{"id":21573,"date":"2026-01-14T15:37:19","date_gmt":"2026-01-14T14:37:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/costops.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/14\/whats-behind-the-phenomenon-of-gamer-brain\/"},"modified":"2026-01-14T15:37:19","modified_gmt":"2026-01-14T14:37:19","slug":"whats-behind-the-phenomenon-of-gamer-brain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/costops.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/14\/whats-behind-the-phenomenon-of-gamer-brain\/","title":{"rendered":"What\u2019s behind the phenomenon of \u2018gamer brain\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019ve ever refused to knock down a game\u2019s difficulty level, or chased a purposefully pointless achievement, you might have this pernicious but pleasurable affliction<\/p>\n

\u2022 Don\u2019t get Pushing Buttons delivered to your inbox? Sign up here<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Studies on gaming\u2019s effect on the brain usually focus on aggression or the cognitive benefits of playing games. The former topic has fallen out of fashion now, after more than a decade\u2019s worth of scientific research failed to prove any causative link <\/a>between video games and real-world violence. But studies on the positive effects of games have shown that performing complex tasks with your brain and hands is actually quite good for you, and that games can be beneficial for your emotional wellbeing<\/a> and stress management.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s all well and good, but I\u2019m obsessed with the concept of \u201cgamer brain\u201d \u2013 that part of us that is drawn to objectively pointless achievements. Mastering a game or finishing a story are normal sources of motivation, but gamer brain is inexplicable. When you retry the same pointless mini-game over and over because you want to get a better high score? When you walk around the invisible boundaries of a level, clicking the mouse just in case something happens? When you stay with a game longer than you should because you feel compelled to unlock that trophy or achievement? When you refuse to knock the difficulty down a level on a particularly evil boss, because that would be letting the game win? That\u2019s gamer brain.<\/p>\n

Continue reading…<\/a>
\nIf you\u2019ve ever refused to knock down a game\u2019s difficulty level, or chased a purposefully pointless achievement, you might have this pernicious but pleasurable affliction
\n\u2022 Don\u2019t get Pushing Buttons delivered to your inbox? Sign up here
\nStudies on gaming\u2019s effect on the brain usually focus on aggression or the cognitive benefits of playing games. The former topic has fallen out of fashion now, after more than a decade\u2019s worth of scientific research failed to prove any causative link between video games and real-world violence. But studies on the positive effects of games have shown that performing complex tasks with your brain and hands is actually quite good for you, and that games can be beneficial for your emotional wellbeing and stress management.
\nThat\u2019s all well and good, but I\u2019m obsessed with the concept of \u201cgamer brain\u201d \u2013 that part of us that is drawn to objectively pointless achievements. Mastering a game or finishing a story are normal sources of motivation, but gamer brain is inexplicable. When you retry the same pointless mini-game over and over because you want to get a better high score? When you walk around the invisible boundaries of a level, clicking the mouse just in case something happens? When you stay with a game longer than you should because you feel compelled to unlock that trophy or achievement? When you refuse to knock the difficulty down a level on a particularly evil boss, because that would be letting the game win? That\u2019s gamer brain. Continue reading…Technology | The Guardian<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019ve ever refused to knock down a game\u2019s difficulty level, or chased a purposefully pointless achievement, you might have this pernicious but pleasurable affliction \u2022 Don\u2019t get Pushing Buttons delivered to your inbox? Sign up here Studies on gaming\u2019s effect on the brain usually focus on aggression or the cognitive benefits of playing games. …<\/p>\n

What\u2019s behind the phenomenon of \u2018gamer brain\u2019<\/span> Read More »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":21574,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/costops.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21573"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/costops.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/costops.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/costops.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21573"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/costops.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21573\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/costops.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21574"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/costops.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21573"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/costops.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21573"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/costops.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21573"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}