17th
Video games for cognitive power
Slashdot reports on an incredibly interesting and unique study from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The results show that strategic game playing for adults over 60 and 70 had significant across the board effects on a variety of cognitive functions.
Strategy Games Improve Cognitive Functions In Older Adults
It’s not Pac Man we’re talking about. These are strategic games that they tested. And the results were very promising. The subjects of the study transferred their learning to the outside world, something pretty rare in the education and training world.
This is good news. We’re not wasting on money on games like the Sim’s and Rise of Nations (the game they used in the study.)
These games are not mindless retreats— even if they’re fun. Something we should keep in mind when designing learning programs.
