The Impact of Pokemon Franchise on the Human Brain

In recent news from Engadget, researchers from Stanford University claimed that after their test subjects saw hundreds of Pokemon characters, they showed a fired up response in the people who played Pokemon as a child compared to those who did not. However, the researchers also noticed that there is a specific part of the brain involved in looking at the Pokemon characters. This region is called the Occipitotemporal sulcus.

Radiopaedia explained on their website that the occipitotemporal sulcus or the lateral occipitotemporal sulcus is found on the inferior surface of the temporal lobe, which separates the inferior temporal gyrus laterally from the fusiform gyrus medially. This region of the brain is used to recognize faces, words, numbers, and even popular personalities.

The researchers from Stanford University conducted the study in order to prove that humans have the same capability to develop similar regions that are specific for recognizing familiar images after they have been exposed from a very young age. Their findings also helped in supporting the theories about how early childhood exposure plays an important role in developing dedicated brain regions, and if this is done from an early age, the brain will change in response to experiential learning.

Additionally, CBR also released an article which explored how Pokemon video games help in processing visual information. The researchers led by Jesse Gomez stated that their study found that playing Pokemon video games helps in strengthening the idea that the human brain can adapt to new information, especially if the person is exposed to it at a very young age.

Pokemon Go and Mental Health

Fresh variations of the Pokemon video game such as the Pokemon Go mobile game app were also said to have a positive effect on its players’ brains. In 2016, Pokemon Go became even more popular around the world and was praised for improving players’ health since it allows players to get up and moving. In a web post by the University of Utah, they stated that the health benefits of playing Pokemon Go go beyond physical well-being, as it has a positive effect on one’s mental health, especially among patients diagnosed with depression, anxiety, and autism.

Matthew Woolley, Ph.D., a psychologist from University of Utah Health, stated, “First of all, we know that regular exercise helps improve mental state, and beyond that, the structure of the game giving immediate feedback for attainable goals -- keeps players who may suffer from depression or anxiety interested and active.” They also mentioned that people who are diagnosed with a mental health problem usually do not like leaving their houses, but Pokemon Go gives them the motivation to go out. Julia Connelly, Ph.D., a psychologist with the University of Utah Health’s Autism Spectrum Disorder Clinic, stated that she noticed that most of her clients were now more engaged and motivated in life after playing Pokemon Go.

Pokemon Go and Autism Spectrum Disorder

Aside from people with mental health disorders, Pokemon Go also helps people who have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Connelly also added that the graphics in the game are very appealing and the idea of collecting things has been found to be very enticing to people in the autism spectrum. “The game also taps into their ability to absorb incredible amounts of information, perseverance, and excitement about things that are interesting to them.”

However, people on the autism spectrum might also have a problem when playing Pokemon Go since they might become too lost in it and want to play it all the time. It might also be very difficult for their parents to make them do things they do not enjoy since a lot of parents become frustrated whenever they have difficulty taking the electronic device out of their children’s hands.