Video Games Boost Visual Skills 355
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."
nothing but pratfalls (Score:5, Funny)
so we all know what this means, I need to play even MORE video games, or less Grand Theft Auto.
Mike
Re:nothing but pratfalls (Score:2, Funny)
Countless knife mishaps?
stop (Score:2, Funny)
(CAUTION: preceding is sarcasm; post-disclaimer for the retarded)
Re:nothing but pratfalls (Score:5, Interesting)
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.
Re:nothing but pratfalls (Score:5, Insightful)
I tried driving defensively for a while, but I just got shat upon. Now I still zoom up alongside people who don't appear to be paying adequate attention, I just assume they're going to fuck up and I watch for it. I don't get myself into situations I can't brake or accelerate (or otherwise manouver) out of.
As for the food, though, you're spot on. Eating properly helps a lot. Getting enough rest does just as much for you. Your body needs fuel and sleep, and not giving it enough of both will ruin your productivity, or at least your consistency.
Re:nothing but pratfalls (Score:3, Informative)
This is the key to driving today (Score:4, Interesting)
2. Assume everyone around you is a complete idiot. On multi-laned highways, never sit in a driver's blind spot, either give a half a car length or pass him. Even more, be aware of other drivers and their intentions. Watch them, you will notice distinct patterns, such that you can anticipate a driver's intent even when the asshole doesn't use a signal. BE CAREFUL OF ANY ERRATIC DRIVERS, these are the worst because you cannot possibly predict their intent. Give them plenty of ground and sneak past only if it's safe.
Re:This is the key to driving today (Score:3, Interesting)
A long-standing oddity: apparently idiots do cue their actions in ways the brain doesn't consciously notice, thus: Sometimes I get the urge to call some driver an idiot, frex I'll find myself saying, "Don't you dare pull out in front of me, you asshole" and every bloody time, the car that got my attention does something stupid or potentially deadly.
Dunno about antilo
I have experienced the opposite (Score:5, Interesting)
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.
Without games you probably wouldn't have survived (Score:5, Funny)
Re:nothing but pratfalls (Score:2, Funny)
I've heard that porn can improve one's fine motor skills.
Re:nothing but pratfalls (Score:4, Funny)
Re:nothing but pratfalls (Score:4, Funny)
Re:nothing but pratfalls (Score:2)
Well, if you didn't play video games, you probably would no longer be around to irritate us.
Re:nothing but pratfalls (Score:4, Insightful)
I knew it... (Score:3, Funny)
Games are not just entertainment (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Games are not just entertainment (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Games are not just entertainment (Score:5, Funny)
Do I really need my laptop when I go out today? What about sunglasses? Extra memeory for the digital camera? Wait, do I even need the camera. OF COURSE I DO!@#!@# WHO KNOWS WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN!@#$!R
I really do believe RPGs can help one home problem solving skills, something that seems to be pretty lacking in our society these days. Of course I don't have any proof for this but it seems that everyone I know who likes and is good at RPGs are pretty good at solving problems but not all of these people are what would normally be considered smart.
Re:Games are not just entertainment (Score:5, Funny)
I never leave the house without my towel.
Re:Games are not just entertainment (Score:2)
so, you are like most slashdotters?
(selective quotation is fun!)
Or to complicate matters more... (Score:2)
Re:Or to complicate matters more... (Score:3, Interesting)
Books are good too (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Games are not just entertainment (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Games are not just entertainment (Score:2)
and.... (Score:2)
As opposed to living in a van, down by the river, it is always a good idea to interact with others, on most any level (going to the 7-Eleven...talking with your probation officer...apologizing for the dog, when he eats your math homework, etc.), if you wish to improve your vocabulary and problem solving skills. Crediting RPGs is like thanking the YMCA for keeping city buses from running
Re:Games are not just entertainment (Score:4, Insightful)
I can really believe that reading books like the 1st editions of TSR's AD&D (the Gygax DMG especially) and White Wolf's WOD series could help your vocabulary. Those things are chock full of gratuitously esoteric 10-dollar words ("Lycanthropy?" "Protean!").
The later versions of those game books seemed to aim at progressively wider audiences (the influence of publishers wanting sales and editors wanting readability), so the word choice became more accessible and pedestrian.
Take that Mom! (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Take that Mom! (Score:3, Funny)
They would have mentioned Counter Strike.... (Score:5, Funny)
Another possibility... (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Another possibility... (Score:5, Insightful)
The way to test this, of course, is to test the groups' visual abilities first at the onset of the experiment, then have them play the games extensively for a lengthy period of time (several weeks, months, or years depending on how long such neurological structures take to emerge), then test those abilities again.
Re:Another possibility... (Score:2)
You could speculate of course, but the speculation is even more specious than the claim itself. And one has to wonder - even if there is a real, provable advantage - what one gives up by playing these games night and day in order to get 'improved visual acuity'?
Re:Another possibility... (Score:3, Insightful)
And yet he provides *no evidence whatsoever* that the test he administers actually translates into increased ability with these real-world skills. His comments are merely supposition without any basis in fact.
Science requires hard evidence, not guesswork. Until Wolfe shows, empirically, that there's a direct connection between his tests and these skills, t
Re:Another possibility... (Score:4, Insightful)
I don't see this result as anything particularly surprising. If you work out, you become stronger. If you have to track multiple objects on screen, your tracking ability improves.
Re:Another possibility... (Score:2)
Re:Another possibility... (Score:4, Insightful)
You may not be surprised, but remember that we are talking about video games here. Think about what the average parent or teacher thinks about the hobby of playing video games. Remember that bashing video games as a waste of time and a cause of anti-social disorders and/or depression is a frequent past-time of the press. Remember that the fact that the Columbine kids played Doom was often mentioned when talking about the murders.
When a study comes out that proves that there are real-world, physical benefits to playing GTA3 -- this would definitely surprise a lot of people. Gamers often already know about these benefits. I, for instance, have noticed that my positioning and directional skills seem to be better than most peoples. For example, if we are driving in an area which we are not familiar with - making a lot of turns, etc - I notice that I am able to keep my bearings on the cardinal directions (i.e. which way is north, etc) much better than most people. These skills have been tuned playing first-person shooters for many years, as in those games it is a strategic advantage to "make sense" of the map as a whole, despite the fact that they can only see a little bit of it at any given time. Whenever you make a turn, you mentally map your position and bearings on a top-down mental image of sorts. At any given time, you know the direction of all the previous rooms you have been to - even on a large map. Not everyone can do this well without practice.
Re:Another possibility... (Score:5, Insightful)
It also mentions, however: In a fifth experiment, non-players trained on an action video game show marked improvement from their pre-training abilities, thereby establishing the role of playing in this effect.
So, even tho the habitual gamers outscored non-videogame players there is apparently some "training" possible.
Re:Another possibility... (Score:4, Informative)
my theory (Score:2)
i mean, brain only has this much computation power, spending a lot of time staring straight into the screen in front of you would certainly hone a different type of ability than, say, soccer, where you'd better be aware of the guy behind you who would probably put a leg in your crouch in risk of a red card but toss you out of the
Re:Another possibility... (Score:2)
Re:Another possibility... (Score:2)
Coordination. (Score:2)
Re:Coordination. (Score:2)
On the other hand, ewwww!
"Game type is important" (Score:5, Funny)
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."
Re:"Game type is important" (Score:5, Insightful)
Standard cynical response (Score:2)
Huh? What's that? Tracking 5 objects at once, you say?
Er, nevermind...
Re:Standard cynical response (Score:2)
Also, 10 year-old kids chawing tobaccy? Yech. Not unheard of though.
well... (Score:3, Funny)
Re:well... (Score:3, Funny)
No kidding... (Score:2)
In other news (Score:5, Funny)
Re:In other news (Score:2)
Did anyone read the fine print.? (Score:5, Funny)
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.)
Re:Did anyone read the fine print.? (Score:2)
However, for all I know, the text could very well be in there but it most likely would not be small and white-on-white and would not have the "make check payable line". (If someone did read the actual study and found those lines, please let me know!) :)
Fair enough. :) (Score:2)
I scanned past the white-on-white comment, and I didn't read the "make check payable" line as a part of the "quote" from the paper.
So yeah, that's pretty funny.
50% Informative
20% Insightful
20% Funny
So assuming the moderators are a representative sample, most people took you seriously. Still, sorry if my little flame ends up hurting your karma any.
Re:Did anyone read the fine print.? (Score:2)
They only wanted to thank one of them?
Nice visual skills... (Score:2, Funny)
Troll. Mod this down. (Score:3, Interesting)
On page 537: "Competing interests statement: The authors decleare that they have no competing financial interests."
Mod this libelous garbage back to where it belongs.
Hand Eye Coordination... (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Hand Eye Coordination... (Score:3, Funny)
What about mech games! (Score:5, Insightful)
what did they say about mech games!
oh man, I feel so left out.
But on a more serious note. I think these games do increase twitch re-actions for people, to be even remotely good you have to be able to identify a things distance, and even slight variations on where it exists in space to determine if you are going to fire at it.
Just taking medal of honor for example, many times on servers which force the skin type, it can be very hard to determine if someone is behind a wall because of the lack of contrast between default uniforms and the background.
The ability to know how thick an object is can really help determine how abnormal its shape is versus what it should be.
Anyone thats played these games a while, and has become familiar with where things are on there maps can almost run them backward. I used to play on a map called canalzone (the original for qwtf) that was "huge" and I could run it backward, or looking straight at the ground, as long as i knew where my start positon was. You need a good feel for how large the 3d space is relative to your character in the game to be able to do these kinds of things.
Now on games where weapons have travel time in space, knowledge of 3d space is even more important, games such as mechwarrior 4, coupled with some lag, require to know the movement speed in space so you can lead the target. If you dont have any idea how they are going to change relative shape vs distance in space, you are much less likely to hit your target.
so the hypothesis that games can affect how you determine things in 3d space seems completely plausible to me, because having "trained" people to play many 3d games myself (planetfortress.com/canalzone) (www.themfb.com search on wayback machine or google) I can tell you that the ability to have a good twitch instinct and judgment factors about objects in 3d space can really help.
How true.. (Score:2, Interesting)
In Other News... (Score:5, Funny)
-Teckla
3.5 objects?! (Score:5, Funny)
regularly could track up to five objects at a time - 30% more than non-players.
That's 3.5 objects for a non-player... hrmmm... I'd like to see that guy who only tracked half an object.
Re:3.5 objects?! (Score:2)
(3.85 * 1.3 = 5), approximately.
Re:3.5 objects?! (Score:3, Funny)
Thwap!
And in other news ... (Score:5, Interesting)
how about loss of vision? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:how about loss of vision? (Score:5, Informative)
Eyes and eyesight
There's no evidence that working with display screen equipment is harmful to the eyes, nor that it makes visual problems worse, although a few people who have difficulties with their sight may become more aware of them. But working at a screen for a long time without a break can have effects similar to reading or writing uninterruptedly, and may make your eyes feel 'tired' or sore. You might find that it helps to look away from the screen from time to time and focus your eyes on a distant object.
Re:how about loss of vision? (Score:3, Funny)
Re:how about loss of vision? (Score:2)
the question everyone wants to know... (Score:2)
Field of perception (Score:2)
Trained speed readers percieve whole lines at a time! I remember my former English teacher in high school read a third of a page in a glance - He read REALLY fast!
Check out this google search [google.com]! Now go learn it!!
I've experienced a similar thing (Score:3, Interesting)
Because of this, my vision and reflexes are kind of sharp -- at least in a specific way. I've had many moments that remind me of the scene in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, where the older lady knocks over the cup to test the young girl's reflexes. She snatches the cup without thinking. I'm always catching things while they are being knocked over or grabbing things out of midair, just out of conditioning.
However, I suck at a lot of other physical things, most sports, and am a bit of a klutz at times. It's kind of like working on your bicep over and over, but neglecting other things. You've got this unnaturally strong bicep but the rest is much weaker. And I don't juggle, thinking of how this is going to pay off in all these other ways. I just like to juggle.
I'm pretty much just speculating, but I would suspect that playing a lot of video games gives you good visual skills that probably don't translate into a lot of other real-world stuff simply because the abilities that are developed are so narrow.
Compare to a football quarterback (you see, Marge, there are jocks, and nerds. Being a jock...oh, sorry, I digress). As a QB, you have to track several receivers, the pass rushers, keep an eye on the game clock, and keep your wits under the very real-world threat of being flattened by some steroid-raging linebacker. Plus all the physical skills, and the playbook knowledge (no, it ain't the same as programming C++, but you don't have 300-lb Bubba bearing down on you while you are coding either). There's a much wider range of skill development there, that encompasses both the physical and mental. Not to say that there are not other ways to develop those things, but let's just say that if you gain any skills out of playing Quake 12 hours a day, be thankful.
...that is great news... (Score:2, Funny)
it also improves surgical skills (Score:3, Funny)
Re:it also improves surgical skills (Score:4, Funny)
However good your skills may be, I don't know how many people are going to want to be operated on by a doctor who spells the word 'surgury'.
Old old OLD news, I'm afraid. (Score:2, Informative)
Surprising? (Score:5, Funny)
More benifits than that (Score:5, Funny)
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
It helped me (Score:5, Interesting)
The biggest thing they wanted was for me to get hand-eye coordination. I basically had none. The biggest exercise was a tennis ball on a tether. When they took it and swung it like a pendulum at my head, I literally could not bat it away before it bounced off me (sounds mean, but it was more like a game ). No change after three years of this.
So my parents bought me an Atari 2600 somewhere around age 7. By the end of that summer, I had quite good hand-eye coordination (and had flipped the score on Defender a few times ). My mom was more than glad to let me play games endlessly after that
(*) of course, I think 20 years later now, looking at a CRT screen all the time has probably degraded my vision back a bit too
Heh (Score:3, Funny)
Indeed. My eyesight is now only called that out of habit. A normal person wearing my glasses can see through time.
If we're not in the Army or visually-impaired... (Score:2, Interesting)
Benefits:
- Boost in visual skills
- Games teach problem-solving abilities, perseverance, pattern recognition, hypothesis testing, estimating skills, inductive skills, resource management, logistics, mapping, memory, quick thinking, and reasoned judgements. (
Where you can most use the boost in visual skills (Score:3, Interesting)
So not only tracking multiple objects, but un
oh so true so true (Score:5, Interesting)
I hope I am not the only one who can attest to years of mudding having increased typing speeds and accuracy. when its a matter of life or death, you learn speedily to type accurately. when I started mudding back in the 7th grade, I was typing at like 15-20wpm /10 errors, now after nearly a decade of mudding, I type ~100wpm /2 errors. I will admit though, that some terms from my mudding days have seeped into my daily vocabulary; more than once I have said things like "let me check my eq" when I meant to imply "let me see if I have that" ... it gets scary...
let us not forget the hours and hours that we gamers have wasted on mini-puzzles and macro-puzzles that are tossed into games so frequently these days. I know for a fact that those skills have come in handy for me in the form of increased logical problem identification speeds.
I think I should shut up know, I have a feeling I am going to be modded into oblivion...
Popular press missing the point? (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Popular press missing the point? (Score:3, Interesting)
In other words, guess what? People who actively practice keeping track of multiple moving targets get better at keeping track of multiple moving targets.
Guess what? Video games of a certain type often involve keeping track of multiple moving targets.
I remember reading about a WW1 pilot who'd take a pencil, make a small mark on a large, otherwise blank wall, then read a book for a while. Then, suddenly, he'd turn, and try to find the dot on the wall as quickly as possible.
As I recall, he had a very
Tracking multiple inputs (Score:3, Interesting)
Tetris only has one important object on the screen at a time, I wonder how much visual object tracking would improve someone made a version of Tetris where you had to control two or more falling bricks at a time.
This reminds me of when I began to study music theory, and started to listen to multiple instruments at the same time. Most people who listen to classical music, or any highly arranged music, can pick out and track multiple melodies, including subtle ones whose only purpose is to enhance the piece. Contrast that to most rock (or any popular music,) where there is one main melody, a bass line that hardly varies from the melody, and no complex vocal harmony.
Most of my friends cannot listen to and enjoy complex music (other than as relaxing background noise.) The human mind adjusts too in environment, and if exposed to complex auditory stimuli, we learn to understand it quicker, and follow it with greater detail. If exposed to complex visual stimuli, we learn to parse it faster. This probably applies to all senses.
The real question is, as games improve in areas such as 3d audio, will other senses besides visual spacial object tracking improve?
Re:Tracking multiple inputs (Score:3, Funny)
My anecdotal experience with games & coordinat (Score:3, Interesting)
As a resident, I'm learning to do endoscopic procedures, such as colonoscopy, upper GI endoscopy, and a few other procedures ending with -oscopy. Manual dexterity and coordination play a significant role in performing these procedures well. You can read the entire endoscope manual about which wheel looks left, right, up or down, and which button takes a picture. But, you've gotta get your hands on the scope and start driving to gain any proficiency.
After my first day of endoscopy, I called my mom to tell her that all those hours spent in front of the Nintendo were now benefitting my career. She scoffed and said it was probably because I could play the piano. But, I remain convinced.
Just my $0.02!
ATARI ASTEROIDS is vindicated (Score:5, Funny)
The main drawback is that my ears only respond to two alternating pitches.
Duh-duh
Duh-duh
Duh-duh
Duh-duh
Duh-duh
Du
Duh-duh
In other news (Score:3, Funny)
Just five objects? (Score:3, Informative)
Learn tracking even more objects with juggling.org [juggling.org].
Re:I wish someone would've told my mother that (Score:2)
Dispite having access to Socrates educational software, the TI was a poor choice in the end cause they stoped making them, and the software support was squat. But never the less, there still was a slew of
Re:I wish someone would've told my mother that (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:I wish someone would've told my mother that (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:I wish someone would've told my mother that (Score:2)
They do improve visual skills...
Visual Basic, Visual Studio, Visual C++ and so on...
Re:What good are visual skills if ... (Score:2)
Against my better judgement, I feel the need to respond.
I grew up a pretty hard core gamer (though I am not any longer). I played computer games 8+ hours a day most days. If you visit my room you'll probably see something unexpected. Trophies, and lots of them. Guess what they're for? That's right, sports. Baseball (All Star Team), Roller Hockey (League MVP), etc... Dont overgeneralize.
Hrmm.. socializing... Ok, I'll give yo