A Recent study suggest that the brains of teenage video game players possess characteristics similar to those of gambling addicts, in the sense that they may develop a dependency to playing video games for long periods of time.

The was a collaborative study conducted by students from Canadian and European universities, which was eventually published by the peer-reviewed science publication Translational Psychiatry. The study was funded by the UK Department of Health and Sixth Framework Programme of the European Community.

This study involved 154 healthy kids who were 14 years of age. Comparisons were done between those who play video games for over 9 hours a week, who are classified as frequent players; and those who played less, who are the infrequent players. They analyzed the ventral striatum area of their brain which is associated with rewards and the decision-making processes, and they found that there was significantly more brain activity in these areas for frequent video game players.

A cross-section study involving the use of MRI or magnetic resonance imaging scanner was conducted among selected 14-year-old kids in Germany consisting of 72 boys and 82 girls categorized under frequent and infrequent players. After which, the ventral striatum of each gamer was examined by researchers.

Results proved that those who play frequently have more grey matter on their ventral striatum. Researchers connected this grey matter to how the subjects gamble, pointing that they’re faster at making decisions. They also have more brain activity caused by the way they anticipate their win or loss in every game.

Researchers interpreted the results saying that the activities in the ventral striatum among gamers can be likened with those found among gamblers. However, it’s unclear whether the size differences in this part of the brain is due to frequent gaming or is already inborn.

One should note that limitations of the study include the fact that it didn’t conduct an actual comparison between the brains of video game players and gamblers, although it still suggests there may be similarities between the reward and decision-making process of both groups. Another limitation of the study is that they were unable to prove if the brains of frequent video game players are naturally different or if their video game habits actually changed the brain structure, which caused them to play more.

Some of the leading websites and newspapers ran stories suggestion that there may be similarities between the brains of video game players and gambling addicts, which were not covered by the actual study.

In conclusion, this study analyzed a part of the brain specifically the ventral striatum and its connection with reward and decision-making. It also suggested that the grey matter is larger among frequent gamers. The learning that could be drawn from this study is like any other activity over indulgence could prove to be harmful. Hence it’s recommendation that teenagers be urged to engage in playing video games with moderation and they should also try to connect with their friends in the real world by playing physical sports outdoors.