Who composed “The Minute Waltz”? What religion do most Italians practice? What’s the square root of 81? What famous British battle occurred on Sept. 25, 1066? What is a quince?

If you want these answers or are interested in memorizing other isolated facts, you might pick up an encyclopedia.

But if you’re looking to give your brain a more modern kind of workout, pick up a PlayStation controller.

Long considered a surefire way to turn your head into Jell-O, video games have been getting new respect in recent months as ways to learn and develop skills.

And we’re not talking about the old “eye-hand coordination” thing. We’re talking about real learning.

Last week, the Federation of American Scientists called for federal research into how video games can be used as an educational tool. The theory, federation president Henry Kelly said, is that video games teach analytical thinking, team building, multitasking and problem-solving under duress — not surprisingly, skills that employers find attractive.

That’s right. The secret to success in the 21st century might be “The Sims,” not Shakespeare.

Does playing video games really teach those skills? Anne Schutte, assistant professor of psychology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, said studies on how games affect the brain are still scarce. But evidence does suggest, she said, that adolescents who play video games are much better at efficiently dividing their attention than those who don’t.

That’s probably due in part to the complexity of today’s video games, like the popular World War II simulation “Medal of Honor.” To succeed, players must juggle a number of diverse tasks — spot new enemies, follow existing foes and

constantly survey changing environments — to avoid getting hurt or killed. Compare that to early games like “Pong” or “Tetris”: staid, slow-moving games with just one focal point on the screen at a time.

As technology has improved, the games have gotten smarter, and so have players.

In addition, most contemporary video games require players’ minds to work like a souped-up Pentium processor — a step or two faster than the average noggin.

“(Video games) can increase the speed of processing information,” said Schutte, who studies cognitive development. “But it may be causal; people who are good at video games may already be able to process information quickly, so that’s why they’re attracted to them in the first place.”

This doesn’t come as a surprise, said Justin Goes, a game adviser for GameStop at SouthPointe Pavilions. With some exceptions, he said, the most popular titles are games like “The Legend of Zelda,” “Halo 2” and “Age of Empires” — games that require such certifiably un-hip skills as resource management, short- and long-term planning and using intricate strategies to solve problems.

“If the game isn’t unique, isn’t a challenge … it won’t do very well,” Goes said. For example, the long-awaited “Devil May Cry 2” was panned upon its release because it was basically “a rehash of the first one. It just wasn’t very hard.”

Oh, the answers to the questions in the first paragraph? Chopin composed “The Minute Waltz.” Most Italians are Roman Catholic. Nine is the square root of 81. The Norwegians defeated the British at the Battle of Stampford Bridge on Sept. 25, 1066. A quince is a hard, fragrant, yellow fruit used for making jelly or preserves.

Feeling good about knowing some of those? Good for you. Now go solve “Morrowind,” then we’ll talk.

Reach Steve Smith at 473-7304 or ssmith@journalstar.com.

What’s in a game?

Civilization III

Play through the entire span of human history, creating a civilization that dominates the world through diplomatic finesse, cultural domination and military prowess.

Genre: Strategy

Platform: PC

How smart?: One of the most complex games ever made. Provides huge amounts of detailed learning about many aspects of world history.

The Sims series

The player takes the role of a character he/she chooses and works to improve that person’s life through friendships, relationships, purchases, etc.

Genre: Role-playing

Platforms: PC, PlayStation2, XBox

How smart?: “The Sims” tackles issues like personal identity and diversity, plus personal, family and local history. It also focuses on how to make relationships, budget money and manage a household.

FIFA Soccer series by EA Sports

Guide soccer clubs from around the world. “Career Mode” lets you take a team from the lower divisions, battle through ranks, sign new players and turn them into champions.

Genre: Sports

Platforms: PlayStation2, XBox, Xbox360, GameCube, PC

How smart?: The management aspects of FIFA Soccer — and many other EA Sports games — focus on business strategy.

Dynasty Warriors 4: Empires

A horseback action game that uses popular characters from the “Three Kingdoms” era of China. Like the board game RISK, but with hundreds of soldiers fighting instead of rolling dice.

Genre: Action

Platforms: PlayStation2

How smart?: The game requires strategic short- and long-term thinking and fits into any discussion about Asian history and culture.

Source: www.gamesparentsteachers.com

Required reading

For more on how video games work the brain, check out these titles (even though they’re old-fashioned, non-interactive books).

—  “Everything Bad Is Good For You: How Popular Culture is Making Us Smarter,” by Steven Johnson. www.stevenberlinjohnson.com/

—  “Got Game: How the Gamer Generation is Reshaping Business Forever,” by John C. Beck and Mitchell Wade. www.gotgamebook.com.

—  “Don’t Bother Me, Mom — I’m Learning,” by Marc Prensky. www.marcprensky.com.

Notable new releases

“The Sims 2: Pets”

Released: Oct. 17

“The Sims 2: Pets” is an expansion pack of the popular Sims series, this time focused on your Sims’ fine feathered and furry friends. For PC and PlayStation2.

“Medal of Honor Heroes”

Released: Today

A version of the World War II action series, with a unique storyline and up to eight players over the ad hoc wireless network. For PlayStation Portable.

“Age of Empires III: The WarChiefs” 

Released: Oct. 17

Has three playable Native civilizations as well as additional content for all European civilizations. For PC.

“Phantasy Star Universe”

Released: Today

More than 200 weapon variations in more than 20 weapon categories. It also has player-controlled vehicles and advanced character customization. For PlayStation2, XBox360 and PC.

Source: GameSpot.com

Not so fast

A number of studies suggest that violent video games can increase a person’s aggressive thoughts, feelings and behavior. Among them is this April 2000 study published in the American Psychological Association’s Journal of Personality and Social Psychology: http://www.apa.org/journals/features/psp784772.pdf.