Intense Brain Training Games Only Make You Good at… Brain Training Games
A few days ago, I came across an article in The Washington Post titled ‘Brain-Training’ games train you in only one thing: Playing brain-training games’. 🧠🎮
This article was based on a piece by Daniel Simons, a psychology professor at the University of Illinois, in the journal Psychological Science. The main takeaway? Those trendy brain training puzzle games don’t have any solid evidence proving they actually boost cognitive abilities. 🤔
Years ago, Nintendo’s brain training game was all the rage, hailed for enhancing cognitive skills and preventing dementia. It gained even more popularity as it was endorsed by the Japanese neurologist Ryuta Kawashima. Much like how we trust a sci-fi movie’s logic if Stephen Hawking backs it, people believed this game was a brain health savior. Parents were gifting game consoles to their kids (a first in human history), and adults were receiving them from their children. I bought one myself (still feeling a bit bitter about that), and these brain games helped Nintendo sell over 150 million units worldwide. 📈
Looking back at the article, the social phenomenon of ‘brain training games’ had no scientific backing. Despite all the effort, kids didn’t get smarter, nor did these games help reduce dementia rates among the elderly. In fact, staring at small screens might’ve even led to more cases of vision problems and arthritis among the older folks. I played quite a lot, yet I still occasionally forget my front door password. 🤷♂️
Clinical trial data from scientists – often observing just dozens or hundreds – are released sporadically, yet they frequently contradict each other, causing a lot of confusion. 😵💫
Take cola, for instance. Some say its caffeine boosts mood, efficiency, relaxes blood vessels, excites muscles, promotes gastric juice secretion, and helps the body in various ways. On the flip side, others argue that phosphoric acid threatens mental health, caramel coloring damages genes, and it’s a primary cause of obesity, cavities, osteoporosis, heart disease, and allergies. When even objective data like ingredient effects have opposing views, qualitative studies of human behavior can be even more bewildering. 🥤❓
If I were part of such clinical experiments, I’d probably feel like saying anything, but faced with lab coats in a cresol-scented lab, I might just end up spilling the truth. Regardless, those in the brain-training business are pushing back, worried about the impact on their bottom line, while academics, due to pride, are unlikely to readily overturn their research findings. 🧑🔬🔍
I’m not too concerned about who wins this debate, but as a gamer, I’d love to cheer for the side that says gaming makes you smarter. 🎮❤️
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