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Pac Man Nostalgia Helps Enhance Memory?
Thanks to icWales, who have a brief report revealing claims that playing classic videogames can help enhance your memory. The report reveals: "Researchers found that playing video games such as Pac Man and Space Invaders induced a 'positive emotional state' connected to a past happy memory. That in turn increased the players' focus, attention and memory." Apparently, the more oldschool the game, the better the results, since the unattributed, rather bizarre survey claims: "Games from the 1980s triggered the biggest improvement in memory, followed by games from the 1990s."
It occurs to me from this article on a bigger implication of our loving fond memories of the arcade. A lot of research on Alzheimer's suggest you let people 'live' in an earlier era in their memory. That means for us when we get old they can just put us in front of the table top asteroids and Ms. PacMan and enjoy the happiness on our faces. (Assuming carpal-tunnel hasn't rendered us gimpy)
that /. will post ANYTHING when it's the middle of the night in the US, just to annoy its readers living in other time zones.
/. to read up on 'Stuff that Matters' and you see THIS.
Can you imagine, it's lunchtime in New Dehli, and you eagerly go to
The latest Slashdot meme.
video games such as Pac Man and Space Invaders induced a 'positive emotional state'
Well, playing Daikatana makes me "go to my happy place".
Something like this has been studied and documented for years: State dependent learning. It seems that it is much easier to recall information if you are in the same mental state as you were ehen you learned it. If say for example you are mildy intoxicated when you study for a history final, you will remember a significantly larger portion of the material if you are also mildy intoxicated when you take the exam.
Music as a memory aid works in a very similar way. The song will evoke an emotional state, and this combined with cue within the song can recreate "lost" memories.
With any luck, by the time I hit 65 (or whatever the retirement age will be moved up to for my generation) I will be able to charge nintendo games to Medicare!
On Wall Street they say "buy low, sell high" On the pad we say, "buy high, sell high" Isn't that somehow better?
Ok, so having pictures of ex girlfriends naked might also help to improve memory/recall?
I just need to tell my wife...she will...appreciate...ok maybe not.
----- LoboSoft specializes in Digital Language Lab
What about minesweeper and solitaire?
If I seem short sighted, it is because I stand on the shoulders of midgets
I just played Donkey Kong on MAME...
Now, I remember where I put my hammer.
I also found my girfriend's purse and umbrella.
Political correctness is the newest form of slavery.
America is at or past the human limit of productivity...we work nearly as many hours as child labor in India...and are starting to see the same health problems eliminated in the 1950's.
As far as at-work happiness goes, you are correct! BUT...this only proves that 50-60 hour weeks are physically damaging over long periods. Play is an important part of living too. Just becuse it's not "unit producing" time doesn't mean it's wasted. [though most companies expect to throw away employees over 50 nowdays rather than change their business to be more civil] Of course, you should be doing this with your KIDS! Then you share happy memories [and lessons] with them, while making new ones for them to have. But it's kind of hard to do that when the "overbearing" boss wants 60 hours a week for food on the table! This only proves what the europeans already know about work hours...and for a "civilized" society it is apalling how much americans are required to work. This looks to prove that it is indeed criminal to make people work that much!
Happiness _does_ equate to productivity. At least for me. Sure free soda pop and doughnuts are nice. Sure a foozball table is nice. But those are just little perqs. What really makes me happy is challenging and interesting work that allows me to use my creativity and allows me to make a difference in the product I am working on. In that environment, I am extremely productive, working both smarter and harder.
The former might give a little morale boost, but without the latter, it's worthless. And anyone for whom it makes a significant difference probably doesn't have that much to offer anyway.
You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike.
..that games from the 80's would be more of a mental trigger. They were much more simple, repetative, and pattern oriented. ..and most like playing those games would establish more specific and stronger base neural pathways than games of today.
Games today would easily develop more complex and motion, space, and coordination oriented skills.
I'd be interested to see what parts of the brain that different games stimulate.