One of the dangers of aging, you know, outside that whole dying thing, is the loss of cognitive function. Seniors can become confused, detached, and isolated. It’s been known for a while that exercise helps prevent this slow decline, but recent studies have shown that adding video games to these exercise programs boosts their effectiveness at combating the horrors of growing old. Interactivity is the key, and the lightly addicting design of video games helps to provide motivation to keep up their exercise routine. ScienceBlog has the story.
Yet another thing video games can improve. I’m starting to get a picture here that video games aren’t training us to be hyperstimulated couchmonkeys freebasing digital crack, but rather, that reality itself and the society we’ve built in it is literally too boring to be healthy.