I think efficient is a more accurate term. I remember reading a study a while ago about how gamers in general have better hand and eye coordination as well as faster decision making abilities compare to people who do not play games, so it has more to do with one's emotional intelligence than actual IQ. When you play a brain training game, you're forced to use specific functions of your brain, and as a result the brain becomes better at these functions, when you engage in a task that requires these functions, you will perform better.

So games cannot actually make people smarter, they just help to improve the efficiency of the brain so people become better at specific tasks, let children play certain games as they grow up can definitely help enhancing some functions of their brain and make them develop certain abilities, but I don't think there are any games that can make a person universally more intelligent.

@Darktemplar

Yes I think children would profit more. Genetics play a role too but children can probably experience a profound effect since their brains arent fully developed yet.

It still remains a guess though since there are no longterm studies but I can imagine that braintraining of any form in the childhood could actually make you smarter for your lifetime.

if you train your body your body will get stronger
if you do medtitation your focus will increase
why the hell shouldn't you get smarter when you train your brain?
of course you will.

Once i had to make an IQ test because of a professional retraining as it was required,few weeks later i had to do another one at an Agency because they had not received my firstIQ test.
My second test was 20 points better than my first.
The reason was simple:both tests were pretty similar.While I had to make the first test I wasted time to figure out and analyse how things work,i had to remember the rule of three,pythagoras etc
When i made the second test i already knew how the test will look like=i was prepared,and i'm pretty sure i could hace add another 10-20 point with training.

of course you will think faster just as you'll be stronger when you train your muscles,but only in that terms you are training.
You won't run faster when you are a bodybuilder and you won't be able to write great lyrics when you train math.

Not smarter, but sharper.

Especially when your retired it is VERY important to keep your brain active.

Actually, I don't own a 3ds but I'm thinking of buying one since I've been traveling a lot lately.

By the way, why did you think I was posting from one?

I remember something similar happening to me in the past when I did IQ test for the second time in a short period of time.

Never though about that before!

It's a pity that retired people usually do not play games that much. I mean, they were already adults when gaming started to become popular so most of them neve get used to gaming. But I guess that this may change in a few generations.