said. "And now we know playing action games actually fosters better templates."
The study had one group of participants play 50 hours of Call of Duty for nine weeks and another group play 50 hours of Sims for the same time, PC Magazine reported. Both groups completed a test before and after playing games, and the action gamers proved to have created a better template.
Bavelier says these new templates were created "for the task much, much faster, showing an accelerated learning curve."
The research team is still trying to figure what else action gamers can do to improve their learning capabilities, saying that the same results could also be found in other games.
"They may need to be fast-paced, and require the player to divide his or her attention, and make predictions at different time scales," they said.
The study was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
