Summary
A lot of gamers grew up hearing the same old hand-wringing worries of parents. “Video games will rot your brain.” But as more and more studies come out, it turns out that the reverse is true - at least, in some cases. Certain video games have been proven to actually improve the player’s cognitive function and memory skills.
Some modern games are designed with education in mind. Other times, unlocking brain potential is just a happy coincidence from a fun puzzle game that forces players to think critically to win. In any case, video games are proving themselves to be quite the functional piece of art - able to educate as well as entertain.
Childhood has changed dramatically over the past two decades. Kids today have access to incredibly sophisticated technology that no other generation had growing up. This has had a dramatic influence on both their education and their sense of fun. But who could have guessed that both these points would eventually find common ground inMinecraft?
Minecraft Educationcreates asimple, classroom-friendly versionof the world’s most popular cube-based game. Teachers have been using this game since 2016 to facilitategroup lessons on math, reading comprehension, and problem-solving. And thekids are far more likely to engage with the lesson and think creativelybecause they’re not bored senseless staring at the whiteboard. They’re staring at the brightly colored epicenter of visual-based learning and the holy grail of modern video games. Everything’s more fun withMinecraft.
TheBig Brain Academyseries is like ifMario Partywas designed to make people smarter. Each entry puts players through a gauntlet of mini-games designed to test their brainpower, with memorization being just one of many skills on the scoreboard. Logic, math, and analytics are also tested, pushing the player’s gray matter to grow and “age” with each test.
Big Brain Academy: Brain vs. Brainis the most recent entry in the series. Releasing in 2021 on the Nintendo Switch, it’s thefirst entry to offer multiplayer, both locally and online. A little friendly competition (again, a laMario Party) might be just the thing to motivate players to work that much harder to improve their memory skills.
Turn-based strategy games are designed to reward smart plays and critical thinking. Just keeping track of the rules themselves is an exercise in good memory, not to mention keeping track of resources and everything else happening on-screen.Civilizationis often cited as thebest strategy game series around, withCivilization 5standing asthe best in the series. Players must raise their budding civilization into a thriving empire, managing every aspect while maintaining diplomatic relations with neighboring groups.
Civilization 5also gives several game mechanics a complete overhaul from previous installments, forcing even veteran players of the franchise to stay on their toes. Its hex-based grid system adds even more complex movement and strategy and in-depth resource management the series is famous for. Building an empire to last the ages is no small feat, after all.
Alongside other greats likePongandPac-Man,Tetrisis one of the core founding members of the video game industry. Its consistent popularity is unrivaled, withcountless new iterationskeeping the simple yet addictive game still relevant over forty years after its initial release. This phenomenal status in pop culture has ledTetristo become the focus of countless scientific studies and behavioral analyses over the years.
One psychologist,Richard Haier, argues that playingTetrisregularly mightimprove a person’s memory. Other studies claim thatplaying Tetris can help prevent PTSDafter a traumatic experience, reducing the chance of lingering traumatic memories. There’s just something about these falling square configurations that’s good for stimulating gray matter in all the right ways. Maybe it’s the same thing that causes avid players to see those blocks whenever they close their eyes!
Brain AgeandBig Brain Academy follow a similar vein of mini-games designed to improve players' mental faculties, butBrain Agehas more scientific evidence to back up its claims. There areplenty of studiespointing to this DS puzzle game as helping to “keep the brain sharp,” similar to games like Sudoku and Scrabble. Other sources even suggest that such games can helpprevent the onset of dementiaor help dementia patients with their deteriorating memory skills.
Of course, gamers won’t find Nintendo themselves making such claims. They’re in the entertainment business first and foremost. Series likeBrain AgeandBig Brain Academyare only meant to be fun puzzle games that make playersfeelsmarter, notbecomesmarter.Brain Agejust so happens to be an incredibly beneficial exception to that rule. Even if some studies on the game are inconclusive at best, it can’t hurt to try, right?
