Playing 3D Games May Boost Your Memory

There’s another reason to reach for that controller, as playing 3D games may boost your memory that will provide useful later on in life. There are numerous complex reactions to a video game and, now, multiple reasons to play it. However, there are also practical benefits that might fall on the list on perks.

Among the numerous uses of gaming, researchers at the University of California, Irvine (UCI) conducted a study on college students that found a couple of more good reasons. It could be considered one of the easiest ones to take part in. First, the participants were given a series of memory tests to see how well their fared. This included a quick count on how many dots or lines flashed upon a screen, or memorizing differences in pictures of everyday objects.

Afterwards, the participants were divided into two groups, one asked to play 2D games like ‘Angry Birds’, and another to play 3D games like ‘Super Mario 3D World’ for 30 minute per day, for two weeks. At the end of the study period, the students were given similar memory tests, and their performance once again judged.

According to the researchers, they saw a significant improvement in memory from gamers who were assigned to 3D games. Reportedly, their results were 12% better, which happens to be the precise decline of memory for people between 45 to 70 years old. Those who were attributed with 2D games saw no such improvement.

This is due to the fact that 3D games have a much more complex world, with more information to be explored. It successfully and efficiently engages the hippocampus, the region of the brain associated with memories and complex learning. It’s the same area that gradually decreases in size with the onset of Alzheimer’s or dementia.

According to one of the researchers who is a professor of neurobiology, it’s possible that 3D video games are better suited at boosting brain function due to their rich involvement of the hippocampus. They stimulate the region while being vastly entertaining. The player focuses more on immersing themselves into the world and character.

It’s in the benefit of 3D games that they successfully draw an array of responses, ranging from visual to spatial, to emotional, motivational, attention, memory, and problem-solving. The overall information and complexity of a 3D video game stimulate the hippocampus. It has even been shown in rats navigating 3D environments that spatial relationships engages that area of the brain.

Even more, such a process “not only stimulates but requires the hippocampus”. This leads to a better performance, an enhanced memory, and may be useful for those suffering from Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia.