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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."

13 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

    1. Re:nothing but pratfalls by ackthpt · · Score: 5, Interesting
      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'".

      I had lots of accidents when I was younger, but many of them because I was an aggressive driver. One potential problem (note: this is anecdotal) is games may have reinforced a very competitive personality. I.e. those things within my control I'll push to the limit to win, those outside my control I'll just swear at. Solution to the aggressive driving thing, get a vehicle with little pep and decent gas mileage. Patience is a virtue, especially as it keeps you out of many accidents and lowers the points on your record.

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

      Delving into the actual study may reveal it's games which encourage good on-the-fly plan developing and limited time spent on it and a good diet (the study center only fed the subjects healthy food.) I know when I was seriously hooked on games I'd skip food until my bloodsugar made me twitchy.

      --

      A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
  2. 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?

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

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

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

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

  5. 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.

  6. "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.
  7. 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.)

  8. 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

  9. I have experienced the opposite by CrazyJim0 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I learned two things from video games:

    Strategy and reflexes, both help my driving.

    Aside from one incident where I almost rammed someone's car after playing too much destruction derby, I am a wicked driver.

    I've physically dodged some wild accidents, and once I powerslided to dodge an accident... Since my car is shorter perpendicular to the road as opposed to straight on it, I avoided an accident by a few inches... People who don't use their turn signal are asking for it.

    Mainly I avoid accidents by putting a ton of car lengths ahead of me... Sure aggressive drivers can juke in, but those fuckers are just as likely to juke out too. All that dodging is not a sign of a good driver, just a retard.

    --
    God spoke to me
  10. 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...

  11. 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