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Research papers on Video games and cognition

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  1. The effect of active video games on cognitive functioning in clinical and non‐clinical populations: A meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials

    E. Stanmore, B. Stubbs, D. Vancampfort, et al. · 2017 · Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews · 369 citations

    HighlightsThis is the first meta‐analysis of active video games (‘exergames’) for cognition.Our search identified 17 randomized controlled trials with 926 participants in total.Exergames improved cognition in both clinical and non‐clinical populations.Significant effects were found executive functions, attention and visuospatial skills. Abstract Physically‐active video games (‘exergames’) have recently gained popularity for leisure and entertainment purposes. Using exergames to combine physical activity and cognitively‐demanding tasks may offer a novel strategy to improve cognitive functioning. Therefore, this systematic review and meta‐analysis was performed to establish effects of exergame

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  3. Is Playing Video Games Related to Cognitive Abilities?

    Nash Unsworth A, Thomas S. Redick, Brittany D. McMillan, et al. · 2015 · Psychological Science · 173 citations

    The relations between video-game experience and cognitive abilities were examined in the current study. In two experiments, subjects performed a number of working memory, fluid intelligence, and attention-control measures and filled out a questionnaire about their video-game experience. In Experiment 1, an extreme-groups analysis indicated that experienced video-game players outperformed nonplayers on several cognitive-ability measures. However, in Experiments 1 and 2, when analyses examined the full range of subjects at both the task level and the latent-construct level, nearly all of the relations between video-game experience and cognitive abilities were near zero. These results cast doub

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  4. Cognitive training with casual video games: points to consider

    Pauline L. Baniqued, Michael B. Kranz, Michelle W. Voss, et al. · 2014 · Frontiers in Psychology · 134 citations

    Brain training programs have proliferated in recent years, with claims that video games or computer-based tasks can broadly enhance cognitive function. However, benefits are commonly seen only in trained tasks. Assessing generalized improvement and practicality of laboratory exercises complicates interpretation and application of findings. In this study, we addressed these issues by using active control groups, training tasks that more closely resemble real-world demands and multiple tests to determine transfer of training. We examined whether casual video games can broadly improve cognition, and selected training games from a study of the relationship between game performance and cognitive

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  5. A new look at the cognitive neuroscience of video game play

    Gillian Dale, Augustin Joessel, Daphné Bavelier, et al. · 2020 · Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences · 134 citations

    A growing body of literature has investigated the effects of playing video games on brain function and behavior. One key takeaway from this literature has been that not all entertainment video games are created equal with respect to their effects on cognitive functioning. The majority of the research to date has contrasted the cognitive impact of playing first- or third-person shooter games (together dubbed "action video games") against the effects of playing other game types. Indeed, when the research began in the late 1990s, action video games placed a load upon the perceptual, attentional, and cognitive systems in a manner not seen in other video games. However, the video game industry ha

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  7. The Effects of Video Games in Memory and Attention

    Chrysovalantis Kefalis, Eirini Zoi Kontostavlou, Athanasios S. Drigas · 2020 · International Journal of Engineering Pedagogy (iJEP) · 115 citations

    The use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) is ubiqui-tous. Technologies like video games have become very popular not only with the young generation but also with older people. The video game indus-try has seen rapid growth over recent years, as has the interest in the influ-ence of video game experience on people’s daily life. The study focuses on a novel approach to training Visual Working Memory (VWM) through the use of video games and examines research evidence concerning whether video games can serve as a vehicle for promoting the development of cogni-tive skills and especially memory and attention.

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  8. Exposure to video games: effects on sleep and on post-sleep cognitive abilities. A sistematic review of experimental evidences

    Sara Peracchia, Giuseppe Curcio · 2018 · Sleep Science · 114 citations

    The public opinion is ever more interested and worried about possible effects of exposure to VGs (video games) on human life and well-being. Scientific literature shows several evidences highlighting negative outcomes on behavioural, emotive, cognitive and physical health spheres. All these aspects are intrinsically linked to sleep quality and quantity and to date very few studies directly investigated the effects of videogame (VG) exposure on sleep and post-sleep cognitive status. The aim of the present systematic review is to examine the impact that the exposure to VGs can produce on sleep pattern and the consequent post-sleep cognitive abilities. To this extent, only studies directly inve

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  9. Stretching the limits of visual attention: the case of action video games

    Bjorn Hubert‐Wallander, C. Shawn Green, Daphne Bavelier · 2011 · WIREs Cognitive Science · 67 citations

    Visual attention is the set of mechanisms by which relevant visual information is selected while irrelevant information is suppressed, thus allowing the observer to function in a world made up of nearly infinite visual information. Recently, those who habitually play video games have been documented to outperform novices in a variety of visual attentional capabilities, including attention in space, in time, and to objects. Training studies have established similar improvements in groups of nongamers given experience playing these video games. Critically, not all video games seem to have such a beneficial effect on attention; it seems that fast‐paced, embodied visuo‐motor tasks that require d

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  10. Cognitive effects of video games in older adults and their moderators: a systematic review with meta-analysis and meta-regression

    Nor Shuhada Mansor, Chin Moi Chow, Mark Halaki · 2019 · Aging & Mental Health · 42 citations

    The growing interest in preserving cognition through video games in the ageing population is evidenced by its wealth of literature. However, there has been a lack of consensus on video games efficacy and even limited understanding on the factors moderating its effectiveness. The present review sought to evaluate video game effects, relative to no-game control condition, on cognitive functions in older adults. The functions included processing speed, attention, delayed memory, reasoning, and executive functions (inhibition, shifting and updating memory). Personal and methodological moderators were explored to explain the variability in cognitive effects using meta-regression. Through a system

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  13. The Benefits of Video Games on Brain Cognitive Function: A Systematic Review of Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Studies

    He Huang, Chuan-chuan Cheng · 2022 · Applied Sciences · 22 citations

    Benefits of video games on cognitive function have been proved by increasing evidence. However, reasons for game-induced changes in cognitive function are still elusive. Therefore, this study conducted a systematic review of brain function activation changes in association with video games. We retrieved publications from three electronic databases (PubMed, Web of Science, and PsycInfo), with publication dates before 8 February 2021. After screening the study with fMRI data, 13 studies were included in this work, including 9 cross-sectional studies and 4 types of research. In this review, we summarized the potential benefits of video games on cognitive function and discussed the effects of di

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  15. Do action video games make safer drivers? The effects of video game experience on simulated driving performance

    James Howard, V. Bowden, T. Visser · 2023 · Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour · 13 citations

    Research suggests, action video games (AVGs) can benefit cognitive performance across multiple domains including attention, visual-spatial awareness, psychomotor control, and executive functioning. Many of these domains overlap with the skills needed to safely drive a vehicle. We therefore predicted that experience playing AVGs may be associated with improved driving performance and greater spare capacity. One-hundred-and-thirty-eight participants who varied in action video game experience, completed a driving simulation under distracted and non-distracted conditions. Driving performance was measured through participants ’ ability to maintain a consistent speed and lane position, and their s

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  16. Effects of memory and attention on the association between video game addiction and cognitive/learning skills in children: mediational analysis

    A. Kappi, R. El-etreby, Ghada Gamal Badawy, et al. · 2024 · BMC Psychology · 10 citations

    Background Video games have become a prevalent source of entertainment, especially among children. Furthermore, the amount of time spent playing video games has grown dramatically. The purpose of this research was to examine the mediation effects of attention and child memory on the relationship between video games addiction and cognitive and learning abilities in Egyptian children. Methods A cross-sectional research design was used in the current study in two schools affiliated with Dakahlia District, Egypt. The study included 169 children aged 9 to 13 who met the inclusion criteria, and their mothers provided the questionnaire responses. The data collection methods were performed over appr

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  17. Video Games and Cognitive Performance

    Gillian Dale, C. Shawn Green · 2015 · Routledge eBooks · 10 citations

    One intervention that does appear to lead to more generalizable improvements in cognitive performance involves an experience that was not originally designed for practical ends video game training. Video games have consistently been shown to result in global transfer to a variety of perceptual and cognitive measures, from those that tap low-level visual abilities, all the way up to task switching and high-level decision making. Specific scientific investigations of the potential effects of video games began to take off in the early 1980s. A number of attentional processes are also influenced by action gaming. For instance, many studies have now shown clear enhancements in spatial selective a

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  19. Video Games and Attention

    Robert West, Kira Bailey · 2013 · Oxford University Press eBooks · 7 citations

    Abstract The widespread consumption of video games has led social commentators and scientists to question the effects of this medium on the human experience. Within the social and cognitive sciences, investigators have devoted considerable energy to characterizing the effects of video game experience on cognitive and social information processing and behavior (Anderson et al., 2010; Green, Li, & Bavelier, 2010). This chapter considers the emerging literature demonstrating a relationship between video game experience and clinical attention deficits, and provides an integrative review of the literature related to the association between video game experience and attention within three domains

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  20. Alpha‐tACS alters attentional control but not cognitive functions as video games do: A psychophysical investigation based on the theory of visual attention

    Yannik Hilla, F. Link, P. Sauseng · 2023 · European Journal of Neuroscience · 5 citations

    Video game players' faster speed of information processing has been shown to coincide with altered posterior alpha power modulation, that is, brain oscillatory activity around 10 Hz. Thus, it was proposed that improved cognitive processing in video game players may be related to differential alpha activity. However, a causal relationship thereof has not yet been established. We addressed this by conducting a non‐invasive brain stimulation study to demonstrate that modulating alpha power using transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) may impact on speed of information processing. Furthermore, we aimed to show that this effect correlated with altered attentional control, for example

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  21. The Cognition-Impairing Effect of Video Games in Adolescents

    Romina de Los Ángeles Virgilio · 2024 · Science Insights · 5 citations

    The use of video games among adolescents has become a prevalent form of entertainment and leisure activity in today’s digital age. However, the impact of extensive video game exposure on the cognitive development of young individuals is a topic of growing concern. Understanding how video games affect various aspects of cognition, such as attention, memory, problem-solving skills, and academic performance, is crucial for educators, parents, and healthcare professionals. This review delves into the cognition-impairing effects of video games in adolescents, exploring the research findings, challenges, and potential strategies to mitigate the negative consequences on cognitive function.

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  22. Rewiring Young Minds: Investigating the Cognitive Effects of Video Games on Learning and Their Potential as Digital Therapeutics for Mental Well-Being

    Enoch Chi Ngai Lim, Nga Chong Lisa Cheng, Chi Eung Danforn Lim · 2025 · Cureus · 3 citations

    Video games are commonly integrated into the lives of childhood and adolescence, with their impact on cognition and mental health widely debated. Concerns about academic distraction are increasingly balanced by recognition of their potential cognitive and therapeutic value. This review aims to explore the dual role of video games in pediatric populations, examining both their potential cognitive risks and their emerging utility as digital mental health interventions. It examines two key roles that video games may play in a child’s life: as potential risk factors for academic distractibility and as emerging digital interventions for mental health conditions. While video games may enhance atte

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  23. Multiple Ways in Which Video Games Make Education Inclusive: A Systematic Review of Cognitive Enhancement for Neurodivergent Learners

    Martina Basciano, Elisa Bisagno, Alessia Cadamuro · 2025 · Multimodal Technol. Interact. · 3 citations

    Children with neurodevelopmental disorders, such as ADHD, ASD and SLDs, often face challenges in executive functioning that can impact their inclusion and participation in educational and social experiences. Digital technologies, in particular video games, are becoming increasingly more integrated into children’s lives and are receiving attention as tools to support cognitive development in these populations. This systematic review analyses the effects of video games on Working Memory (WM) and Executive Functions (EFs) in neurodivergent individuals, to evaluate their effectiveness as training tools and their impact in terms of inclusion. Following the PRISMA guidelines, 25 peer-reviewed stud

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  24. The effects of tactile aids in video games for children's rhythmic coordination training: An fNIRS study.

    Yibei Miao, Song Hao · 2024 · Neuroscience letters · 3 citations

    Neurological or neurodevelopmental disorders, such as Parkinson's disease and dyslexia, can impair rhythm perception and production. Deficits in rhythm are associated with poor performance in language, attention, and working memory tasks. Research indicates that retraining rhythmic skills may enhance these related cognitive functions. In this context, using tactile aids for rhythm training emerges as a promising approach for children who do not fully benefit from conventional audiovisual rhythm games. This is because tactile aids can compensate for sensory deficiencies and facilitate more extensive brain activation. In our study, we employed functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to a

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