The Fountain of Youth for Your Brain Might Be a Strategy Video Game - Decrypt

In brief A 2025 Nature Communications study found that people engaged in demanding creative activities-especially complex video games-had brains that appeared 4-7 years younger. In controlled tests, non-gamers who trained on StarCraft II showed measurable improvements in brain efficiency; slower, turn-based games did not. The benefits seem tied to real-time complexity and cognitive load, not gaming per se, and don’t replace mental-health gains from exercise. The relentless march of time takes an inevitable toll on cognitive function. Yet, emerging research suggests a surprising countermeasure against neural decline may lie not in a pharmaceutical solution, but in complex, demanding recreational activities-including sophisticated video games. According to a 2025 study published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal Nature Communications , individuals deeply engaged in specific "creative" tasks-defined in the study as video games, music, dance, and visual arts-possess brains that appear significantly younger than their actual chronological age. The findings offer compelling evidence that certain cognitively demanding hobbies can boost neural plasticity, potentially buffering against age-related decline. The study, led by researchers Carlos Coronel and Agustin Ibanez , utilized machine learning to analyze brain scans taken via EEG and MEG. By mapping neural activity patterns, the researchers estimated a biological "brain age" for each participant. The results showed that, on average, the brains of experienced gamers and artists appeared 4 to 7 years younger than those of non-experts. To determine if these activities actually caused the anti-aging effect, rather than simply attracting people with healthier brains, the researchers conducted a controlled experiment. They tasked non-gamers with playing StarCraft II , a complex real-time strategy game that requires intense multitasking, planning, and rapid attention shifts, for roughly 30 hours over several weeks. Following the training period, these new players showed a measurable slowing of brain aging and increased brain efficiency. Crucially, the study found that not all games yield the same results. A separate control group played Hearthstone , a slower-paced, turn-based card game, and did not show significant cognitive benefits. This discrepancy suggests that the complexity and real-time demands of the activity are what drive the anti-aging benefit. The researchers compare the cognitive load of these complex games to the neural demands of learning a new language or musical instrument. These findings are supported by other recent large-scale research. A separate study out of Western University found that frequent gamers performed cognitively as if they were 13.7 years younger than non-gamers. However, experts note that gaming is not a panacea for overall health. The Western University study pointed out that while cognitive performance metrics improved, gaming did not necessarily offer the same mental health benefits-such as reductions in depression or anxiety-that are associated with physical exercise. The emerging consensus suggests that maintaining neural youth requires treating the brain like a muscle that demands varied and complex workouts. Action and strategy games appear to engage specific brain networks responsible for attention and decision-making that are often the first to decline with age. GG Newsletter Get the latest web3 gaming news, hear directly from gaming...

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