Do Videogame Skills Transfer To Real Life?

macshune writes "Lately, I've been wanting to try my hand at firearms, just to see if a youth spent playing Duck Hunt and an adolescence playing FPS games has given me a preternatural shooting ability. This got me thinking, do videogame skills, both reaction-based and of other kinds, transfer to real life? My friends that play D&D are good storytellers, but do games like Counter-Strike build teamwork skills? Inquiring minds want to know!"

Hrmmm....

[consolidatedbord]

Now only if cheat codes transferred to real life!

Fast Reactions...

[tktk]

I've found that I've got faster reaction times than most of my friends. I spent a year working at a daycare, and I could consistently catch babies before they fell and hit their heads.

But this discussion begs the question of whether game players develop fast reactions or whether people with fast reactions play games regularly.

Chess

[NetDanzr]

I found that playing chess on computer has greatly increased my umm... chess playing skills.

Where in the World is....

[Cosmik]

If true, maybe "Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?" would be a useful training tool for the CIA and Department of Defense.

Sounds familiar... (v1.0.1)

[sabNetwork]

I've been wanting to try my hand at firearms, just to see if a youth spent playing Duck Hunt and an adolescence playing FPS games has given me a preternatural shooting ability.

You wouldn't happen to be into bowling [bowlingforcolumbine.com], too, would you?

Someone arrest this man...

--

Re:Definitely

[Harassed]

Things that I have noticed personally are elements of resource management from RTS's applying to efficient living in the real world. Yeah, I've found that too. In fact, I've got the kids out back in the yard collecting food and my wife is chopping up a tree for the wood. Meanwhile I've got the dog digging in the basement for gold and I'm nearly finished building a new wonder on the patio :)

Reloading

[Tetrad_of_doom]

Many modern gun games at the arcade require you to shoot off screen to reload.

I'd hate to be the guy standing next to the Time Crisis pro at the real shooting gallery. I might just get shot it the head when he thinks his clip is empty.

Re:Firearms

[Anonymous Coward]

"Well officer, the victim suddenly popped up from behind a crate so I fired a warning shot through her chest. Better safe than sorry"

I've never played this "Real Life" game you talk about, but by your description I am sure the admin just forgot to turn off the frindly fire.

w00t!

[Anonymous Coward]

gamez mprov my comm skillz!!!1 w00t!

Re:Big Difference With Real Firearms

[AnotherFreakboy]

Safety first!

This refers to the practise of checking that the safety is off before shooting civilians, yes?

Yes-Daikatana helped me

[Operating Thetan]

Ever since playing Daikatana, I've had no problem dispatching the frogs and insects at the bottom of my garden.

Re:Fast Reactions...

[Rallion]

The answer to that one is most definitely both. D&D represents a vicious cycle into ultimate geek oblivion.

Lot of Games = Better Motion detection

[SteroidG]

After playing Counter-Strike and the like for years, now I can detect and kill about 5 times more cockroachs crawling in my room than before.... That, or there are actually 5 times more roaches in my room.

Real life example?

[MachDelta]

"Gimmy your lunch money, four-eyes!"
"Uh, hang on a sec. Got a pen?"
"What? What you yappin about, nerd?"
"Nevermind, found one."
"C'mon poindexter, fork it over!"
"One second..."
"What you writing down there?"
"Hang on, hang on! I... D... D... umm... Q..."

On second thought...

[MachDelta]

Since i'm not quite sure how Degreelessness mode would work in real life, maybe 'IDCLIP' would be a better choice... hmmm...

In my case they did

[filtur]

I have fired a gun once. From a long ways away I was able to hit a can on a fence post shooting downhill. My friend who hunts a lot missed. I never let him forget it. I remain 100% in the accuracy department. Now only if I could save a princess.

Re:FPS skillz != firearm skills

[jpop32]

When we got the targets back, and the scores were compared, I was significantly below average.

What happened, your aimbot was malfunctioning?

Re:Definitely

[clambake]

and I'm nearly finished building a new wonder on the patio :)


Not if I finish it first!

pac man

[ooby]

I feel that playing pac man has greatly increased my pill popping skills.

Checkers on the other hand...

[FatalTourist]

A friend and I decided to play some real world checkers. Everything was going fine until he jumped one of my pieces. The damned thing didn't move!
We stared at it for 15 minutes, waiting for it to disappear or leap off the board. Nothing. Finally we managed to prod it off with a stick.
Never will I trust a computer game again.

Well...

[ripewithdecay]

I have improved my skill in stealing cars and beating women...

Of course!

[Pamplemousse]

I've learned more vocab from Video games than I have in school! I mean take Hereos of might and magic three, after I played that game I could use words like Mirth and Moral, and I was only 12!