Computer games will restore memory of aged people

American scientists have got from National Science Foundation a grant of 1.2 million of dollars to study the ability of computer games to improve memory and thinking of aged people. In case of positive results of research they will develop a prototype of a new game.

Scientists from North Carolina University and Georgia Institute of Technology plan to hold the research in two stages. During the first stage they will see if games have necessary qualities that positively impact on thinking processes of aged people such as memory, taking decisions, critical thinking and other.

On second stage they will make analysis of concrete elements of the game that does mostly stimulate mentioned processes. On the basis of obtained results researchers intend to write recommendations for potential developers of new type of therapeutic video games and also to create prototype of such game.

This attempt to use video games in order to help aged people having aberration of thinking processes is not first one. At the end of last year scientists from Illinois State University discovered that aged people who played “Rise of Nations” had improvement of parameters of switching over tasks of memory functioning and goal setting.

Computer games were used to help soldiers who came back from the Iraq to adapt psychologically and also were used to help surgeon develop spatial thinking and manual devolution. Besides, researches proved that being shooters is good for vision.