Anyone who plays World of Warcraft has to accept a shrinkage of the brain. Don’t you believe it? This study wants to prove it.
Video games are seen in a bad light in the German public. There are still many prejudices that video games make you aggressive and stupid. But there is little evidence for this. Numerous studies come to very different conclusions, and long-term studies are still rare.
Nonetheless, it is an area that still occupies researchers. A new study from the University of Ulm has now dealt with the effects of World of Warcraft on the brain development of players.
In a study lasting six weeks, the researchers examined the brains of 119 participants.
- 41 people were players with extensive gaming experience
- 78 people were “game beginners”. The “game beginners” were again divided into two groups:
- One half was to play World of Warcraft for one hour every day.
- The other half was not to play.
At the beginning and end of the study, an MRI scan was performed, and the various brain regions of the participants were examined.
Gaming causes a brain area to shrink
The result of the study: In gamers, the gray matter in the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) decreases. This area is located in the frontal lobe of the brain and has special significance for emotional control and decision-making.
From the researchers’ perspective, it is “alarming” that these differences can already be observed after six weeks of playing World of Warcraft for one hour daily.
The researchers also believe that the reduced OFC volume is not a prerequisite for video game addiction but rather a consequence of online gaming. This would mean that gaming itself causes corresponding areas in the brain to deteriorate, which then leads to a greater susceptibility to addiction. However, this needs to be proven in further studies.
World of Warcraft was chosen for the study because it is considered particularly popular and “viewed by critics as particularly relevant in relation to video game addiction”.
What do you think of this study? Do you believe that World of Warcraft influences decision-making and the risk of addiction in the brain?
