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Gamers' brains work differently
Last reviewed: 02.07.2025
The passion for computer games has recently become increasingly widespread, especially among children and teenagers. Scientists have even stated that computer addiction is the plague of the 21st century.
The University of Utah School of Medicine, together with specialists from South Korea's Chung-Ang University, conducted a study in which they examined the brains of gamers. The study involved 200 boys and young men who devoted almost all their free time to games and, as it turned out, their brain function differed from that of those who rarely or never played computer games.
Gamers' brains have abnormal connections between different areas, causing them to forget about the world around them and become completely immersed in the virtual world.
Scientists have found that the anomalies affect the areas of the brain responsible for impulsivity, response to stimuli, as a result of which a person forgets about the need to eat, drink, sleep, etc.
According to Professor Jeffrey Anderson, most of the changes that experts have identified are considered beneficial, but in some cases such changes are closely intertwined with the problems that follow, for example, gambling addiction. According to Professor Anderson, over a quarter of a century in developed countries, a certain number of people have appeared who are overly captivated by the virtual world, including online games. Often, the body of inveterate gamers is so exhausted that they end up in hospital, in addition, gamers are able to forget about everything that surrounds them, including pets, children, loved ones and relatives.
Jeffrey Anderson and his colleagues decided to check whether there are neurophysiological causes of gambling addiction, as well as to identify methods of combating this pathology. The specialists involved boys and young men who had gambling addiction in the experiment and tracked how brain activity changes during the game using MRI.
As a result, all participants showed similar changes - there was a close connection between the temporoparietal junction and the posterior part of the anterior cortex of the brain, and during the game these two areas actively exchanged information, which was not observed in people without gambling addiction.
As scientists explained, the posterior part of the anterior cortex is responsible for planning, working memory, new information, abstract thinking, the temporoparietal junction is responsible for accumulating information coming from the senses. These two areas also participate in a certain process when the most important object at a given moment is established, while other stimuli remain unnoticed.
Due to the increased connection between the two areas of the brain, a person becomes nervous, forgets about their plans, and is unable to concentrate for a long time. It is these changes, according to scientists, that explain the behavioral changes among gamers.
As scientists have noted, a child's tendency to game addiction can be determined by the level of connection between the two above-mentioned areas of the brain, which will help take appropriate measures in time and protect him from excessive passion for computer games.