Study on Neurocognitive Changes Induced by Complex Task Training in Strategic Computer Game: Participant Recruitment and Training Protocol

The NeuroCognitive Research Center at SWPS University in Warsaw has conducted a groundbreaking study on the temporal dynamics of neurocognitive changes induced by complex task training in the form of a strategic computer game. The research, approved by the Ethics Committee of SWPS University, involved 22 participants who underwent structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI) acquisition, cognitive evaluation, and EEG sessions at four different time points.

Participants, who had little to no experience with real-time strategy (RTS) video games, were randomly assigned to two training groups: the experimental ‘Variable’ group and the active control group ‘Fixed’. Both groups underwent 30 hours of training in the game StarCraft II, playing against Artificial Intelligence (AI) with varying levels of difficulty.

Telemetric data from StarCraft II replays was analyzed to track the participants’ progress in key variables such as Action per minute (APM), Perception Action Cycle (PAC) Action latency, and hotkeys (HS) usage. These variables showed a steady increase over the 30-hour training period, indicating skill acquisition and improvement in cognitive, motor, and decision-making speed.

Furthermore, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data was collected before the training, and diffusion data preprocessing was performed to analyze white matter regions and tracts associated with game learning. The study focused on regions such as the internal capsule, external capsule, cingulum/hippocampus, and fornix stria terminalis, as well as tracts like the corticospinal tract and superior longitudinal fasciculus.

Statistical analysis was conducted to evaluate the association between white matter microstructure and game learning, revealing significant correlations between the two. The study, approved by the Ethics Committee, sheds light on the impact of strategic computer game training on neurocognitive changes and provides valuable insights into the learning process.