Let’s be honest: if you have ever used a gamepad, you might have heard that video games will mess up your brain. Maybe a worried mom or dad said it, maybe a teacher who didn’t believe in games, or that one pal who still thinks Pac-Man is the top game out there. But, here’s a twist—research is now backing up what gamers have long known: games are not just about fun; they can be good for you, too.
Can you recall when the news told us games might be good for mental health? For folks who spent a rainy weekend building worlds in Animal Crossing or fighting through Zelda, this was not shocking. Games are fun, hold our interest, and keep us happy with their cool and exciting tasks. It’s simple — liking what you do boosts both your mood and your mind.
But let’s dig deeper. What does science really say about games and our brains? A lot, it turns out. For ages, experts have watched gamers, and what they have found is pretty cool. A review of 116 studies showed that playing games does more than change how your brain works—it can change its shape too. Gamers get better at paying attention for long periods and picking out key details. Areas of the brain in charge of these skills work smoothly. Yup, your brain gets better at noting what matters, like dodging that last-second blue shell in Mario Kart.
It doesn’t end there. Long-term players, or those adhering to video game training regimens, have demonstrated an expanded right hippocampus—the region of the brain responsible for remembering where you placed your keys (or, more pragmatically, where you stored precious loot). 3-D gaming, specifically, is known to enhance memory creation. One study even demonstrated a 12 percent increase in memory test scores after only two weeks of gaming—that’s about the amount of memory that typically drops between the ages of 45 and 70. So yes, grandma, those Fortnite skills could actually keep your brain sharp.
Of course, it’s not all bonus rounds and power-ups. For a few, gaming can be addictive, just like other addictive habits, and this can alter the reward system of the brain. Though the World Health Organization’s designation of “gaming disorder” is controversial, it’s a legitimate issue for a minority of players. However, as Marc Palaus, senior author of a review in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, explains, “Video games have both positive effects (on attention, visual, and motor skills) and negative aspects (risk of addiction), and it’s important to understand this complexity.”
And what about all those brain-training games that vow to turn you into a genius? Don’t buy it. Wally Boot, a psychology associate professor at Florida State University, says that there isn’t much proof these games really make your life better in some way. You may become proficient at remembering numbers, but you won’t be able to recall where you left your car parked.
The magic of gaming is really not about brains—it’s about wellbeing. When we were all stuck at home, games like Animal Crossing and Roblox turned into fun zones. They let kids and grown-ups laugh, look around, and hang out online when the outside world was too much. Keza MacDonald wrote that games helped her find herself again while dealing with the wild times of being a new parent, giving her a break from endless nappies and lack of sleep.
So why the bad rep? Maybe because some still see games as just for fun, or maybe because news often talks about the bad stuff, like violence and addiction. But with nearly 3 billion players all over, it’s time to move past old views. Games are now as rich and wide as movies, music, or books—there are great games, not-so-great ones, and everything in between. They make us smile, teach us stuff, and sometimes even keep our brains sharp.