Results
Prospective Studies—Structural and Functional Brain
Effects
A number of structural imaging studies have found that video
game play can alter brain structure, especially gray matter
volume. These studies have typically analyzed a particular
video game or video game type. The most commonly studied
category in the last few years has been complex strategy
games such as Super Mario 64 or Space Fortress (Developed
in 1989 [42]).
There is evidence that regional differences in brain volume
can predict learning in tasks that require the use of perceptual,
cognitive, and motor processes. Basak et al. (2011) used
voxel-based morphometry to assess brain volume differences
that predicted skill acquisition in complex tasks, such as the
strategy-based video game Rise of Nations [43]. In their study
of 20 volunteers who participated in 15 one-and-a-half-hour
sessions over 5–6 weeks, they found that variance of gray