Still wondering what to get grandpa for Christmas? How about Rise of Nations or Halo Wars?
A new study from the Psychology and Aging journal (courtesy Reuters) found that
"40 adults in their 60s and 70s...who learned to play a strategy-heavy video game improved their scores on a number of tests of cognitive function."
The group was split into a gaming and non-gaming control group. The gaming group spent 23 hours over the course of a month playing Rise of Nations. One of my favorite details about this article is that they refer to Rise of Nations as an "off-the-shelf" video game. That sounds suspiciously like over-the-counter, which in turn implies that there are prescription video games out there. Maybe if this study holds up over multiple trials that will actually come true. I can't wait 'til I'm 65 and my Medicaid covers Halo 24.
The article ends sweetly, too, with Dr. Arthur F. Kramer of University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign saying, "Playing video games with their grandkids would also be a great idea...because we know that social interactions -- along with physical exercise and intellectual challenge -- also enhance the cognitive abilities of older adults."
Basically, there's no better way to keep the mind sharp than beating little Billy at Age of Empires.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Move Over Brain Age, Grandpa Wants an EndWar for Christmas
Posted by
Craig
at
12:00 PM