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Are video games GOOD for you? 'Shoot-em-ups' can actually boost brain function, review suggests

Video games have been slammed for encouraging violence and antisocial behaviour, but a new study said they can in fact very beneficial
Some games were even found to be of greater benefit than some brain-training games, which were specifically designed to boost brain function

Published: 08:40 EST, 1 October 2015 | Updated: 09:15 EST, 1 October 2015

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Video games have been slammed for encouraging violence and antisocial behaviour, but a new review has claimed they can in fact be beneficial.

Research suggests that certain games – particularity action games – can boost brain function.

Some were even found to be of greater benefit than some brain-training exercises, which were specifically designed to boost a person's cognitive abilities.

Not so dangerous after all? A review of almost a decade of studies has found that exposure to shoot-em-ups can boost brain function. Pictured, a scene from Call of Duty Advanced Warfare

'The term video game refers to thousands of quite disparate types of experiences - anything from simple computerised card games to richly detailed and realistic fantasy worlds, from a purely solitary activity to an activity including hundreds of others,' the researchers wrote.

'A useful analogy is to the term food - one would never ask, "What is the effect of eating food on the body?"

'Instead, it is understood that the effects of a given type of food depend on the composition of the food such as the number of calories; the percentage of protein, fat, and carbohydrates; the vitamin and mineral content; and so on.'

The review was carried out by Dr Shawn Green, assistant professor at University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Dr Aaron Seitz, of University of California Riverside.

The findings suggest that action video games in particular - games that feature quick moving targets, include large amounts of clutter, and that require the user to make rapid, accurate decisions - have particularly positive cognitive impacts.

The term video games refers to thousands of quite disparate types of experiences, anything from simple computerized card games to richly detailed and realistic fantasy worlds, from a purely solitary activity to an activity including hundreds of others,' the researchers wrote (various games reviewed pictured in study)

They explained that action video games have been linked to improving attention skills, brain processing, and cognitive functions including low-level vision through high-level cognitive abilities.

Indeed many other types of games do not produce an equivalent impact on perception and cognition.

BUT DO THEY MAKE YOU VIOLENT?

A separate review of almost a decade of studies has concluded that exposure to violent video games is a 'risk factor' for increased aggression.

Experts who conducted the review stopped short of saying that violent games such as Call Of Duty and Grand Theft Auto led directly to criminal acts however, citing a lack of evidence.

The findings have prompted a call for more parental control over violent scenes in video games from the American Psychological Association (APA).

A report from the APA task force on violent media concludes: 'The research demonstrates a consistent relation between violent video game use and increases in aggressive behaviour, aggressive cognitions and aggressive affect, and decreases in pro-social behaviour, empathy and sensitivity to aggression.'

The report said no single influence led a person to act aggressively or violently. Rather, it was an 'accumulation of risk factors' that resulted in such behaviour.

'Brain games typically embody few of the qualities of the commercial video games linked with cognitive improvement.'

They noted that while action games in particular have not been linked to problems with sustaining attention, research has shown that total amount of video game play predicts poorer attention in the classroom.

Furthermore, video games are known to impact not only cognitive function, but many other aspects of behaviour - including the ability to interact socially - and this impact can be either positive or negative depending on the game's content.

'Modern video games have evolved into sophisticated experiences that instantiate many principles known by psychologists, neuroscientists, and educators to be fundamental to altering behavior, producing learning, and promoting brain plasticity,' they explained.

'Video games, by their very nature, involve predominately active forms of learning - (i.e., making responses and receiving immediate informative feedback - which is typically more effective than passive learning.'

The research was published in Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences, a Federation of Associations in Behavioral & Brain Sciences (FABBS) journal published by SAGE.