The answer looks promising.
Participants who reported playing computer games often had a roughly 19 % lower risk of developing dementia compared to those who never or rarely played.
They also scored better on memory, reasoning, reaction‑time and had a bit more grey matter in their hippocampus — a brain region important for memory.
People who played computer games more often had a lower risk of developing dementia and better cognitive performance across several tests.
By digging into genetics via Mendelian randomisation, the researchers found some evidence the link might be causal: the genes that make you more likely to play were associated with lower dementia risk.
What makes this study interesting is its size and the fact it goes beyond just “video games are fun” to suggest playing might actually impact brain health.
That said, it isn’t a guarantee—you still need lots of other healthy lifestyle factors.
The authors also point out that this was among Europeans, and the “gaming” here was simply frequency of play, not specific game types or social context.
For anyone interested in brain health, the takeaway is: structured, enjoyable game‑time might just be one piece of the puzzle.
link to paper: https://alzres.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13195-024-01496-7