Gaining a Mental Edge in Gaming

This blog is especially for “gamers” – individuals who spend a significant amount of their time playing interactive skill-based video or other games – who would like to improve their game, and/or the health of their brain. But it has some great insights for non-gamers as well.

Gaming requires a diverse set of mental abilities to excel. What follows are proven ways to cultivate key mental skills and strengthen abilities that are often essential to gaining a mental edge in gaming… and in life! 

1. Practice Regularly: Like any skill, consistent practice helps improve reaction times, decision-making, and overall gameplay – especially if one does the following.
2. Analyze Your Gameplay: Review your sessions to identify strengths and weaknesses. Many games have replay features, or you can record your gameplay to analyze later. Keep a diary of what you did well, and lessons learned from practice and others.

One of the biggest and best studies of brain performance, the FINGER study, involving researchers from both Finland and Sweden, and over 1200 participants, found that the following 4 activities were effective in improving “executive” functions by 83%, and processing speed by 150%, as well as working memory (35%) and cognitive flexibility.  All of which are important for gaming.

Could you use a boost in any of the following? “Executive” functions include:

• Working Memory: The ability to hold and manipulate information in our mind. This helps us follow instructions, stay on task, and remember details.
• Inhibitory Control: The ability to control impulses and resist distractions.
• Cognitive Flexibility: The ability to adapt to new situations, think about multiple options simultaneously, and switch between tasks or perspectives.
• Planning and Organization: The ability to set goals, develop strategies, and organize tasks and resources to achieve those goals.
• Problem Solving: The ability to identify problems, generate potential solutions, evaluate options, and implement the most effective strategies.
• Attention Control: The ability to focus and sustain attention on relevant tasks while filtering out distractions.

 So what were these 4 brain building activities? 

1. Maintaining a Healthy Diet: Proper nutrition is essential to brain health. Focus on a balanced diet with plenty of the following -  blueberries, nuts & seeds, like almonds walnuts, hemp hearts or chia seeds, very dark chocolate, green tea, fatty fish, avocado, leafy greens, whole grains like oats, quinoa, and brown rice all provide a steady release of glucose, to keep your energy levels stable. Go here to learn more about foods to improve brain function and foods that impair that function.Three “Mental” mushrooms, Lion’s mane, cordyceps, & Reishi, can improve mental performance, stimulate the growth of brain cells, enhance mental energy and reduce mental fatigue to enable you to endure, long enough to win the war!  (See next month’s blog on these with special pricing or if you can’t wait email us at [email protected].)These foods can be incorporated into your diet to help improve concentration and other cognitive functions during gaming, without the blood sugar high’s and lows, that reduce focus, and impair mood and memory.  Remember, maintaining a balanced diet and staying hydrated are essential for overall brain health.
2. Staying Physically Active: Regular exercise can boost brain function, improve mood, and increase overall energy levels, which can positively impact gaming performance. It can also help to grow brain cells. Go here to learn more about the best physical activities for the brain.
   
3. Staying Engaged in Other Mental and Social Activities: Activities like puzzles, reading, or learning something new can help keep our brain agile and improve problem-solving skills. Conversation and contact with others can also promote that, as well as oxytocin, a powerful antioxidant that helps to reduce stress and anxiety and protect the brain.
4. Getting Enough Sleep: Adequate sleep is crucial for cognitive function, including memory, focus, and reaction times. Aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep per night. Go here for more info on sleep and how to get more of it.

   Also consider Taking Breaks: Regular breaks during gaming sessions can prevent mental fatigue and improve long-term focus. When you take a break, try to do something physical, like taking a walk or climbing some stairs, or just breathing slower and deeper for a minute or two. Learn other effective ways to reduce stress and anxiety below.

Three Ways to Improve Decisions Making Skills

1. Reduce Stress and Anxiety to think and reason more clearly. Stress or anxiety can increase the production of cortisol, and reduce blood flow to our brain, both of which can adversely affect decision making abilities. Go here to learn more about stress management and go here to learn more about how to relax and stay calm under pressure.
2. Learn from Your Experience and Others: Take time to reflect on past decisions, tendencies, hunches and their outcomes. As noted above, keep a diary of what you did well, what didn’t go so well and lessons learned from practice and from others – be open to the observations of others, particularly other winners. Especially the winning strategies or patterns they use to win. Identify what worked well and what didn't, both for you and them, and apply those insights to making future decisions.
3. Use Decision-Making Tools: Techniques like SWOT analysis of options (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats), cost-benefit or “T” (list costs on one side, possible benefits on the other) analysis, and decision matrices can help you systematically evaluate your options.

By incorporating these habits into your routine, you'll be well on your way to enhancing your mental edge and achieving greater success in your gaming endeavors. 🕹️💡

How to Inoculate Yourself & Those You Love Against Cognitive Decline

In case you haven’t noticed there is currently a plague of cognitive decline that has hit our world, particularly the United States. And it’s not just seniors who are developing dementia, or serious memory loss. Much of this can be attributed to COVID, but there are many other causes.

In fact well over 200 neuro toxins have been identified in our environment, diet and lifestyles.  Even some medications have been shown to cause cognitive impairments. But there is a way to inoculate yourself, and family members against these.

We would encourage you and your loved ones, especially any over age 55, to take our Personal (risk) Assessment. Just click on the red oval in the upper right corner of this website, to learn more about this tool, and how, for only $10, (actually it’s FREE today) it can provide you with the info needed to protect yourself and your family members against the ravages of cognitive decline, and keep you in the winners circle! Plus enabling us to maintain and share this website and info with others in need.

Thank you for visiting our site. Hopefully the notes above have been helpful. Sign-up for our newsletter below for future insights and links to the latest greatest info available on these topics.