Video Gamers See the World Differently

trendspotter points out this research from Duke University: "Hours spent at the video gaming console not only train a player's hands to work the buttons on the controller, they probably also train the brain to make better and faster use of visual input, according to Duke University researchers (abstract). 'Gamers see the world differently,' said Greg Appelbaum, an assistant professor of psychiatry in the Duke School of Medicine. 'They are able to extract more information from a visual scene.' ... Each participant was run though a visual sensory memory task that flashed a circular arrangement of eight letters for just one-tenth of a second. After a delay ranging from 13 milliseconds to 2.5 seconds, an arrow appeared, pointing to one spot on the circle where a letter had been. Participants were asked to identify which letter had been in that spot. At every time interval, intensive players of action video games outperformed non-gamers in recalling the letter."

Re:Shocking...

[geirlk]

Depends on ammo type, but here's a little table:

No. 2 - 330 yards
No. 4 - 286 yards
No. 6 - 242 yards
No. 7 1/2- 209 yards
No. 8 - 198 yards

Those does not take into account the "extreme maximum" range, but rather the common range for those shots. Even altitude can have a huge impact on range.
With No. 7 1/2, which is commonly used for trap shooting, one should have a safety range of 300 yards.

That is provided they use shots, and not slugs. Slugs have good accuracy to 70-80 yards, and are lethal at several times that distance.

Re:Shocking...

[upto0013]

Far too much credit.
I'm a pretty good shot and I can hit a milk jug consistently at 300 yards. But that's a Winchester rifle and a lifetime of practice. I've made shots at 500 yards with a .270 rifle and scope, but I wouldn't count on it if I had to make the shot.
Anyone hitting even a large, gamer-size target at 200 yards with a shotgun is pretty amazing. The best grouping ever recorded is just under an inch at 100 yards (.798 inches). And those groupings are from professional shooters with $4,000 guns, scopes and military training. Typical slugs can go that far, but the drop from bullet weight is going to be quite significant: about 2 feet. There are slugs that don't drop out to 200 yards, but at $5-10 a shot, no farmer is going to be using them.
So, unless these gamers got dropped on a mercenary training ground with some kind of ex sniper sitting on the porch, they're going to be fine beyond 150 yards.
Pick up a gun and shoot, it's not as easy as it looks on YouTube.

Re:Shocking...

[Agares]

I own a shotgun and I can tell you, as I am sure quite a few of you already know, that they are differetnly much different in real life on how effective they are. I will admit that it irritates me on COD how a near point blank shot wont kill someone quite often when in real life one could easily take down a small bear depending on what ammo is used. Furthermore I agree with what has been said that a lot of gamers probably wouldn't grasp real life concepts to well. For example when I play paintball with my brother in laws they try to use tactics that would work perfectly fine in COD but don't hold up in a real situation since one guy can't go all Rambo on everything in reality. Now I know games aren't going to be realistic, but I am just pointing out that sometimes a game can warp someones sense of what is possible in reality.