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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."

3 of 355 comments (clear)

  1. Games are not just entertainment by Kethinov · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Several friends of mine credit their above average vocabularies and problem solving abilities to RPGs among other games. There's a reason why most nerdy smart people play video games!

    --
    You're right, I wouldn't steal a car. But if it were possible, I sure as hell would download one!
    1. Re:Games are not just entertainment by RyatNrrd · · Score: 5, Insightful

      A pity then even nerdy smart people can seldom recognise the fact that correlation does not tell you the direction of causation. Do RPGs make you smarter, or do smart people like just RPGs?

  2. Another possibility... by Peter+S.+Housel · · Score: 5, Insightful

    ... is that people who can't track that many objects at once are turned off by games and don't play them. The article doesn't say whether they tried to account for this factor or not.