A bigger brain might mean bigger game scores

I have wondered many times what makes someone a better gamer than the rest. I thought it was basically down to good reflexes and practice but, according to a recent study, it might all be in your head.

The study, published by the Cerebral Cortex Journal, was conducted in the US by the University of Illinois, the University of Pittsburgh and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Scientists from these universities found a relation between the size and development of a certain part of the brain and a person’s ability to perform at video games.

There is a general relation between brain size and intelligence in the animal kingdom so, the larger the animal, the smarter it is. There are notable exceptions as in the case of humans, though. Even though a whale’s brain is bigger than ours, humans are thought to be smarter because the part of the brain that controls cognitive abilities is proportionally larger. In a similar fashion, a person’s ability at certain tasks can be identified from the size of the regions in the brain responsible for those tasks.

By performing a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan, scientists identify this region and accurately predict a person’s performance in a video game just by looking at the size of it. This region lies deep in the center of the brain and is also responsible for multitasking and learning new skills.

By identifying these regions in the brain, this study will help in understanding the way in which different people learn and also to better understand and possibly treat learning and memory deficiencies like dementia or Alzheimer’s.

Although the study showed a relationship, scientists agree that despite the size of this region it can be developed through training, so even though some people may be better equipped, the old saying that practice makes perfect still applies.

It’s interesting to see how the skills used in video games translate into real life activities. Even though I’m sure most people play mainly for fun, now we have another reason to practice.

I guess next time I play Ikaruga and die for the 100th time, instead of cursing the heavens and quitting, I can try once more and think of it as a workout.

No in-game pain, no brain gain.

Read [BBC News] Also read [ZDNet]

Image credit: Cerebral Cortex Journal