Does Playing Video Games Really Make Cognition 13.7 Years Younger? An Interpretation of a University of Western Ontario Study
Adults who frequently play video games score, on average, as if they were 13.7 years younger on cognitive tests, but this is only a correlation, not causation. The following article breaks down the study design, possible explanations, the game economy background, and the diagnostic criteria for "gaming disorder."
How the Study Was Conducted
The study was completed by a... moreDoes Playing Video Games Really Make Cognition 13.7 Years Younger? An Interpretation of a University of Western Ontario Study
Adults who frequently play video games score, on average, as if they were 13.7 years younger on cognitive tests, but this is only a correlation, not causation. The following article breaks down the study design, possible explanations, the game economy background, and the diagnostic criteria for "gaming disorder."
How the Study Was Conducted
The study was completed by a team at the University of Western Ontario in Canada and published in PLOS One on October 24, 2025. The paper's topic is the benefits of exercise and video games for cognition and mental health. Ultimately, 923 adults were included in the analysis, and participants completed 12 cognitive tasks.
Sample and Methods
The study initially had 2,627 people sign up. After screening for data completeness and outliers, 923 remained for analysis. Participants self-reported their exercise and gaming habits, then completed 12 tests covering dimensions such as short-term memory, reasoning, language ability, and processing speed.
Core Results
Participants who spent more time gaming each week generally performed better on indicators such as short-term memory, language ability, and reasoning. The researchers converted the difference into a "cognitive age": high-frequency gamers were about 13.7 years younger than non-players.
According to the researchers' statement, low-frequency players who played less than 5 hours per week were also about 5.2 years younger than non-players.
Why "Active Engagement" May Be Key
Active decision-making activities are more likely to engage cognitive resources than passively receiving information. This is an explanatory hypothesis for the results, not a conclusion directly verified by the study.
When passively scrolling short videos, users hardly need to make decisions or plan. Games (especially FPS and strategy games) require players to complete observation, memory retrieval, tactical judgment, and operation within extremely short periods of time.
According to a retelling of the paper, heavy strategy games and FPS games had the strongest association with cognition, while pure idle mini-games showed almost no improvement. This detail should be verified by readers against the original paper.
Game Economy and Trading Ecosystem: How Players View Virtual Resources
Strategy games and MMO games both involve resource allocation and long-term planning, so in-game currency (such as WoW Gold), equipment, and account services have long been topics of discussion in player communities. Around these needs, different types of third-party game trading platforms have appeared on the market.
Game trading platforms such as MMOEXP are part of this trading ecosystem. Their existence shows that some players weigh time costs against acquiring in-game resources.
Platform Choice: Players Can Compare Information and Services
Players can compare the categories, rules, and service descriptions of different platforms before making a decision. Platforms such as the MMOEXP game marketplace provide game-related trading information and services; specific services, categories, and rules are subject to their official websites. In some communities, related terms such as WoW Forever Gold may also appear.
It should be noted that the terms of service of many games restrict third-party transactions, and rules differ across games and servers. Players should first read the official terms of the game they play and assess the risks themselves.
Moderate Gaming and Gaming Disorder Are Not the Same Thing
Long gaming time does not equal gaming disorder. WHO's ICD-11 requires all three criteria to be met, usually for about 12 months, before a diagnosis of gaming disorder may be made.
Three Core Criteria
· Loss of control over gaming behavior.
· Gaming takes priority over life affairs such as study, work, family, and friends.
· Even after causing serious damage to academics, health, or family relationships, the person still cannot stop, or the behavior even worsens.
· A university student who plays 10 hours a week but still attends class normally, socializes, and exercises is closer to leisure entertainment. Only situations such as a reversed day-night cycle, dropping out of school, cutting off social contact, and obvious impairment of social functioning may meet the disorder criteria.
Implications for Parents
"A child plays games" and "a child has a disorder" should be judged separately. A more practical approach is to first understand what games the child is playing and what challenges they are facing, then discuss time and boundaries.
FAQ
Q1: Can playing games really make the brain 13.7 years younger?
A: That conclusion cannot be drawn directly. The study found that frequent gamers' cognitive test scores were equivalent to being 13.7 years younger, but this is correlational data based on self-reports and cannot prove that gaming itself caused the difference.
Q2: How much gaming per week is needed for cognitive differences to appear?
A: According to the researchers, low-frequency players who played less than 5 hours per week had cognitive performance equivalent to being 5.2 years younger than non-players on average. This shows the difference can be detected even at low frequency, but it is still a correlational result.
Q3: Does long gaming time mean gaming disorder?
A: No. WHO's ICD-11 requires all three criteria to be met at the same time: loss of control, gaming taking priority over other life affairs, and continuing despite knowing there is serious harm. It usually lasts about 12 months. Playtime itself cannot be used as a diagnostic basis.
Fact List
· The study comes from a team at the University of Western Ontario in Canada; Professor Owen was one of the researchers (according to the retelling; the transliteration of the name is pending verification).
· The paper was published in PLOS One on October 24, 2025.
· The paper's topic: the benefits of exercise and video games for cognition and mental health.
· There were 2,627 initial sign-ups, and 923 adults were ultimately analyzed.
· The cognitive tests included 12 tasks covering short-term memory, reasoning, language ability, processing speed, and more.
· High-frequency gamers' cognitive performance was equivalent to being about 13.7 years younger than non-players.
· Those who played less than 5 hours per week were equivalent to being about 5.2 years younger.
· The data is based on self-reports and is correlational; it cannot prove causation.
· ICD-11 gaming disorder diagnosis requires three criteria to be met, usually for about 12 months.
· MMOEXP is a game trading platform; specific services, categories, and rules are subject to its official website.
· There is a discrepancy between the date of Musk's retweet of the study and the original wording; this article does not use it.
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