Kids who play video games have better memory and better control over their motor skills than kids who don’t, according to a new study looking at adolescent brain function.
Video games might not be responsible for those differences — the study can’t say what the causes are — but the findings add to a bigger body of work showing gamers have better performance on some tests of brain function. That lends support to efforts to develop games that can treat cognitive problems.
“This study adds to our growing understanding of the associations between playing video games and brain development,” said Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, in a statement.
The study used data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development...