Video Gaming May Be Associated with Better Cognitive Performance in Children

Overview

A study of nearly 2,000 children found that those who reported playing video games for three hours or more per day were faster and more accurate on two cognitive tasks than children who had never played. The gamers also showed higher brain activity in regions associated with attention and memory. While the findings don't establish a causal link, they suggest that video gaming may be associated with improved cognitive abilities. The study, supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), is part of the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, which is tracking a large sample of U.S. children from late childhood to early adulthood. The researchers will continue to follow these children to see how video gaming affects their brain development over time.