AlanBarber.Org
Wednesday, May 28, 2003
Video Games Good For You?
I saw a news report on NBC news about a visual study that found that people that play video games do better. Here's the link over at MS NBC to read up. The basic jist of the study showed that game players "Were better able to keep track of objects appearing simultaneously and processed fast-changing visual information more efficiently, said the study’s co-author, Daphne Bavelier, an associate professor of brain and cognitive sciences."Which obviouslly makes sence. I can speak from my own experiences that I'm better able to process visual information. Certain games I play I'm able to detect and react to events where most people wouldn't even notice a change.
For example I play Soldiers of Fortune 2 Multiplayer demo with my friends. On this map there's a helipad on top of a building. We like to play king of the hill on that helipad. I can setup in a defensive position on the pad and at the slightest flicker of a few pixels on the screen can imediatiatly know someone is coming around a corner or ducking behind some boxes and fire at them. The reaction time is probabbly in the few miliseconds range.
Then obviously the concerns over violence are shown...
"Some parenting advocates viewed the study’s results as limited while others blamed violence in video games for fueling a variety of social problems including aggression among youths.
“It warrants more research on the habitual video game players regarding their attitudes and behavior after playing these games,” said Pamela Eakes, president of the Seattle-based Mothers Against Violence in America."
I'm not going to go on a rant about this but I will say there are some people that play video games that I know that can be quite violent and combative. There are others that are very loveing and caring. I really don't think it's just the games but larger issues with the lifestyles of these people.
on 05/28/2003 at 07:41 PM