While most parents hate it when their kids spend all hours playing video games, they may want to change their mind about that. That’s because a just released study suggests playing video games could be good for their child’s brain.
The study, out of the University of Vermont and published in JAMA Network Open, associated video game playing with improved cognitive abilities. Specifically, the study found those kids who played video games for three or more hours a day tested better when it came to impulse control and memory, than those who don’t play in video games.
Authors of the study, described the largest investigation into the effects video game playing has on cognition and brain function, suggest the changes in brain activity could be because video games tend to be cognitively demanding, plus gaming can result in an increased proficiency in visual processing.
The authors do emphasize this doesn’t mean you should necessarily let your kids play video games for an unlimited number of hours, and parents should still limit screen time. As they note, there’s no proof that the hours of playing caused the better cognitive scores. It could be that those who score better are simply the ones who prefer to play video games in the first place.
Source: USA Today
How many hours would you say your kid plays video games? Does this study make you feel better about them playing?