Chess or video games—which actually makes you smarter? The answer may surprise you.
Every Christmas, my family follows the same script: a stack of board games arrives on the table and a heated debate breaks out about what we should play. But as the holidays approach and my brain becomes exhausted, I’ve started to wonder if games might be more than a way to pass the time. Is it possible to find a really fun game that will exercise my slow brain?
To find out, I asked experts which games are most effective for sharpening your mind.
“Sorry to disappoint you,” says Dr. Fernand Gobet, cognitive science researcher and author of Head movements: the psychology of board games“but the answer is none.”
“Not even chess?” I ask. “There is a moderate correlation between chess skills and different types of intelligence,” says Gobet, “but this seems to be explained by the fact that more intelligent individuals tend to be more attracted to activities such as chess.”
This is not to say that games are useless for the brain. Rather, Gobet explains, most games teach “domain-specific skills” or specialized knowledge. For example, if you want to improve your knowledge of mathematics or business, choose Monopoly.
Many classic games – chess, go, checkers – encourage players to think before acting, Gobet says. It is an essential part of executive function, the mental skills that help us solve problems, make decisions, and manage complex situations.
And games also promote social intelligence, like respect for opponents and losing gracefully, he adds.
Video games might do more for your brain
A recent study suggests that while playing games in general is good for the brain, video games may have a stronger effect than board games. One reason could be that video games require players to process multiple streams of information at once and adapt their strategies in real time.
“Constantly facing new challenges and having to learn about even entirely new systems is good for the brain,” says Dr. Kurt Dean Squire, a professor of computer science at the University of California, Irvine, whose research focuses on game-based learning. “You have to think laterally about ideas, exploring problems from new angles. »
“Different games help develop different types of intelligence,” says Dr. Nathan Carroll, board-certified psychiatrist and author of Internet gaming disorder.
Games that emphasize cooperation, such as Animal Crossing, Minecraft, and many MMORPGs (massively multiplayer online role-playing games), benefit from social intelligence, provided they are played collaboratively, Carroll says.
Role-playing games, which allow you to control characters in fictional worlds and tend to feature dense, descriptive text, can improve linguistic intelligence. “I actually personally learned to read by playing role-playing games on the Sega Master System in the 1980s,” says Carroll. “To interact with them, I needed to learn the words on the screen.”
Games whose goal is to build and manage some form of base or empire, like the games Minecraft, Valheim, and 4X, encourage logical and spatial intelligence, Carroll says.
“Augmented and virtual reality games provide many opportunities to develop kinesthetic (body/movement) intelligence,” says Carroll. “Great games for this include Beat Saber and Fruit Ninja. »
Never too old nor too young to play
For children, games can be a powerful educational tool. “Children in particular might be more motivated to learn if they engage in fun activities,” says Gobet.
A large study involving more than 500 elementary school students found that children who played modern board games in class became better at “updating” (the brain’s ability to exchange old information for new, useful information) and also had better reading and math skills compared to students in regular classes.
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The cognitive benefits of games are not limited to children. In older adults, “trying new things, solving problems, any kind of mental stimulation has been shown to be effective in preventing cognitive decline,” Squire says. “Social games are even better.”
Several studies have shown that older adults who regularly played games like Go and Ska (a traditional board game in Thailand) showed improvements in their attention, memory, and executive functions (the mental skills used to plan, solve problems, and adapt to new situations).
Age appropriateness is important, warns Gobet. Games that are too easy bore older players, while games that are too complex can frustrate younger players. “That being said, children can learn complex games like chess at a surprisingly young age,” says Gobet. “For example, an Indian child recently made headlines for acquiring a chess rating of nearly 1,600 Elo, the rating of an average amateur level, at the age of 3.”
Conclusion
Games don’t make you smarter, but they can support your brain no matter your age. Different games hone different skills, and video games may have an advantage over traditional board games by requiring faster, more flexible thinking.
Maybe it’s time to update our Christmas game stash with a video game or two.
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