Travellers stuck in traffic jams this bank holiday weekend, especially with children in tow, may resort to handheld video games when every I Spy answer has been guessed.
Luckily, playing video games may actually be very good for the brain - and may even stave off dementia symptoms in later life. This is because if you continue learning to do new things, whether studying a new language, completing sudoku puzzles or working out how to beat a cartoon monster, your brain seems to become better at switching to new ways of doing things and this may slightly delay the onset of some of the more distressing symptoms.
It won’t stop the organic progression of the disease, which studies found to be the same in groups who played electronic puzzle games and those who didn’t, but the players were able to find new neural pathways around the damaged areas of the brain.
Similarly to exercising a muscle, playing a difficult game for the first time can feel like ‘stretching’ your brain, especially if you have no idea what to do at first. Time to turn your engine off and nick the kids’ consoles.
Dr Daniel Glaser is director of Science Gallery at King’s College London
