Table 3 The summary of research papers presented to describe the association between VG playing and cognitive function
Studies | Study design, participants | Measures | Associated cognitive functions | Additional information of results |
|---|---|---|---|---|
[26] | Cross-sectional, 88 university students (NFemale = 50) (1) Console/computer VG players (N = 34) (2) Mobile VG players (N = 25) (3) Non-VG players | Cognitive tests (e.g. Go-No-Go task, N-back task) | Attention, WM | No enhancement in inhibition Similar enhancement in cognitive function between players using different gaming platforms |
[19] | Intervention (15 h of training), young adults (1) WM-REAS 1 (N = 43, NFemale = 12) (2) WM-REAS 2 (N = 40, NFemale = 11) (3) AC (N = 44, NFemale = 12) (4) NC (N = 43, NFemale = 12) | Cognitive tests (e.g. Logical memory task, N-back task, Task switching) Behavior rating inventory of executive function | Attention | No improvement in WM capacity and fluid intelligence |
[70] | Intervention (10 h of FPS training), university students without gaming experience (1) FPS group (N = 16) (2) Non-AVG control group (N = 6) | EEG recording during the attention visual field task that was completed before and after the training intervention | Attention | The modification of neural activity supporting spatial selective attention through FPS training Substantial improvement of selective attention in high-performing players in FPS group |
[30] | Cross-sectional and intervention (1 h of AVG training), 29 males (1) LoL experts who were recognized as skilled-players with more than 2 years of AVG experience (N = 15) (2) Non-experts | EEG recording during the useful field of vision task that was completed before and after the AVG training | Attention | Better selective attention, attentional control and top-down modulated attentional allocation in LoL experts than in non-experts before the training Improved selective attention and attentional control in non-experts after AVG training No enhancement in accuracy in both groups |
[31] | Cross-sectional, 119 participants (1) Players who reported to engage in AVGs or adventure games for more than 4Â h weekly (2) Non-VG players | Attentional blink tasks with global orientation and local orientation | Attention | Faster recovery from attentional blink in VG players than in non-VG players when both global and local elements were attended |
[32] | Intervention, 75 university students whose initial weekly gaming duration was less than 1 h (NFemale = 47) (1) Hidden-object VG group (N = 15) (2) Memory matrix VG group (N = 14) (3) Match-3 VG group (N = 14) (4) AVG group (N = 16) SG group | Cognitive tasks (e.g. attentional blink task, visual search/spatial memory task, complex span task) | Attention, WM | Enhanced recovery from attentional blink, improved skill to track multiple objects and better cognitive control to filter irrelevant stimuli out in AVG group Enhanced visual search in hidden-object VG group, memory matrix VG group and match-3 VG group Improved spatial WM in hidden-object VG group and memory matrix VG group Improved complex verbal WM in match-3 VG group and AVG group |
[34] | Cross-sectional, 26 male young adults (age range = 18–26 years) (1) AVG players whose weekly playing time was more than 5 h (N = 12) (2) Non-VG players including players of non-AVGs | fMRI scanning during attention task | Attention | Reduced activation of MT/MST in AVG players in response to moving distracters Decreased recruitment of the fronto-parietal network (e.g. bilateral superior and middle occipital gyri, left inferior temporal gyrus), in AVG players compared to non-VG players |
[33] | Cross-sectional, 131 participants (age range = 7–22 years) (1) AVG players (N = 56) (2) Non-VG players including players of non-AVGs | Attentional network test | Attention | Improved allocation of attention without speed-accuracy trade-off in AVG players compared to non-VG players |
[36] | Cross-sectional, 58 male adults (1) AVG experts who were recognized as regional or national champions with more than 6 years of AVG experience (N = 28) (2) Amateur players of AVGs | MRI scanning | Attention, visuo-spatial function | Increased global and local plasticity of white matter network in the prefrontal network, the sensori-motor network and the limbic system in AVG experts compared to amateur players |
[38] | Cross-sectional, 40 adults who were older than 60 years (1) VG players (N = 20) (2) Non-VG players | fMRI scanning during attentional network task | Attention | Better task performance in VG players than in non-VG players Higher activation in fronto-parietal regions (i.e. right DLPFC, left supramarginal gyrus, right angular gyrus, right precuneus, left paracentral lobule), right inferior temporal gyrus and left lingual gyrus in VG players than in non-VG players Higher FC between left paracentral lobule and right hippocampus, between left supramarginal gyrus and right DLPFC but lower FC between right precuneus and angular gyrus in VG players than in non-VG players |
[28] | Intervention (30 h of training), 34 male university students (1) AVG training group (N = 17) (2) Control group playing SG | visual WM tasks (e.g. change detection task) and complex span WM task | WM | Improved accuracy of visual WM in AVG training group compared to SG training group No enhancement of complex span VWM in AVG training group |
[42] | Cross-sectional, Experiment 1: (1) 48 AVG players whose weekly playing time was more than 5 h (NFemale = 5) (2) 49 non-VG players including AVG players whose weekly playing time was less than 1 h (NFemale = 6) Experiment 2: 47 participants from Experiment 1 (1) 24 AVG players (NFemlae = 2) (2) Non-VG players (NFemlae = 1) | Change detection task with more focus on the accuracy in both experiments | WM | Improved WM in AVG players compared to non-VG players regardless of the encoding time and better task performance in encoding more items Improved visual WM in AVG players compared to non-VG players regardless of the complexity of visual stimuli that were required to encode |
[43] | Cross-sectional, 52 young adults (NFemale = 4) (1) FPS players (N = 26) (2) Non-VG players | Cognitive tasks (e.g. stop-signal task, N-back task) | WM | Better skill to monitor and update information that is relevant with task in FPS players than in non-VG players Comparable inhibitory control in both groups |
[44] | Cross-sectional, 44 male adults (1) AVG players whose weekly gaming time was more than 3 and 4 h (N = 24) (2) Non-VG players including players of other VG genres | Multiple identity tracking task, color wheel task, useful field of view task | WM | Better skill to track multiple stimuli and to have precise representation of the stimuli (i.e. color, location) in AVG players than in non-VG players |
[45] | Cross-sectional (1) Expert VG players (N = 11) (2) Non-VG players (N = 10) and Intervention (21.5 h of training), 82 adults whose weekly playing time was less than 1 h (1) AVG training group (N = 20) (2) SVG training group (N = 23) (3) TG training group (N = 20) (4) Control group | Visual and attentional tasks (e.g. multiple object tracking, VSTM), spatial processing and sptial memory tasks (e.g. mental rotation), executive control and reasoning tasks (e.g. task switching, tower of London) | Attention, WM | Better attentional function, WM, task switching and spatial processing in expert VG players than in non-VG players Comparable performance between training groups and control group |
[46] | Cross-sectional (1) AVG experts with more than 4 years of AVG experience (N = 23) (2) Amateur AVG players whose AVG experience was less than 1 year (N = 22) | Cognitive tests (i.e. N-back task, spatial memory task) and resting-state fMRI scanning | Attention, WM | Improvement in global and nodal plasticity in salience network (e.g. ACC) and central executive network (e.g. DLPFC) in AVG experts than in amateur AVG players Enhanced FC between these networks in AVG experts compared to amateur AVG players |
[48] | Correlational, 62 male participants with varied VG experience (mean age = 28 years) | Resting-state MRI scanning | Visuo-spatial function | The positive association of VG experience with GM volume in bilateral entorhinal cortex and left occipital lobe/interior parietal lobe Positive influence of logic/puzzle VGs on entorhinal GM volume but negative influence of AVGs on the GM volume in entorhinal cortex |
[51] | Cross-sectional, 59 young adults (NFemale = 13) (1) AVG players whose weekly playing time was more than 6 h (N = 26, NFemale = 4) (2) Non-VG players | Cognitive tasks (i.e. virtual maze task, visual attention task) | Visuo-spatial function | The usage of response strategy in 80% of AVG players during the navigation of a virtual maze |
[52] | Intervention (2-month of training), 48 young adults (1) AVG training group (N = 23, NFemale = 17) (2) Control group (NFemale = 17) | MRI scanning, cognitive tests (e.g. tunnel task) before and after the training | Visuo-spatial function | Increased GM volume in right hippocampus, right DLPFC, bilateral cerebellum in AVG training group compared to control group The association of increased volume in hippocampus with the adoption of allocentric orientation strategy |
[53] | Cross-sectional, 62 male adults (1) RTS players whose weekly playing time was more than 6 h (N = 31) (2) Non-VG players who played RTS for less than 6 h weekly with less than 8 h of weekly VG experience | Operation span task, MRI scanning | Visuo-spatial function | Enhanced connectivity within occipital (e.g. left middle occipital gyrus) and parietal regions (e.g. superior parietal lobule) in RTS players compared to non-VG players Enhanced local efficiency in these regions in RTS players The positive association of RTS experience with alterations in the networks |
[54] | Correlational, 152 adolescents who aged 14 years (NFemale = 80) | MRI scanning | Visuo-spatial function | The positive association of VG playing duration with cortical thickness in left DLPFC and left FEF when possible confounders (e.g. sex, age, scanner, socioeconomic status) were controlled |
[55] | Cross-sectional (1) VG Players who played SVG or AVG for more than 15 h weekly (N = 17, NFemale = 4) (2) Non-VG players whose weekly playing time was less than 4 h (N = 17, NFemale = 4) | Weather prediction task, MRI scanning | Probabilistic learning | Better performance of categorization under the uncertainty in VG players than in non-VG players Highly activated brain regions (i.e. hippocampus, parahippocampal gyrus, precuneus, thalamus, attention-based areas (e.g. occipital visual areas), frontal gyrus and anterior cingulate gyrus) in VG players than in non-VG players |
[56] | (1) Cross-sectional and intervention (50Â h of training), AVG players (2) Non-VG players (2.1) AVG training group (2.2) Control group | Visual motion direction discrimination task, auditory tone location discrimination task | Probabilistic learning | More efficient use of both visual and auditory information in AVG players than in non-VG players Enhanced probabilistic inference in AVG training group |
[57] | Intervention (8 h of training), 77 university students (age range = 18–22 years, NFemale = 44) (1) Puzzle VG training group (N = 42) (2) Cognitive training program group | Cognitive tasks for problem solving skills, spatial skills and conscientiousness (e.g. Insight test, mental rotation test, picture comparison task) | Problem solving skills | Improved task performance after the training only in puzzle VG training group Better performance in problem solving skills, spatial skills and conscientiousness in puzzle VG training group than in cognitive training program group |
[25] | 4-year longitudinal, 1492 adolescents who took part in at least 2 surveys over the four waves (mean age = 13 years and 10 months at the beginning of the study, NFemale = 758) | Self reports of problem solving skills, academic grades | Problem solving skills | Longitudinal relationship of strategic VG playing with self-reported skills to solve problems Indirect association of strategic VG playing with better academic performance through the improved problem solving skills |
[58] | Intervention (14 h of training), 72 university students (1) VG training group (N = 36) (2) Control group | Self-reports for graduate skills including adaptability, communication skill, resourcefulness (e.g. communicative adaptability scale) | Problem solving skills | Enhanced communication skills, adaptability and resourcefulness in VG training group compared to control group |
[59] | Correlational, 479 adolescents in high schools (NFemale = 209) | Problem solving test, self-reported academic performance | Problem solving skills | No association between VG playing behaviors (e.g. VG genres) and problem solving skills despite small significant association of higher problem solving skills with the frequency of console gaming and the experience of computer gaming No association of academic performance with VG genres and self-reported gaming skills |
[62] | Intervention, 8 university students | Virtual ethnography tracking the process of learning, tutorial exams | L2 learning | More active usage of English Increased patience in reading Higher level of motivation for the communication with other players |