Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Video Games Boost Visual Skills

Posted by simoniker on from the we-thought-it-was-the-caffeine dept.

cmburns69 writes "A new study published in Nature Magazine (MSNBC summary) suggests that playing action games improves visual skills. Among other things, young adults who played action games such as Grand Theft Auto and Medal of Honor regularly could track up to five objects at a time - 30% more than non-players. Apparently, the game type is important, as ten hours of the block-rotating game Tetris failed to improve test scores."

8 of 355 comments (clear)

  1. nothing but pratfalls by sweeney37 · · Score: 5, Funny

    I've been playing video games my entire life, and yet I've had 5 automobile accidents, countless number of knife mishaps and I am probably up for "most likely to be on 'America's Funniest Home Videos'".

    so we all know what this means, I need to play even MORE video games, or less Grand Theft Auto.

    Mike

  2. Take that Mom! by tomakaan · · Score: 5, Funny

    And Mom always said Video Games would kill all of my brain cells!

  3. They would have mentioned Counter Strike.... by rune2 · · Score: 5, Funny

    But everybody was cheating so it didn't matter anyway.

  4. "Game type is important" by twoallbeefpatties · · Score: 5, Funny

    Makes sense to me.

    Grand Theft Auto: "Shat! That cop's gonna catch me! I gotta pay attention!"

    Medal of Honor: "Shat! That nazi's gonna catch me! I gotta pay attention!"

    Tetris: "Shat! That block's gonna... fall... somewhere... Ehn, no big loss."

    --
    Libertarians somehow believe that private businesses should be stronger than governments but weaker than individuals.
  5. Did anyone read the fine print.? by mrklin · · Score: 5, Funny
    It is very very small, white-on-white, 4pt text all the way down on page 76:

    University of Rochester would like to thank the following sponsors of the study: Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo, Rockstar Games and Electronic Art.

    (Please make check payable to Thomas H. Jackson, President, University of Rochester.)

  6. In Other News... by Teckla · · Score: 5, Funny

    Teenage males that use the Internet regularly can identify pr0n actresses with 70% greater accuracy than teenage males that don't use the Internet regularly.

    -Teckla

  7. Surprising? by recordalator · · Score: 5, Funny

    So, um, those who spend more time training their perceptual systems to track and identify objects are better at tracking and identifying objects? Next thing you know, they'll start telling us that spending more time reading makes people better at reading...

  8. More benifits than that by Cynikal · · Score: 5, Funny

    "young adults who played action games such as Grand Theft Auto [...] regularly could track up to five objects at a time"

    not only that, but these young adults were also 22% more successful at car jacking, 46% had better aim with lethal weapons, and 27% could on average outrun law enforcement officers.

    yay everybody wins