Playing Tetris actually gives you more brain to work with, says a new study to be published later this week.

The study, funded by Tetris’ makers and authored by investigators at the Mind Research Network in New Mexico, shows that playing the classic puzzle game had two distinct effects on the brains of research subjects: some areas in the brain showed greater efficiency (the blue areas in the diagram above), and different areas showed thicker cortexes, which is a sign of more grey matter (red).

This, says the doctors who undertook the study, shows that focusing on a "challenging visuospatial task" like a videogame can actually alter the structure of the brain, not just increase brain activity.

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From pcworld.ca:

An older article, but still a good read.

“Videogames, though still a relatively young medium, are proving to be no different. “Brain games,” are currently one of hottest new genres, and along with dancing games and fitness sims they’re ushering in a new age of healthy gaming.

With PCWorld.ca’s guide to healthy gaming, learn about what games you can play to achieve a fitter mind and body.”

Read more…

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