Do strategy games and real time strategy games improve brain function?

[timeuser84]

Hi, just wanting to know the answer to this. What parts of the brain do playing these games stimulate? What effects do playing these games have on the brain? what brain functions do they improve or strengthen? more specifically I mean the games call to power 1 and/or empire Earth 1. Note that i don't mean any skill or skill only but rather increased brain functions like maximizing memory

 

[berkeman]

No peer-reviewed journal links, but good reads:

https://www.chessity.com/en/blog/431/The_Benefits_of_Chess

https://www.brainscape.com/blog/2012/09/brain-benefits-of-playing-chess/

 

[Laroxe]

I think the general principle is that we get better at the things we practice but the generalisation tends to be poor. The best way to improve your IQ score is to practice doing IQ tests, but even then the effect is temporary. We know that during our lives people do develop certain cognitive strategies but these are learned skills. Its also clear that the brain does change its structure in response to its needs, so London taxi drivers who have to master the knowledge tend to show changes in their brain, but these appear to be adaptations.

I suspect you would be thinking about the efficiency of the brain connections but it would be early development that would have the main effect for the parts not under genetic control.
It might be best to look at the things specifically designed to have this effect like brain training programs, even then its not clear.

https://www.sciencealert.com/do-brain-training-games-really-work-here-s-the-science