Home
/ IT & Computer Science / Game Psychology: Understanding Player Mentality and Game Design / The role of the brain in the process of playing games
The role of the brain in the process of playing games
As the smartest beings on the planet, our brains let us think, tackle problems, and enjoy all the cool stuff that video games offer.
- Cognitive Functions:The brain processes and analyzes information from various sensory inputs such as vision, hearing, and touch. It helps players recognize objects, characters, and dynamics within the game environment, and understand game rules and objectives.
- Decision Making: Players need to make a series of decisions throughout the game, such as choosing a direction to move, and selecting a weapon or strategy. These decisions involve areas of the brain， which are responsible for logical reasoning, planning, and executing plans.
- Attention and Concentration: Video games require high levels of attention and concentration to respond in real time to changes in the game. The attention control regions, such as the parietal lobe, play a crucial role in this process.
- Memory and Learning: Players always learn new skills, strategies, and rules through repeated practice, which involves different areas of the brain for forming and consolidating memories.
- Emotion Regulation: Games can evoke a range of emotional responses, including excitement, tension, fear, or satisfaction. Emotional regulation centers like the amygdala are involved in these emotional experiences.
- Motivation and Reward Systems: Game designs often have reward systems like scores, achievements, and cool items to keep you hooked and wanting more. These reward systems in games get your brain’s happy spot going, especially the nucleus accumbens. That’s where the feel-good chemical, `dopamine, gets released, making you want to keep playing.
- Multitasking: Some games require players to handle multiple streams of information or tasks at the same time, involving the coordination of multiple brain regions to enhance the ability to multitask.
This article is from the online course:
Game Psychology: Understanding Player Mentality and Game Design
Created by
This article is from the free online
Game Psychology: Understanding Player Mentality and Game Design
Reach your personal and professional goals
Unlock access to hundreds of expert online courses and degrees from top universities and educators to gain accredited qualifications and professional CV-building certificates.
Join over 18 million learners to launch, switch or build upon your career, all at your own pace, across a wide range of topic areas.
