News Flash: Video games boost visual skills
 

I know that the Evil Machine's driver, Steve, said he played a lot of video games so this shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone who saw him drive this year!

In this week's Nature magazine is an article (sorry, $ub$cription required) about research which measured the effect that playing video games has on a person's ability to identify and track multiple objects simultaneously.

"Game-players react to fast-moving objects more efficiently, explains Bavelier, and can track up to five objects at a time - 30% more than non-players. "They can process more information more quickly over time," she says."

Hmmm, maybe we should think about driver training and conditioning in the offseason... Don't suppose too many drivers would object to having to play Medal of Honor or Grand Theft Auto as part of their team obligation!

i know that tracking thing is true. if you've ever seen anyone play a 9 or 10 footer on ddr you have to focus many steps ahead. crazyness. that would be foot-eye coordination, but the concept still apllies

Old news but true
Maybe at First Competitions there should also be a massive Wireless UT2003/ Counter-Stike LAN Party going on in the bleachers :D

I have to agree on the counter-strike lan. I am a ex-player of counter-strike and an ex-founder of a clan. That game was great. I just stopped cause it took up to much time. I started on socom navy seals for PS2. But, if any of you are moving to halo on pc when it comes out. Expect to see me around. I need a new multi-player game. My handle is Walmart Security

Or Tribes (I or II). This was on my local news station....except they also said it's bad....*ha! I'm fine w/ my OD on VG playin'*.

w00t, good old tribes... I miss that game :( I have both, but I can't play it like I used to, man I was good. (Won 512M of RAM from my clan for being MVP). Now it's all about CS, rawk.

If anyone cares to look me up: PCG|InfamousGadget++

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Now on to the article:

Yes, I think this is very true. Playing games makes your reaction times quicker because you are training your reactions. Giving every movement a response. The adverse effects though, are that in real-world situations, most people commonly react quicker to people. i.e. anger more quickly. I see this as common among gamers, and myself.

But hey, who needs to like people, games will always love me :)

I get that way sometimes (mostly due to other things).

Games are my friends (besides my passion for wanting to take up Electric Guitar [hehe])

The military has known this for years. Just look at all their fighter pilots when they are off duty :yikes:

I used to play T2 until classic mode came out and ruined it for me. Also, if all this is true about games, I must have the greatest eyes ever.

Heh - I still play Tribes and Starcraft/Starcraft:brood war.

Tribes is really hot for me right now.

My name is Antigonie if someone sees me in there!

I still play my Sega Genesis: Terminator 2: Judgment Day w/ my scope gun that came with it. It's a blast!

GO GENESIS!!!

What is this tribes i hear about. Can someone explain.

Here's CBS's story on this.

They said on the news last week that the benefits aren't as evident in those who play Real Time Strategy games or Roll Playing Games.

Fighter Pilots
 

A study was done on Desert Storm fighter pilots (the first American soldiers to see major combat that had ample access to video and computer games in their lifetime), and it was shown that the most successful pilots had played many a game in their childhood, especially those that involved flying planes, UFOs and the like. Of course, there is always a spot in FIRST for anyone with mad joystick skills.

According to the article, 'Improvements came with "the least socially desirable games", Wolfe points out - those in which shooting and killing is commonplace. The fact that you are defending your own life in these games may be what makes their lessons stick, Wolfe speculates.'

They also noted that the participants were mainly male because it was difficult to find women who were avid players of these games.