A study undertaken at the University of Iowa has shown that playing a certain type of video game offers significant 
cognitive benefits to those aged 50+.
In a bad day for crossword lovers, the study showed that when over 50s played at least 10 hours of Road Tour over the space of a year, they gained at least 3 years in cognitive power, specifically in the area of executive functions such as concentration, shifting from one mental task to another, and information processing speed. Other participants who put the same effort into crossword puzzles showed no benefit, however.
The Road Tour game involved identifying vehicles at ever-increasing speeds. The key element to the mental improvement seems to be that it forces participants to expand their peripheral vision, an area that tends to narrow with age.
Although we’re not told what game was used for the study, we think it’s probably one that you can try out yourself here.
[Source: WebMD]
