You know, I started this blog because I had read "Reality is Broken", a book about bringing the benefits of online gaming into the "real" world. Now the Wall Street Journal has published an article about research that show gaming is good for your brain. (see it here).
Some of the stats they published are very interesting ... some expected. For example, the fact that the average gamer is 34 and has been playing for 12 years isn't very surprising. However, the fact that 29% of all gamers are over 50 surprised me quite a bit. Makes my guild of over-60 players not so unique!
It seems fairly intuitive that something a person does for many, many hours would change their brain structure. What does take me aback, though, is the underlying fact that brain structure is malleable! I don't know if that's new research, or if I missed it somewhere along the line.
Other items of interest ... violent games seem to engage us more and educational games just don't reach the level of engagement (or perhaps violence) necessary to bring on the brain-changes that are beneficial from gaming.
This is a very interesting article and should be taken seriously by educators, parents, and of course ... gamers!
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