The effect of playing action games can quickly make you senile, experts say

Not infrequently you find people who are enjoying playing action game on his gadget, even though the conditions at that time were arguably not the right time to play games. Yes, maybe this has happened to you too. If you have fun playing video games , You will usually forget about other activities or even the people around you. However, no matter how fun the game is, don't let you play it action game too often, huh! Therefore, experts found that the effect played action game not only makes the eyes hurt, but also quickly becomes senile, you know.

Effects of playing action games for brain health

Everyone has their own way to unwind. Some like to listen to music, go out for walks, or just enjoy a day with lots of sleep.

But for most men, play action game be the most exciting activity to spend the weekend. Especially if you play with peers, you might lose track of time.

Indeed, it is okay if you have a hobby like to play games . However, there are actually limitations to playing games that you need to pay attention to. Instead of refreshing the mind, play effect action game which too often can harm the brain, you know!

This surprising fact was discovered by Gregory West, a psychology lecturer at the Universite de Montreal, Canada, in 2017. In fact, several previous studies have revealed that playing action game provide a positive impact on its users. One of them is to train one's motor skills and focus.

However, the research results published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry reveal the opposite. As many as 85 percent of people who play action game for 6 more hours each week has a gray area (gray matter) which is less in the hippocampus, compared to those who rarely play games .

The hippocampus is the part of the brain that is the center of long-term memory learning, storage and processing. If the entire hippocampus is damaged, or even partially, you could have serious memory problems.

How come?

When playing action game , You are forced to think creatively to find a strategy to beat your opponent. This process involves a part of the brain called the striatum.

The striatum is the part of the brain that acts like a sort autopilot . That is, your brain automatically knows the ins and outs of game strategy, for example when to turn right, left, forward, or backward without having to think long. So, this part of the brain makes "navigation" a habit.

The more often the striatum is used, the less the brain will use the hippocampus to remember important things. As a result, the hippocampus experiences atrophy, aka slowly losing cells and tissues.

The fatal impact, you can no longer remember things that are long-term. You may still be able to recall things that happened a while ago, but unfortunately you can't remember things that just happened before the hippocampus was damaged.

For example, it is very easy for you to remember the names of your old school friends. However, now it's easy to forget the name of your new friend at work. In other words, it becomes easy for you to forget your alias as senile even though you are young.

Main effect action game too much, apparently it hasn't stopped there, you know! People with less gray matter in the hippocampus were found to be at higher risk of developing psychiatric illness. Starting from depression, schizophrenia, PTSD, to Alzheimer's disease. But unfortunately, this still requires further research and analysis.

You can just play action games, as long as…

The results of this discovery do not mean that you are prohibited from playing action game at all, you know! You can just play action game to refresh your mind on the weekends, but of course there are limitations that you should pay attention to.

Remember, the play effect action game this can happen if you play too often and even lose track of time. So, if this game is played only occasionally, it really doesn't matter.

Reporting from WebMD, adults can only play action game for only 2-3 hours a week. Instead of harming the brain, this type of play can actually reduce stress and improve problem-solving skills.

In addition, don't let this habit make you lose track of time, huh! However, balance it with other activities, such as sports, school, work, or playing with friends outside the home. That way, you will also avoid the dangers of obesity due to overtime sitting around games .