A child plays Minecraft at home in Kokomo, Indiana, the US. AP
A child plays Minecraft at home in Kokomo, Indiana, the US. AP
A child plays Minecraft at home in Kokomo, Indiana, the US. AP
A child plays Minecraft at home in Kokomo, Indiana, the US. AP

Video games may boost children's cognitive skills, study says


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Children who played three hours or more of video games a day performed better on tests of memory and impulse control than youngsters who did not play games, a US study released this week said.

Frequent gamers showed more activity and higher blood oxygen levels in frontal brain regions associated with more cognitively demanding tasks, and less brain activity in regions related to vision, the researchers found.

The performance could be related to the games, but scientists stopped short of saying there was a cause-and-effect relationship.

The kids who perform better on those tests may be those who chose to play games in the first place, they said.

“While we cannot say whether playing video games regularly caused superior neurocognitive performance, it is an encouraging finding, and one that we must continue to investigate,” said Bader Chaarani, an assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Vermont in Burlington, the lead author of the study.

The scientists analysed brain scans from about 2,000 children who were among those aged 9 and 10 in the US Department of Health and Human Services’ Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study.

With the gaming industry raking in billions and children spending hours on their favourite titles, parents have continued to be concerned about the effect on their mental health.

While previous research has linked video gaming to more aggressive behaviour, this study contributes to a growing base of reports suggesting positives for the pastime.

Guidelines set by the American Association of Paediatrics still encourage limits of one to two hours of video games a day.

Other countries, such as China, have gone as far as not allowing children to spend more than three hours a week.

“Numerous studies have linked video gaming to behaviour and mental health problems,” said Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

“This study suggests that there may also be cognitive benefits associated with this popular pastime, which are worthy of further investigation.”

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At Eternity’s Gate

Director: Julian Schnabel

Starring: Willem Dafoe, Oscar Isaacs, Mads Mikkelsen

Three stars

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Everton 4

Richarlison 13'), Sigurdsson 28', ​​​​​​​Digne 56', Walcott 64'

Manchester United 0

Man of the match: Gylfi Sigurdsson (Everton)

Washmen Profile

Date Started: May 2015

Founders: Rami Shaar and Jad Halaoui

Based: Dubai, UAE

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Moon Music

Artist: Coldplay

Label: Parlophone/Atlantic

Number of tracks: 10

Rating: 3/5

'My Son'

Director: Christian Carion

Starring: James McAvoy, Claire Foy, Tom Cullen, Gary Lewis

Rating: 2/5

Baftas 2020 winners

BEST FILM

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DIRECTOR

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OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM

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  • FOR SAMA - Waad al-Kateab, Edward Watts
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FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE

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SUPPORTING ACTRESS

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  • THE IRISHMAN - Steven Zaillian
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ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

  • BOOKSMART - Susanna Fogel, Emily Halpern, Sarah Haskins, Katie Silberman
  • KNIVES OUT - Rian Johnson
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ANIMATED FILM

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  • JOKER - Shayna Markowitz
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EE RISING STAR AWARD (voted for by the public)

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  • JUDY - Jany Temime
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  • THE IRISHMAN - Bob Shaw, Regina Graves
  • JOJO RABBIT - Ra Vincent, Nora Sopková
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SOUND

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ORIGINAL SCORE

  • 1917 - Thomas Newman
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  • JOKER - Hildur Guđnadóttir
  • LITTLE WOMEN - Alexandre Desplat
  • STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER - John Williams

SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS

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  • AVENGERS: ENDGAME - Dan Deleeuw, Dan Sudick
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MAKE UP & HAIR

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BRITISH SHORT FILM

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  • GOLDFISH - Hector Dockrill, Harri Kamalanathan, Benedict Turnbull, Laura Dockrill
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BRITISH SHORT ANIMATION

  • GRANDAD WAS A ROMANTIC - Maryam Mohajer
  • IN HER BOOTS - Kathrin Steinbacher
  • THE MAGIC BOAT  - Naaman Azh
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UAE squad Rohan Mustafa (captain), Chirag Suri, Shaiman Anwar, Rameez Shahzad, Mohammed Usman, Adnan Mufti, Saqlain Haider, Ahmed Raza, Mohammed Naveed, Imran Haider, Qadeer Ahmed, Mohammed Boota, Amir Hayat, Ashfaq Ahmed

Fixtures Nov 29-Dec 2

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Hong Kong v Papua New Guinea, Sharjah Cricket Stadium

Ireland v Scotland, Dubai International Stadium

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Updated: May 30, 2023, 1:46 PM