The study, conducted at the Lero Esports Science Research Lab at the University of Limerick, involved 88 young adults, half of whom were regular gamers who played more than seven hours of action-based video games each week. Participants were tested with three tasks measuring different aspects of their cognitive performance, including a simple reaction time test, a task that evaluated executive function and working memory, and a maze-based activity to assess visuospatial memory.
Cognitive Improvements Linked to Regular Video Game Play
The results showed that regular gamers were able to complete the number-letter task and the maze task 12.7 and 17.4% quicker, respectively, than the group of non-gamers. These findings suggest that regular video game play may lead to improvements in attentiveness and memory.