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A new study investigates the effects of non-digital games such as board games and Cards Game on cognitive abilities in older people. Games are not only fun, they can make agile and sharp thinking. At least this seems to be the main result of many recent studies that point to the cognitive advantages of video games.

For example, some researchers have suggested that playing games for just an hour can increase attention, and some studies have shown that games, especially shooting, can increase awareness. For older people, the benefits of computer games seem even greater. From brain training apps that can prevent mild cognitive impairment to 3D video games that can reverse age-related cognitive decline, playing games on a computer seems to offer many benefits.

But what about simulation games? Is it just computer games that are good for the brains of the elderly, or are they cards, non-digital games like board games or crosswords that affect cognition? Below is the information collected by Board Game Manufacturer for your reference.

1. Learn non-digital games and cognition

Researchers examined 1,091 participants who were born in 1936, who obtained their data from the 1936 cohort, and this study evaluated participants' psychological and cognitive abilities on a long-term basis. The researchers first assessed participants' cognitive function at the age of 11 and then assessed participants at ages 70, 73, 76, and 79 using 14 standardized cognitive tests.

As part of this new research, scientists asked how often participants played Board Game, Solitaire, Chess, Bingo or Crossword at ages 70 and 76. As part of their statistical analysis, the researchers considered possible confounding factors such as "early cognitive function, education, social class, gender, level of activity, and health issues".

The analysis found that people who played more games in their 70s were more likely to maintain healthy cognitive function at older ages.

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2. Play games to reduce cognitive decline

Specifically, those who reported playing more simulation games in the 1970s experienced less relative cognitive decline from the age of 11 to 70, and less cognitive decline between the ages of 70 and 79. These latest findings add evidence that greater involvement in life may be related to better thinking in later life, which could explain the results as a nudge to start playing certain games to prevent cognitive decline.

For people in the 1970s and beyond, another message seems to be that playing non-digital games may be a positive behavior in terms of reducing cognitive decline. We and others are narrowing the scope of activities that may help keep people older. In our sample, it seems to be more than just general intellectual and social activities; in this group of games, this kind of thing has a small but detectable link to better cognitive aging.