| The link between video games and intelligence has | | | | Then both groups were again scanned by an MRI |
| been a persistent theory that a lot of people have | | | | scanner. The results where very telling. It was first |
| been following. Whether it be a Tetris game or a first | | | | believed that the amount of brain cells that a person |
| person shooter, people have always thought there | | | | had did not change. But it seems that some of the |
| was a connection between intelligence and games. But | | | | grey matter in the brains of those who were |
| this insistence may have a simpler explanation. Those | | | | subjected to the Tetris game actually thickened. That |
| same people who kept putting a connection between | | | | means that there really was a sizable increase in |
| video games and intelligence might just be the very | | | | those people's mental skills. |
| same people who are playing these games. This puts | | | | Exercising one's mind can be done through several |
| a damper on the validity of these theories because of | | | | means. But the thing is, puzzle games can be one of |
| course these people draw connections between video | | | | the most mentally stimulating games out there. This is |
| games and intelligence because they support video | | | | because the mind learns to incorporate shapes and |
| game playing. What's worse is when these same | | | | objects. This helps build one's spatial intelligence. |
| studies are created by the same people who | | | | There are people out there who claim that perhaps |
| manufacture video games. | | | | the only thing that playing the Tetris game will do is to |
| In any case, there have been studies on people who | | | | increase one's Tetris intelligence. That is, the intelligence |
| play free Tetris games and there may actually be a | | | | that one gains from playing the game. But this is very |
| real connection between intelligence and playing this | | | | debatable. Though it is true that this game is not as |
| game. First, a large group of people were all asked to | | | | complex as the newer games in the market, there is |
| undergo an MRI scan of their brain. Then, this large | | | | still a lot mental stimulation that goes along with playing |
| group was divided into two separate groups. A set of | | | | the game. This is especially stimulates spatial |
| people were studied. One group was made to play | | | | intelligence because reaction time goes faster and |
| Tetris for a set amount of time (for a period of many | | | | faster as the game difficulty progresses. |
| weeks). Another set was not made to play the game. | | | | |