What Happens in Your Brain During a League Match?
A systematic review published in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience mapped the neural correlates of video gaming, drawing on decades of neuroimaging research. The work, led by Dr. Marc Palaus and colleagues at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, synthesized findings across fMRI, PET, EEG, and structural imaging studies.
The results paint a consistent picture: regular gaming is associated with differences in several brain networks, particularly those involved in attention, visuospatial processing, and cognitive control. Importantly, this is a review of associations, not a controlled trial. The studies examined cannot tell us whether gaming produced the neural differences or whether people with these neural profiles are more drawn to gaming.
The Systematic Review
What Was Reviewed
The researchers examined:
- Neuroimaging studies using fMRI and PET scans
- EEG studies measuring brain electrical activity
- Structural brain imaging showing physical tissue differences
- Cognitive assessment studies linking brain differences to task performance
The goal was a comprehensive map of how gaming is associated with brain structure and function across multiple neural systems.
Key Neural Associations Found
1. Attention Networks
The most consistent finding was gaming’s association with attention-related brain regions, particularly:
Anterior Cingulate Cortex (ACC)
The ACC is involved in goal-directed attention and conflict monitoring. In gamers, researchers observed:
- Enhanced selective attention on tasks
- Stronger goal-oriented behavior
- Better performance on conflict-monitoring tasks
- Increased activation during gameplay relative to non-gamers
Top-Down Attentional Control
Gamers showed differences across major attention domains:
- Selective Attention: Focusing on specific stimuli while filtering distractors
- Divided Attention: Managing multiple information streams
- Sustained Attention: Maintaining focus over extended periods
2. Cognitive Control Networks
Gaming is associated with differences in executive control systems:
Prefrontal Cortex
- Working memory task performance differences
- Inhibitory control differences
- Cognitive flexibility on task-switching measures
- Planning and strategy on complex tasks
Network Connectivity
Brain imaging showed:
- Stronger connections between frontal and parietal regions in gamers
- More efficient information flow across cognitive networks
- Reduced neural effort for comparable cognitive tasks
3. Visuospatial Processing
Gaming is associated with differences in spatial cognition:
Spatial Memory
- Hippocampal activation differences in spatial memory tasks
- Parietal cortex differences in spatial processing
- Better mental rotation performance
- Navigation task advantages
Visual Processing
- Faster visual pattern identification
- Enhanced peripheral detection
- Superior multi-object tracking
- Stronger complex visual pattern recognition
4. Reward Processing
Gaming is associated with differences in motivational circuits:
Dopaminergic Pathways
- Differences in VTA activation linked to motivation
- Nucleus accumbens reward anticipation patterns
- Prefrontal reward-based decision making connections
These reward system differences may explain both gaming engagement and learning efficiency, though the directionality remains debated in the literature.
Neuroplasticity: What These Differences Mean
Structural Differences
Several studies in the review found structural brain differences in long-term gamers:
Gray Matter
- Volume differences in attention-related regions
- Density differences in executive control areas
- Enhanced connectivity between regions
White Matter
- Faster signal transmission in some pathways
- More efficient neural pathways for information processing
Functional Adaptations
Gamers’ brains show reduced effort for comparable cognitive tasks in several domains. This pattern of “neural efficiency” appears in other forms of skilled practice as well.
League of Legends and the Neural Demands of MOBAs
League of Legends taxes multiple cognitive systems simultaneously:
- Attention: Constant monitoring of map, enemies, and objectives
- Working Memory: Tracking cooldowns, gold, and item builds
- Spatial Processing: Navigating the map and maintaining position awareness
- Executive Control: Strategic decision-making under pressure
The review’s findings are relevant here because MOBAs engage precisely the networks that show the most consistent gaming-associated differences. Whether playing League produces those differences, or whether players with stronger versions of those networks do well at League, is a question the current research cannot fully answer.
What This Research Supports (and Where It Stops)
The systematic review provides consistent evidence that gaming is associated with neural differences in attention, executive control, and visuospatial processing. These differences are observable across multiple imaging methods and study designs.
What the review does not establish:
- That gaming directly causes superior general cognitive ability
- That gaming rank correlates with IQ
- That these neural differences translate into broad real-world cognitive advantages beyond the specific skills practiced
Practical Takeaways for Gamers
Choosing Games for Cognitive Engagement
- Complex, multi-domain games provide more comprehensive cognitive engagement
- Games with adaptive difficulty maintain challenge and drive learning
- Different genres emphasize different cognitive systems
Training Mindset
- Approach improvement analytically: what went wrong and why?
- Regular, structured practice drives adaptation more than passive play
- Review your decisions, not just your outcomes
Cognitive Self-Awareness
Understanding which cognitive systems gaming exercises helps you apply those skills consciously:
- Attention Management: How well do you track multiple information streams?
- Executive Control: How effectively do you make strategic decisions under pressure?
- Processing Speed: How quickly do you respond to changing conditions?
- Working Memory: How much game state can you actively maintain?
Conclusion
The systematic review establishes a consistent pattern: regular gaming is associated with measurable neural differences in attention networks, executive control, and visuospatial processing. These differences are real, observable, and accompanied by task performance advantages.
The limitations are equally real: cross-sectional imaging studies cannot establish that gaming produced these differences rather than selecting for people who already had them. The truth is probably a mix of both.
For League of Legends players, the practical upshot is clear. The skills you practice in game, such as divided attention, rapid decision-making, spatial awareness, and pattern recognition, are genuine cognitive abilities with neural correlates. Saiki uses your in-game behavior to build a personality and behavioral profile based on how you actually exercise those abilities.
Discover Your Cognitive Profile
Ready to see what your gameplay reveals about how you think? Saiki analyzes your League of Legends data to provide insights into your:
- Attention management patterns
- Decision-making style
- Cognitive adaptation tendencies
- Personality dimensions from the HEXACO model
Start your assessment and discover what your gaming behavior reveals about you.
