Adults Who Played Pokemon As Kids Have A ‘Pokemon Region’ In Their Brain

There is a reason why when growing up, there is a lot of emphasis placed on the kind of music we listen to, the books we read, and the shows we watch. These are meant to aid in the development of the brains of kids as they grow up. Now in an interesting study published in the Nature Human Behavior journal, it has been found that adults who played Pokemon as kids have actually developed what the researchers are calling the “Pokemon Region” in their brains.

What this discovery gave researchers was a better understanding, and how some people might respond more to cartoon characters compared to other pictures, and how the brain organizes visual information. It’s not a particularly big study as it only involved 11 adults who were deemed to be “experienced” Pokemon players, where they played the game from ages 5-8, and then again in their adulthood.

They also compared it against 11 novices and found that a particular part of the brain, known as the occipitotemporal sulcus, was more responsive in those who played Pokemon as kids. Next, the researchers seem interested in finding out if the sounds that Pokemon make, which are rather unique to their characters, could also result in there being a “Pokemon Region” in the auditory part of the brain as well.

 

Tyler Lee
Categories: Gaming, General
Tags: pokemon, Science