Computer Games are Good for your Brain

There is already plenty of emerging evidence that casual gamers have improved social, emotional and problem-solving skills as well as games providing a good way for kids to learn about technology. But now we have proof that gaming is good for the brain.
A study between Macquarie University in Sydney and University of Electronic Science and Technology of China has shown that regular playing of video games increases the grey matter in a person’s brain and improves the connectivity in certain subregions of the brain associated with muscle control and sensory perception skills.
Comprising functional MRI (fMRI) scans of the brains of casual gamers to professional or ‘expert’ gamers who have won regional or national championships in multiplayer online battle arena games League of Legends or DOTA2, the researchers looked specifically at the insular cortex region which is responsible for language processing, empathy and compassion as well as hand-eye coordination, swallowing, gastric motility and speech articulation.
The report did actually suggest in Scientific Reports that adopting a regular practise of gaming would be a recommended way to “enhance functional integration of insular subregions and the pertinent networks therein,” however it is also noted that other non-gaming activities such as sports and painting will have similar effects due to their repetitive, skill-based nature.
Alex B. Berezow explains the results over at Real Clear Science:
[caption id="attachment_12450" align="alignleft" width="192"] Diankun Gong, et. al. Scientific Reports[/caption]
"The figure depicts brain pathways with enhanced functional connectivity in expert Action Video Games (AVGs) compared to amateurs. Note that anterior (green), transitional (yellow) and posterior (red) regions of the brain showed greater connectivity in the experts, particularly in the left hemisphere. Subsequent analysis showed that expert AVGs also had more grey matter in the left insular cortex and central insular sulcus."