Many over-60s may never have played a video game, nor have any inclination to do so. New research, however, suggests that playing strategic video games – those that emphasise resource management and planning, for example – may help the elderly to maintain mental abilities including memory, reasoning and the capacity for multi-tasking.

　　Arthur Kramer of the University of Illinois said it was the first study to find improvement in cognitive skills that were not directly related to the skills learned in the game. The research is published in the journal Psychology and Aging.

　　The game used in the study was “Rise of Nations”, in which gamers score points for building cities, feeding and employing their people, and maintaining and expanding their territory. Participants in the study who were trained to play the game showed significant cognitive benefits compared with those who were not: they were able to switch between tasks better and faster, and their working memory significantly improved.

　　“This is one mode in which older people can stay mentally fit, cognitively fit,” Prof Kramer said, adding that socialising, exercising and eating well were also important to mental health in later years.

　　许多60岁以上的老人可能从未玩过电脑游戏，也没有打算这样做。不过，一项新的研究表明，玩战略性电脑游戏——例如那些强调资源管理和规划的游戏——可能有助于老年人保持智力，包括记忆、推理和多任务处理能力等。

　　伊利诺伊大学(University of Illinois)的亚瑟-克雷默(Arthur Kramer)表示，这项研究首次发现，与游戏中所学技能没有直接关系的认知技能得到改善。该研究发表在《心理学与衰老》(Psychology and Aging)杂志上。

　　研究中使用的游戏是“国家的崛起”(Rise of Nations)。在游戏中，通过修建城市、供养和雇佣自己的人民以及保护和扩张自己的领土，玩家都可以得分。在研究参与者中，接受打游戏培训的人比没有接受的人显示出了明显的认知益处：他们能够更好更快地进行任务转换，而且工作记忆有了显著提高。

　　克雷默表示：“这是一种老年人保持精神健康、认知健康的模式。”他补充道，社交、锻炼和吃得好对晚年的精神健康也很重要。