Advocacy Blog Blasts Report that Tetris Helps with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Advocacy Blog Blasts Report that Tetris Helps with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
January 9, 2009
A UK study which claims that playing Tetris can reduce symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder received wide play in the gaming press this week.
However, a blog which advocates for PTSD sufferers has blasted the Tetris connection.
Wounded Times argues that the study, in which subjects were shown images of traumatic injuries, doesn't adequately replicate real PTSD-inducing situations:
Do they really think a movie is the same as reality? Let them take the game out to police officers in the street right after they had to kill someone in a gun battle and one of their own was killed as well. Try the game on them. Take it to Afghanistan and Iraq right after a road side bomb blew up some GI's, killing some and taking off a few limbs at the same time a lot of innocent civilians got killed in the process, including children...
The problem about the blog world jumping all over a story like this, as they have over the last few days, is it offers false hope...
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Posted 02/09/10 at 03:51pm
DarkSaber: I think he just goes round the internet copy+pasting the same bollocks to get attention.
DarkSaber: I think he just goes round the internet copy+pasting the same bollocks to get attention.
Posted 02/09/10 at 03:41pm
Valdearg: @DS: I have to admit, I chuckled when I saw the 4 Feb 2010 on that post.. >.<
Valdearg: @DS: I have to admit, I chuckled when I saw the 4 Feb 2010 on that post.. >.<
Posted 02/09/10 at 03:31pm
DarkSaber: Hm, Bioshock. Not that Zippy likes to beat the dead horse by ranting about it for TWO $&%£ING YEARS!
DarkSaber: Hm, Bioshock. Not that Zippy likes to beat the dead horse by ranting about it for TWO $&%£ING YEARS!
Posted 02/09/10 at 03:30pm
DarkSaber: http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/9.173063-Bioshock-yet-another-zippy-rant
DarkSaber: http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/9.173063-Bioshock-yet-another-zippy-rant
Posted 02/09/10 at 03:20pm
DarkSaber: Although, unsurprisingly, he's just being called an idiot alot and criticised for being as illegible as always.
DarkSaber: Although, unsurprisingly, he's just being called an idiot alot and criticised for being as illegible as always.
Posted 02/09/10 at 03:18pm
DarkSaber: Oh good lord, I just found Zippy on The Escapist.
DarkSaber: Oh good lord, I just found Zippy on The Escapist.
Posted 02/09/10 at 03:14pm
Valdearg: IE: Male body/Female Mind or Female Body/Male Mind.
Valdearg: IE: Male body/Female Mind or Female Body/Male Mind.
Posted 02/09/10 at 03:13pm
Valdearg: @Zip: TG == Transgendered/Transsexual.
Valdearg: @Zip: TG == Transgendered/Transsexual.
Posted 02/09/10 at 03:09pm
DarkSaber: Forget it Zippy, it's an abbreviation of a big word and so would be wasted on you
DarkSaber: Forget it Zippy, it's an abbreviation of a big word and so would be wasted on you
Posted 02/09/10 at 03:07pm
ZippyDSMlee: Vlag:....TG?
ZippyDSMlee: Vlag:....TG?
Posted 02/09/10 at 03:02pm
Valdearg: @DS: Im sure that's what they'd do if it wasn't legal to just tell Gays/TG's to "Screw off," just because they're who they are.
Valdearg: @DS: Im sure that's what they'd do if it wasn't legal to just tell Gays/TG's to "Screw off," just because they're who they are.
Posted 02/09/10 at 02:50pm
DarkSaber: Whoever told him/her/it that is dumb. They should have done like most companies and made-up some bullshit, yet legal, reason for it not getting the job.
DarkSaber: Whoever told him/her/it that is dumb. They should have done like most companies and made-up some bullshit, yet legal, reason for it not getting the job.
Posted 02/09/10 at 01:16pm
Andrew Eisen: Shouldn't be. Spirit of anti-discrimination laws would seem to include sexual orientation (and eye color). Plus there's always equal protection and such. Never know until you try.
Andrew Eisen: Shouldn't be. Spirit of anti-discrimination laws would seem to include sexual orientation (and eye color). Plus there's always equal protection and such. Never know until you try.
Posted 02/09/10 at 01:10pm
Andrew Eisen: Should have sued (unless that wasn't an option given her financial situation or something). Might have won.
Andrew Eisen: Should have sued (unless that wasn't an option given her financial situation or something). Might have won.
Posted 02/09/10 at 01:00pm
Valdearg: Story about a Male to Female TG who was expressly told she wouldn't be given a job because she was TG. Its not the main point of the story, but explicit, perfectly legal discrimination like this exists.
Valdearg: Story about a Male to Female TG who was expressly told she wouldn't be given a job because she was TG. Its not the main point of the story, but explicit, perfectly legal discrimination like this exists.
Posted 02/09/10 at 12:53pm
Valdearg: Lol, I don't know. It may very well be legal to do so. Though that might able to fall under the "race" restriction, depending on how that point is argued.
Valdearg: Lol, I don't know. It may very well be legal to do so. Though that might able to fall under the "race" restriction, depending on how that point is argued.
Posted 02/09/10 at 12:51pm
Valdearg: I don't think they do have any legal recourse. I'll have to dig around, but I seriously believe that if the law doesn't specifically mention Sexual Orientation or Gender Identity, they can still be discriminated against in those 29 states.
Valdearg: I don't think they do have any legal recourse. I'll have to dig around, but I seriously believe that if the law doesn't specifically mention Sexual Orientation or Gender Identity, they can still be discriminated against in those 29 states.
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Comments
gotta say i kinda agree with this.
showing someone a movie is NOT THE SAME AS EXPERIENCING REALITY.
In the same way that playing GTA isnt the same as doing the things in real life. I hardly think that the participants can be classed as having PTSD after seeing some nasty images. Heck, everybody using the internet has clicked onto stuff unknowingly a few times and seen some horrible things. Would never say id had PTSD though or even came close to experiencing anythign 'similar' to PTSD.
"Do they really think a movie is the same as reality?"
Hey, that's valid research there, Sparky!
That's how it's done!
Take the individual out of the picture.
Show them a movie or make them listen to sounds, and that qualifies as "doing research".
Look at the so-called research on "aggression" and the so-called research about how violent video games "affect" people or "desensitize" them.
If it's valid research methods for THEM, it's valid research methods for YOU.
Someone call the CDC and the US legislature! We need to make PTSD victims play Tetris! We need legislation on this NOW!
:/
Nightwng2000
NW2K Software
Nightwng2000 has also updated his MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/nightwing2000 Nightwng2000 is now admin to the group "Parents For Education, Not Legislation" on MySpace as http://groups.myspace.com/pfenl
I would have to count them as one of the blogs jumping all over this, and prolly doing so to try to get attention for donations or other support. They are jumping as hastily as anyone else IMO.
I would argue that they NEED to push for testing on a range of suffers of PTSD, from soldiers, to police, to kids, and so on, but I would NOT flat out say they are 100% wrong. Even though it may only lessen the flashbacks and such from 10 a day to 9, it is a useful tool to help. My guess is the same would go for WoW, and other games people can get more hooked on. When people play enough Tetris, they tend to think about playing the game, fitting the pieces together, and so on. So anything that takes up that time which opens of the door for a flashback is good.
The real question is, night terrors. If they can prove it helps night terrors, then they will be golden. Between PTSD and little kids who have watched a very scary movie, it would be great to know about. All in all, they need to complete the study, because it isn't done.
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Ow. Better no hope at all than what is potentially false hope, eh? I didn't read anything in the Tetris stories that claimed to be the cure-all for PTSD, just that it could possibly distract and minimize. This strikes me as an overreaction, and a silly one at that. Would they rather there was no research done on how to help PTSD sufferers?
The study can be read for free from the Plos One website and surprisingly easy to read. ( http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.00041... ) (it's undergoing maintenance as of this writing)
I very much agree that bloggers offers false hope with all this positive news, but I also think that this is a systematic problem in that if you don't jump the fastest on the latest news, someone else will pick up the news before you do and you won't get any visits to your blog. Therefore, it makes bloggers speed read and miss or misinterpret raw information.
Even if this study were to be successfully replicated, there are still practical concerns, such as the willingness to accept treatment, physical disability, the emotional impact of the trauma, implementing the treatment, etc.
http://vgresearcher.wordpress.com/
But what do violent games have to do with non-volent Tetris?
- Warren Lewis
You obviously never visited communist Russia.
Triggering memories and controlling the reaction isn't quite the same as what was likely reported, which was probably a form of cognitive behavioral therapy.