Cognitive Skills Decline from the Age of 24, Especially on StarCraft 2

Okay, I admit when I saw this headline, my first thought was, "Well, sh!t, that was nearly half a lifetime ago. I'm screwed." Fortunately, I know better than to trust headlines (which is why I changed it for the title of this post). The study is based on ability to play a video game called StarCraft 2.

The younger the players the better their skills on 5 specific measures:

• Looking-doing latency (similar to reaction time)
• Dual-task performance
• Total reported hours of StarCraft 2 experience
• Effective use of hotkeys
• Effective management of view-screens/maps

The older players, however, adapted to their reaction time limitations and remained competitive.

"Older players, though slower, seem to compensate by employing simpler strategies and using the game's interface more efficiently than younger players, enabling them to retain their skill, despite cognitive motor-speed loss."

So maybe I am over the hill for video game play, but that's cool. I would not trade the experience and wisdom I have now for youth for any amount of money.

Our cognitive skills decline from the age of 24, but there is hope

Saturday 19 April 2014 

Written by David McNamee 

  If you are an adult who has ever been told by a partner or colleague that you are "too old to be playing video games," then they may well have a point. A new study - using a video game as a test - has found that people over the age of 24 are past their peak in terms of cognitive motor performance.

Generally, the researchers behind the new study observe, people tend to think of middle age as being around 45 years of age - around the time when age-related declines in cognitive-motor functioning become obvious.

But there is evidence that our memory and speed relating to cognitive tasks peak much earlier in our lives.

However, data on this is limited because most scientific studies examining the relationship of cognitive motor performance and aging focus on elderly populations, rather than when the decline in performance actually begins.

The authors note that some researchers have investigated the origins of cognitive motor performance decline but have only used simple reaction time tasks to measure performance. 

The new study - carried out by two doctoral students from Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, Canada, and their thesis supervisor - is built around a large-scale social science experiment involving the real-time space-faring strategy game StarCraft 2.

The data for the study came from the researchers replaying and analyzing 870 hours of gameplay from 3,305 StarCraft 2 players aged between 16 and 44.

How can StarCraft 2 be used to measure cognitive motor performance?

In the game, players have to successfully manage their civilization's economy and military growth, with the objective of tactically defeating their opponent's army.

All aspects of gameplay occur in real time, so the player is required to make a large number of adjustments continuously, and they must carefully make decisions and develop overall strategies in a manner that the researchers compare to chess or managing an emergency.

Attention to detail and fast reaction time are both important components of successful gameplay.



Attention to detail and fast reaction time are both important components of successful StarCraft 2 gameplay.
The researchers analyzed the following variables of gameplay:

• Looking-doing latency (similar to reaction time)
• Dual-task performance
• Total reported hours of StarCraft 2 experience
• Effective use of hotkeys
• Effective management of view-screens/maps.

Complex statistical modeling then allowed the researchers to arrive at meaningful results relating to the players' game behaviors and response time.

"After around 24 years of age, players show slowing in a measure of cognitive speed that is known to be important for performance," reveals lead author and doctoral student Joe Thompson. "This cognitive performance decline is present even at higher levels of skill." 

But there is hope yet for you older gamers. Because - parallel to the cognitive performance decline in the over-24 year olds - Thompson and his colleagues noticed the older players adapting naturally to their cognitive disadvantages.

"Our research tells a new story about human development," claims Thompson.

"Older players, though slower, seem to compensate by employing simpler strategies and using the game's interface more efficiently than younger players, enabling them to retain their skill, despite cognitive motor-speed loss."

By efficiently manipulating the use of hotkeys and multiple screens, the older players were able to make up for their delayed speed in executing real-time commands.

"Our cognitive-motor capacities are not stable across our adulthood," suggests Thompson, "but are constantly in flux." He considers that the results of this study - his doctorate thesis, which is published in PLOS One - demonstrate how "our day-to-day performance is a result of the constant interplay between change and adaptation."

In January, Medical News Today reported on a study that linked slow reaction time to risk of early death.

Full Citation:

Thompson, JJ, Blair, MR, and Henry, AJ. (2014, Apr 9). Over the Hill at 24: Persistent Age-Related Cognitive-Motor Decline in Reaction Times in an Ecologically Valid Video Game Task Begins in Early Adulthood. PLOS One. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0094215

Here is the abstract to the study (you can read the whole study by following the link below):

Over the Hill at 24: Persistent Age-Related Cognitive-Motor Decline in Reaction Times in an Ecologically Valid Video Game Task Begins in Early Adulthood

Joseph J. Thompson, Mark R. Blair, Andrew J. Henrey

Published: April 09, 2014
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0094215

Abstract

Typically studies of the effects of aging on cognitive-motor performance emphasize changes in elderly populations. Although some research is directly concerned with when age-related decline actually begins, studies are often based on relatively simple reaction time tasks, making it impossible to gauge the impact of experience in compensating for this decline in a real world task. The present study investigates age-related changes in cognitive motor performance through adolescence and adulthood in a complex real world task, the real-time strategy video game StarCraft 2. In this paper we analyze the influence of age on performance using a dataset of 3,305 players, aged 16-44, collected by Thompson, Blair, Chen & Henrey [1]. Using a piecewise regression analysis, we find that age-related slowing of within-game, self-initiated response times begins at 24 years of age. We find no evidence for the common belief expertise should attenuate domain-specific cognitive decline. Domain-specific response time declines appear to persist regardless of skill level. A second analysis of dual-task performance finds no evidence of a corresponding age-related decline. Finally, an exploratory analyses of other age-related differences suggests that older participants may have been compensating for a loss in response speed through the use of game mechanics that reduce cognitive load.

Kickstarter - Nevermind: A Biofeedback Horror Adventure Game

My friend Arthur turned me on to this Kickstarter campaign to create a biofeedback-enhanced horror adventure game, Nevermind. It uses your stress levels to make the game harder or easier (the more you get stressed, the harder it is). This seems like an amazingly cool way to teach/learn affect regulation.

One exciting facet of Nevermind is its potential to serve as a full-fledged therapeutic tool for those who suffer from issues - mild or severe - relating to stress, anxiety, PTSD, or other similar conditions. Although informal testing results have been promising thus far, we are excited to be in discussion as we speak with researchers who are eager to explore Nevermind's potential impact via rigorous clinical trials.

As a prime example of our passion to create "games that give back", one of our long-term goals is to craft a health-centric version of Nevermind specifically targeted to help actual patients develop tools to manage and ultimately overcome their conditions.

More from Erin Reynolds, the game's creator:

Nevermind is a biofeedback-enhanced horror adventure game that takes you into the dark and twisted world within the subconscious minds of trauma victims.

As you explore surreal labyrinths and solve the puzzles of the mind, a biofeedback sensor monitors how scared or stressed you become with each passing moment. If you let your fears get the best of you, the game will become harder. If you’re able to calm yourself in the face of terror, the game will be more forgiving.

Nevermind’s goal is to create an unforgettable gameplay experience that also teaches players how to be more aware of their internal responses to stressful situations. If you can learn to control your anxiety within the disturbing realm of Nevermind, just imagine what you can do when it comes to those inevitable stressful moments in the real world . . .

Part of the reason I want to bring this to your attention is that there are only 2 weeks left to get this project funded and they are WAY short of the goal.

If you can help, please do so.

Here is more info on the game:

You'll need an HTML5 capable browser to see this content.

Nevermind is - at its core - an adventure game (in the spirit of classic games like Myst), where you must explore strange worlds and solve puzzles to unlock the terrifying mystery that lurks within each patient’s inner psyche.

In Nevermind, you are a Neuroprober - a unique physician who, through the use of cutting-edge technology, is able to venture into the minds of psychological trauma victims for whom traditional treatment methods have proved ineffective.

As such, each “level” in Nevermind takes place within the surreal subconscious of one of these victims. Your goal is to explore the often dark and twisted world within, solving abstract puzzles as you recover fragments of memories (represented by photographs) surrounding the traumatic event.

Traumatic experiences, especially those left untreated, take their toll in countless ways, often triggering other serious problems as the victim’s subconscious desperately tries to cope. As a result, the patient’s mind doesn’t take kindly to those who attempt to peel back these layers, often prompting it to lash out in terrifying, unexpected ways.

Only the most vigilant of Neuroprobers can withstand the necessary waves of abuse to help their patient find true salvation.

Can you?

*  *  *  *  *

Nevermind started as a 2012 MFA thesis project at USC’s Interactive Media Program, led by industry veteran Erin Reynolds - who returned to academia to pursue new ways to create “positive” games for traditional gaming audiences. After an academic year, Erin and the Nevermind student development team were able to create one fully-functional level - a proof of concept that demonstrated Nevermind’s unique vision and the feasibility of the core technology.

Nevermind has since been featured in numerous festivals and nominated for several awards for innovation and technical achievement, including at IndieCade, Games for Change, SIGGRAPH, Unity Unite Awards, and the Serious Games Showcase and Challenge.

*  *  *  *  *

In light of Nevermind’s critical success, Erin decided to take the plunge - leaving her industry job to commit herself fully to make her dream of a full-featured, commercially viable version of Nevermind a reality. With your support, Nevermind will be the next great horror adventure game - unlike anything you've played before!

BIGGER, BETTER, SCARIER

The final commercial version of Nevermind will contain at least 4 levels (more if we hit our stretch goals!), for 5+ hours of gameplay PLUS the time and resources to feature even higher quality environments to complement a broader variety of new, more terrifying themes and traumas.

Combing neuroscience and video games. What could possibly go wrong?

My god, people, does no one remember the lessons from Videodrome? Long live the new flesh!

Okay, seriously. This is an interesting topic and a nice discussion, as far as it goes.

Neurogaming: What's Neuroscience and Ethics Got To Do With It? - Exploring Ethics

Published on Dec 16, 2013
(Visit: http://www.uctv.tv/)

Steven Hyman, the founding president of the International Neuroethics Society and Harvard professor, leads an extraordinary discussion on rapid advances in brain research and the social implications of merging neuroscience and video game development with panelists C. Shawn Green of the University of Wisconsin, Madison; Adam Gazzaley of UC San Francisco and game developer Jonathon Blow. This event is presented by the Center for Ethics in Science and Technology in San Diego. Series: "Exploring Ethics" [12/2013]