Japanese Researcher Finds Gaming Stunts Brain 389
Bill Gates writes: "This story at the Guardian describes research done in Japan showing that playing video games in youth prevents development of the front lobe, leading to violent behavior." Turns out what at first appears to be arbitrary, mind-numbing violence may turn out to be just that. It seems this study might have returned different results, though, if it looked at the effects of video games which require lots of calculation instead.
Re:Impossible (Score:2, Interesting)
Many modern psychiatric theorists explain the chemical-physical relationship as two sided.
It is commonly accepted that changing the chemicals of the brain (through medication or drugs of some kind) correlates directly to behavioral changes.
However, some theorize that it works both ways; you can also change your brain chemistry through repetetive behavioral changes.
So yes... a repeated, habitual (addictive?) activity can probably change the chemistry of your brain, to some extent.
Or at least it's possible.
flawed logic here (Score:2, Interesting)
Much of the development that occurs in children occurs BEFORE age 11. Some child psychologists believe that things like the personality are basically set whenyou are 8 years old or so. Most of us who say, "Playing games didn't hurt ME any!" can't really say that, because we didn't play games when we were really young.
I don't know whether or not violent games make children more aggressive, but it cannot be said that the games have NO effect, because everything we do affects us in some way right?
Anyhoo, the take home message is probly that too much gaming is not as productive as doing something else. Duh!
This is lousy researching. (Score:1, Interesting)
Not only is this data flawed, but relatively pointless, as well. I think most of us could conclude that doing math for your whole life would probably make you smarter. But would that really make you a better person?
On the contrary to this man's research, and many other people's beleifs, I think that the recent rising in rote-education is a dangerous thing. I think that when studying becomes a more important element than being a kid, you're ultimately just teaching the kid how to be a drone. Those are people that truely don't think.
If you just sit around doing math all day, for this researcher's delicious example, you'd miss out big time on your creative drive. I know a lot of people that are hardcore A+ students, and they're some of the stupidest people I've ever met. Most of them talk like morons, and have miserable tastes in creative culture. (AKA they sit around listening to nsync and watching MTV all day.)
Which brings me to my next point, that this research doesn't conclude very well. Maybe video games are like this in comparison to doing math puzzles, but what about watching MTV all day? This is his conclusion and proposed solution to the problem, at the end of the article:
"But the other thing is to ask them to play outside with other children and interact and to communicate with others as much as possible. This is how they will develop, retain their creativity and become good people."
Is playing outside with other children better for your brain? He didn't actually test that, of course. Knowing the people that I'd romp around in the grass with as a kid, I seriously deny that it made me very creative. I still think it's a good idea to get your kids some fresh air, just because of physical health concerns, and man, nothing beats a good game of paintball for us non-frontal-lobe developed apemen
Here's another quote from dr. hype:
it was found that the computer game only stimulated activity in the parts of the brain associated with vision and movement.
In contrast, arithmetic stimulated brain activity in both the left and right hemispheres of the frontal lobe - the area of the brain most associated with learning, memory and emotion.
The students who played computer games were halting the process of brain development and affecting their ability to control potentially anti-social elements of their behaviour.
This bozo of a scientist has taken readings on the activity of brainwaves during short tasks, and uses that to conclude the entire lifespan of a person's brain development. He also doesn't bother to mention the kind of video game subjected to them (some games can be REALLY boring) or the ages of the subjects, a severe gap of data.
In fact, now that I think about it, this is EXACTLY what happened in the classical music fiasco. What happened there, was a professor took brain readings from college students for a certain amount of time, while they were listening to varying types of music, and found that their mental abilities temporarily rose a bit more when they listened to classical music. From that, he concluded that babies listening to classical music would make them smarter, and everybody started dancing around with their babies to classical music. A truely histerical scene, and an almost historical testament to how many people will accept B.S. as fact.
I really wish this society (and others, apparently) would stop beleiving every single research study that comes out. It's poorly done research like this that leads to things like the classical music fiasco, and the whole global warming bit which EVERYBODY beleives, even though it has yet to be proven using accurate scientific means. (have YOU personally done any real research on global warming, or just accepted what somebody else told you?)
Sueprficial article (Score:3, Interesting)
Computer game stimulates only vision and movement... That depends on the type of game and its goals. Even super-violent Quake3, in its team variants, demands a very high level of coordination and calculation. Well, if you don't come just shooting right and left. However, one should note that there are really dumb games around with a very "mechanical" nature.
The world doesn't stop just on one Nintendo game.
I have seen the behaviour patterns of hundreds of Doom/Quake gamers from 12 to 40 years. The best way to drop stress is to have a kick'ass round at the end of the day. You get home like an angel...
What are the real pattern behaviours of people before/after they played this Nintendo game? What social reactions happen? Is there a control group who didn't play this game at all? Or played other similar/different game? What if I restrict the playing of this game for some N period of time, how behaviour changes?
So it's math that causes violence (Score:2, Interesting)
the parts of the brain associated with emotion stimulated while playing violent video games as he expected, but DID see those areas of the brain active when the student was doing math. Sounds obvious to me - doing math causes more violent emotions than playing violent video games ever could. I think the conclusions are pretty obvious that we should stop teaching math at once!
Oh Good (Score:3, Interesting)
That is why I lack any serious intelligence... my career is a sham... my ego has been deflated... I'm ruined.
All because I played nintendo like it was a religion when I was younger.
Then I realized I played RPG's and all the other interesting games too.
*bliss*
I'm saved... a few indiscriminate gaming choices when younger have saved me.
Or not?
I have a feeling this case studies the extreme and not the norm. (as with most things). In any event, we know that too much of anything isn't a good thing. We have been preaching this since times begining.
Big surprise.. not. (Score:4, Interesting)
Not surprising, on three counts!
First, obviously 'shoot em up'-games improve hand-eye coordination. ("Improve hand-eye coordination: that sounds better already, no?)
Leading me to point two: Japanese society generally disapproves of individualist pursuits such as gameplaying. The Japenese scientific establishment may well have the same biases. This conclusion will be popular. Back to 18-hour a day schooling, kids.
Third, The Guardian is a left-wing paper with a fairly strong anti-technology bias. So the fact it is reported here is suspicious too.
What I am trying to say is: interpret your news critically. This does not mean the article is untrue; it just means some extra work is needed before we all throw out our kids' Gameboys.
Michael
PS my two boys are playing a game as we speak. I have the impression it's a worthwhile pursuit. They are leadning to talk together, plan a course of action, and they are learning to use PCs. Oh and hand-eye coordination.