Playing Video Games IMPROVES Non-Gaming Skills

**Jafo232** · 05-29-2003

Interesting... Wonder what my mom would have thought of this article:

http://reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml...toryID=2839248

"Whether it's Spiderman or Grand Theft Auto 3 or others, the fast-moving action of the games seems to improve a range of visual skills.

"Although video-game playing may seem to be rather mindless, it is capable of radically altering visual attentional processing," Daphne Bavelier, of the University of Rochester in New York, said in a letter to the science journal Nature.

In four experiments Bavelier and her colleague C. Shawn Green discovered that people who played video games several times a week for six months could monitor complex visual information more easily than non-game players.

But when the researchers gave novices 10 hours of training on the game Medal of Honor, they improved their visual processing skills.

"By forcing players to simultaneously juggle a number of varied tasks (detect new enemies, track existing enemies and avoid getting hurt, among others) action-video-game playing pushes the limits of three rather different aspects of visual attention," Bavelier said."

Here is another article:

http://msnbc.com/news/919010.asp?0dm=C11MT

I didn't see this in any thread, so if I missed it, feel free to wipe the thread.

**Jafo232** · 05-29-2003

On a side note, I wonder if watching porno increases any skills?

**Sodacider** · 05-29-2003

Originally posted by Jafo232
On a side note, I wonder if watching porno increases any skills?

forearm strength

listening skills for anyone walking nearby

**terraflux16** · 05-29-2003

Ain't that the truth.

**Brevity** · 05-29-2003

Originally posted by Sodacider

forearm strength

listening skills for anyone walking nearby

ahahahaha

**RudedogX** · 05-29-2003

This is a shock, an article actually saying what most people knew for a while!

**Tim** · 05-29-2003

Here's another link to the article:

Playing Video Games Not so Mindless After All

**Diddy** · 05-29-2003

There was also an article about video games that said they increase anger, or enrage the user after lond periods of playing and then long periods of withdrawl. So u play a real long time, then u dont play for a real long tiem and people get really edgy. Its like crack. I dunno i just thought id throw that in there.

I know that i get ****ed off when my mom talks to me and im playing a game. Cuz SHE ALWAYS ASKS ME TO DO SOMETHING AROUND THE DAMN HOUSE!!!!!!!!!!!!! Im pretty sure that ****es us all off.

**Jafo232** · 05-29-2003

Well, yeah, that ****ed me off when I still lived with mom. Now, what really ****es me off is I actually have to work! It would be real nice if my XBOX was only interupted by such mundane things as taking the garbage out instead of trying to earn money.

**Brnthngs** · 05-29-2003

Games are a new way of improving the way the mind works. It effects us, but in a different way than other generations because we are the first true gaming generation. People get worried cause their kids can't spell very well, but the 10 year old is programing C+ just for fun. Stuff like that will become more common place and things will have to adapt. It's the way it goes. With new technology comes new advantages.

**Tim** · 05-29-2003

Good point.

Just like the world needs people who can interpret law, build bridges, perform accounting tasks, etc. The world need people that are fluent in how computers work, whether it be games or applications. Just look at how many jobs are created in the gaming industry!! $3+ billion is a giant boost in the economy.

**Big Boss** · 05-29-2003

like playing games could do anything negative phhhhhhhhhh!

**aj142** · 05-29-2003

Well, whether or not it's a good or bad habit, the fact is that when you do something all of the time, you get to be good at it - and that means developing certain skills, regardless of how practical they are or aren't. Reminds me of that Far Side cartoon where you see two parents watching their kid play video games and both parents are fantasizing about newspaper want ads that read things like, "Wanted: skilled gamer to help Mario rescue the Princess - pays $150,000 +benefits"

**JADE8704** · 05-29-2003

i agree completely with this thread...since i've perfected my sniping abilities in Halo, i've been able to use the bathroom without missing the bowl

**bretman1234** · 05-29-2003

Originally posted by JADE8704
i agree completely with this thread...since i've perfected my sniping abilities in Halo, i've been able to use the bathroom without missing the bowl

Thats the greatest thing ive ever seen!

**JR Alberda** · 05-29-2003

=Good excuse for kids with parents.

"What did you think I was playing the games for fun, Mom? I am working on my reflexes, while simultaneously improving my hand/eye co-ordination. Really Mom, comeon, If it were just for fun I would go mow the lawn, but this is my future!"

Oh yeah and the toilet thing helps too. Not to mention the added ability to eat and drink, while talking on the phone, open another beer and play MotoGP2 on xbox live, all at the same time.

**Zonza** · 05-30-2003

=Good excuse for kids with parents.
"What did you think I was playing the games for fun, Mom? I am working on my reflexes, while simultaneously improving my hand/eye co-ordination. Really Mom, comeon, If it were just for fun I would go mow the lawn, but this is my future!"

LOL, I've tried something like that with my parents once but for some reason they wouldn't believe me, I wonder why

**EHWfedPres** · 05-30-2003

if you want to improve your thumb reflexes, just play a few dozen rounds of the Fuzion Frenzy mini-game Twisted System...once you get to about 100 points, it's nearly impossible.

Dont know what this has to do with anything, but oh well.