The other day there was a rumor that Jack Nicholson, age 73, was a retiring from the movies because he had a difficult time remembering lines. He hasn’t acknowledge the report yet. He also hadn’t denied it either.

He needs to read the recent NY Times article that says the challenges of certain video games can improve short-term memory and long-term focus of people who are as old as 80. The findings just got published in a scientific journal called Nature. The article is appropriately named, “Game Changer.”

The gist of the article says that recent research “shows you can take older people who aren’t functioning well and make them cognitively younger through video game training.” That may mean a whole new market for video games: octogenarians.

A study from the University of Rochester shows

“Heavy use of certain off-the-shelf, intense shooting games can lead to improvements in a user’s ability to ignore distractions, and even learn. Brain scientists have discovered that swerving around cars while simultaneously picking out road signs in a video game can improve memory.”

All the researchers quoted in the story admit that the study is very young and still in the very stages. However, we all know that active minds stay fresh and vibrant. If video games and other intense mind games, help the cause, I say “Shoot away.”