It's official - Video Games are good for you

[MartyG]

As most of us probably already advocate, video games are in fact good for you.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/2943280.stm

"US scientists have found that regular players of shoot-em-ups, such as Half-Life and Medal of Honour, have much better visual skills than most of the population"

So, video games are to blame for high school shootings in the US then - video games make you a crack shot

Regards
Marty

[SharkAttack]

The research was tri funded by Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo.

[snowman]

Well the negative health points outway the good...

Like getting fat and back pains ect ect ect...

[Lyris]

The added: "Although video game playing may seem to be rather mindless, it is capable of radically altering visual attentional processing."

Anyone know how this idea came about?

How is interacting with a screen (game playing) mindless but lying around watching a screen (TV) isn't?

[Saurian]

It's blatantly obvious that your visual skills improve, when I was a kid I used to find games like Salamander hectic. Now they are a joke to me as I can track hundreds of objects in a totally relaxed state, as well as keeping my mind free to think tactically. In beat em ups you are thinking in terms of space, your opponents next move, your tactical advantage, your execution (in VF4e) the relationship between the 2 characters stance (open/closed) also makes a massive difference.

I seriously believe that my co-ordination (both visual and physical) has been improved loads by games.

[SharkAttack]

How is interacting with a screen (game playing) mindless but lying around watching a screen (TV) isn't?

Did they say it wasn't? Must've missed that. Everyone knows that sitting around watching tv is mindless. Unless its some twisting rollercoaster drug fuelled plot rather than Coronation Street or The Gimp Norton.

[TommyG]

When i was at School about 10 years ago. A guy i know who was about to get in a fight said:

"I should easy beat him, i play games and because of it have great reactions"

He then got twated

I think they can improve your reactions and co-ordination but only within the realms of gaming

[optimusomega]

I believe that certain video games also help your reactions , hand to eye co-ordination in real life when playing for example sports, also certain genres help you exercise the old grey matter at speed (VF) or at leisure(strategy).

[Kieran76]

Well champ manager has helped my knowledge of lower league players increase over the years

[Lyris]

How is interacting with a screen (game playing) mindless but lying around watching a screen (TV) isn't?

Did they say it wasn't? Must've missed that. Everyone knows that sitting around watching tv is mindless. Unless its some twisting rollercoaster drug fuelled plot rather than Coronation Street or The Gimp Norton.

They didn't say it nope, but that's the attitude you get from most people. Watching TV seems to be OK and you'll hear discussions about TV shows and films go by without any ridicule, but games'll get passed off as "sad".

[Che Musashi]

The US Press is covering it with headlines like: Murder Simulators are Good For Your Kids Visual Skills.

Here is one wicked long URL:

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=68&ncid=68&e=1&u=/nyt/20030529/ts_nyt/video_game_killing_builds_visual_skills__researchers_report

I heard this story while driving home last night, they covered it on NPR much more fairly. Of course the trashy US media is going to run with this.

[C']

The US Press is covering it with headlines like: Murder Simulators are Good For Your Kids Visual Skills.

Murder Simulators FFS.

The press really are a bunch of sensationalist pricks.

[srgbilco]

Yeah, I hear about this in my subs copy of New Scientist (yeah, shut up!) . The article's here, and it's much more factual and fair.

It does actually say that gamers performed better at certain visual tasks that were nothing like computer games. She even said that, by removing the violence from the games, they could even be used to stroke victims or other visually damaged patients. It's a pity they didn't test something non-violent like Super Mario Sunshine, although it was proved that the ultra-peaceful Tetris was crap for this stuff.

I think that this is like the research that said drinking only a couple of glasses of red wine a week was actually healthy. It's controvertial, since everyone takes it out of context, and it only really improves your health a small fraction over non-alcoholics. It's the same thing; you're not going to improve that much in your daily life in comparison to non-gamers by playing games, but it'll help a little. I think the main application for this research is to help stroke victims and the ilk, although these "games" will probably be far removed from games as we think of them.

Don't think much of their game choices though. 007 and Spiderman indeed. And what was funnier was that the picture illustrating this article in the print magazine actually showed a kid playing Civilisation or Simcity, hardly the action games discussed in the main body.

[TheShend]

Yeah, I hear about this in my subs copy of New Scientist (yeah, shut up!) . The article's here, and it's much more factual and fair.

It does actually say that gamers performed better at certain visual tasks that were nothing like computer games. She even said that, by removing the violence from the games, they could even be used to stroke victims or other visually damaged patients. It's a pity they didn't test something non-violent like Super Mario Sunshine, although it was proved that the ultra-peaceful Tetris was crap for this stuff.

I think that this is like the research that said drinking only a couple of glasses of red wine a week was actually healthy. It's controvertial, since everyone takes it out of context, and it only really improves your health a small fraction over non-alcoholics. It's the same thing; you're not going to improve that much in your daily life in comparison to non-gamers by playing games, but it'll help a little. I think the main application for this research is to help stroke victims and the ilk, although these "games" will probably be far removed from games as we think of them.

Don't think much of their game choices though. 007 and Spiderman indeed. And what was funnier was that the picture illustrating this article in the print magazine actually showed a kid playing Civilisation or Simcity, hardly the action games discussed in the main body.

I pick that up also. It's quality.

They also mention about the level of violence which is prevelant in games. Which would need to change if they where to be used as visual skill building tools.

Can't have stroke patients turning into Rambo's can we?

[Oh! My Car!]

there was an article about this in the Guardian a few days ago too....and how i laughed!
stupid quote number 1: "the playstation generation"
stupid quote number 2: "mario carts"

ft: ft:

ha! what these retarded articles demonstrate again and again is the media ignorance of everything gaming. While your normal paper reader would think 'mario carts' was a game, many gamers will read this and cry in their sleep. Why? Crap like Games Stars, and although some credit has to be given to them for trying, it never lived up to our expectations. The now livid 'playstation generation' needs to rise up and, ermmm, play more 'mario carts', methinks....