Research: First-Person Shooter Games Can Improve Eyesight

March 30, 2009 -

Playing first-person shooters can enhance visual acuity, according to researchers at the University of Rochester.

As reported by Scientific American:

[Research subjects] who played the action-packed video games such as Unreal Tournament 2004 by Atari and Call of Duty 2 by Infinity Ward experienced an improvement in contrast sensitivity, while those playing The Sims 2 by Electronic Arts did not.

The latest research stands out from the previous experiments because contrast sensitivity is something that people thought could not be changed naturally, [Prof. Daphne] Bavelier says... Games that best improved contrast sensitivity were those that were unpredictable and required the player to aim at different targets, quickly deciding friend from foe before firing their weapon. "You always need to be alert and analyze what's going on," she adds...

Prof. Bavelier hopes to use the research to help those who suffer from amblyopia , also known as "lazy eye."
 

Comments

Re: Research: First-Person Shooter Games Can Improve Eyesight

Submitted by RedKing on Mon, 03/30/2009 - 23:05.

Well it's good to see some positives about gaming instead of the negative usual right-wing meida tripe.

 

------------------------------------------------------------

What seest thou else in the dark backward and abysm of time?

Re: Research: First-Person Shooter Games Can Improve ...

Submitted by hayabusa75 on Tue, 03/31/2009 - 04:37.

The gaming critics don't always come from the right-wing.  Lieberman and Clinton are Dems, for example.

"There is no sin except stupidity." - Oscar Wilde

"De minimus non curat lex"

Re: Research: First-Person Shooter Games Can Improve ...

Submitted by Valdearg on Tue, 03/31/2009 - 13:29.

Just wanted to point out that Lieberman is not a Dem. He is an independent, and, in fact, campaigned for John McCain during this previous election. That being said, Hayabusa is right in that not all gaming critics are right wing. In fact, most true conservatives believe in Parental responsibility over government legislation. Thats not to say they are right on any OTHER issue though :)

Re: Research: First-Person Shooter Games Can Improve Eyesight

Submitted by hellfire7885 on Mon, 03/30/2009 - 12:54.

Considering that you need to keep an eye out for subtle movements and cluce about where your enemy is, then  I can see how this works.

Re: Research: First-Person Shooter Games Can Improve ...

Submitted by Valdearg on Mon, 03/30/2009 - 10:31.

I must say, I always assumed it was the opposite. Just as prolonged periods of stressing your eyes while looking at a computer screen was thought to cause damage in the long term, I kind of figured it was the same with FPS's, or any game, really. That is good news, though, and the whole lazy eye thing is pretty cool!

Re: Research: First-Person Shooter Games Can Improve Eyesight

Submitted by E. Zachary Knight on Mon, 03/30/2009 - 08:29.

Didn't we already have a study that said that games improve spatial reasoning? This makes since as games make you think on your feet and you have to decide in moments whether to shoot or not.

E. Zachary Knight
Oklahoma City Chapter of the ECA
http://www.theeca.com/chapters_oklahoma

E. Zachary Knight
Divine Knight Gaming
OK Game Devs
Random Tower

Re: Research: First-Person Shooter Games Can Improve Eyesight

Submitted by Stealthguy on Tue, 03/31/2009 - 01:39.

Then I have Videogames to thank for my Dodgeball-ing goodness when I was younger. Thank you Team Fortress Classic and Jedi Academy!

Re: Research: First-Person Shooter Games Can Improve ...

Submitted by mdo7 on Mon, 03/30/2009 - 07:50.

 

I saw this on Kotaku, and Google news via my Life with Playstation off my PS3.  Glad to hear video game are getting good reps instead of bad one.  Even if people are skeptics about this.

Re: Research: First-Person Shooter Games Can Improve Eyesight

Submitted by Conster on Mon, 03/30/2009 - 07:24.

But I don't like FPS games!

Re: Research: First-Person Shooter Games Can Improve Eyesight

Submitted by ZippyDSMlee on Mon, 03/30/2009 - 07:36.

There are more broader studies indicating action games help with eye hand coordination, and the  fields depth on 3D games in general are enough to simulate the environments in FPSs so so one could say gaming improves your eye brain information organization.

Unless its  a handheld think all you for your trouble is a headache :P

 

Gore,Violence,Sexauilty,Fear,Emotion these are but modes of transportation of story and thought, to take them from society you create a society of children and nannys, since adults are not required.

http://zippydsmlee.wordpress.com

Copyright infringement is nothing more than civil disobedience to a bad set of laws. Let's renegotiate them.

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Re: Research: First-Person Shooter Games Can Improve ...

Submitted by Firebird on Mon, 03/30/2009 - 07:11.

Called it.....!

It comes to show what many of us knew all along;

We kick (well, shoot...) ass!

We need more optimistic research as this, so people can finally shut the Hell up.

______________________________ Because I have NO Life... :P I introduce the following. PSN User ID: FirebirdXR (Yes, I use that moniker often) Xbox Live ID: FirebirdLR (Don't bother, It's a Silver Membership) *Limited Time Only* I put both because I

Re: Research: First-Person Shooter Games Can Improve Eyesight

Submitted by MaskedPixelante on Mon, 03/30/2009 - 07:09.

Here we go again...

---You are likely to be eaten by a Grue.

---You are likely to be eaten by a Grue.

Re: Research: First-Person Shooter Games Can Improve Eyesight

Submitted by Chaplain99 on Mon, 03/30/2009 - 07:16.

Wait.  "Here we go again..." what?

"HEY! LISTEN!"

"HEY! LISTEN!"
 
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Technogeek: If the developer were male there wouldn't have been a "conversation" in the first place.10/19/2014 - 2:27am
Monte: trolls are just at their absolute worst when it comes to women and feminist. You could bet good money that if the developer were male the trolls would be silent and the conversation would actually focus on the journalism.10/18/2014 - 9:18pm
Monte: Papa: Not the first time we've had a journalism scandals before, but the harassment never got close to this level; the difference with this scandal is that feminists are involved. Without the feminist angle, their would be A LOT less harrassment10/18/2014 - 9:15pm
Papa Midnight: Monte: That's honestly rather short-sighted. As has been proven with other persons who have been targeted, if it wasn't Quinn, it would be someone else.10/18/2014 - 6:26pm
Avalongod: I think that's part of what gives an esoteric news story like this real life...it taps into a larger narrative about misogyny in society outside of games.10/18/2014 - 3:29pm
Avalongod: @Monte, well the trolls made death threats that came to police (and media attention). I think this is tapping into a larger issue outside of games about how women are treated in society (like all the "real rape" stuff during the last election)10/18/2014 - 3:28pm
Wonderkarp: Zippy : Havent tried the PS4 controller. might later.10/18/2014 - 2:37pm
Monte: Seirously, If Quinn was not involved and GG was instead about something like the Mordor Marketing contracts, the trolling would have never grown so vile and disgusting. There have been plenty of movements in the past that never sufferred from behavior..10/18/2014 - 1:57pm
Monte: We have seen scandel's before but the trolling has never been as vile as what we see with GG. Trolls usually have such a tiny voice you can barely notice them, but its like moths to a flame whenever femistist are involved.10/18/2014 - 1:53pm
ZippyDSMlee: Wonderkarp: You might be able to if you had a PS4 controller.10/18/2014 - 1:00pm
MaskedPixelante: http://store.steampowered.com/app/327940/ Night Dive starts charging for freeware.10/18/2014 - 12:21pm
Matthew Wilson: the sad thing is there are trolls on both sides of this. people need to stop acting like their side is so pure.10/18/2014 - 12:19pm
MechaTama31: So, only speak out on a scandal that hasn't attracted trolls? I wouldn't hold my breath...10/18/2014 - 10:49am
Monte: I feel like GG just needs to die. The movement is FAR to tainted by hatred and BS for it to be useful for any conversation. Let GG die, and then rally behind the NEXT gaming journalism scandal, and start the conversation fresh.10/18/2014 - 10:33am
quiknkold: and we dont have a Dovakin to call a cease fire10/17/2014 - 7:37pm
quiknkold: The whole thing is Futile. Both sides are so buried deep in their trenchs that there isnt a conversation. Its just Finger Pointing, Name Calling, Doxxing, Threats. there needs to be a serious conversation, and GG isnt it.10/17/2014 - 7:37pm
quiknkold: I thought it was a good article. Jeff is right. I feel like GamerGate did destroy its message. I am for Ethics in game journalism, but man. so much hate. and its on both sides. I've seen some awful stuff spewed on twitter. Its a big reason why I exited..10/17/2014 - 7:34pm
Matthew Wilson: while he focused on gg, he did call out both sides crap.10/17/2014 - 7:18pm
Papa Midnight: That was a damn good read offered by Jeff Gertsmann.10/17/2014 - 7:17pm
Matthew Wilson: http://www.giantbomb.com/articles/letter-from-the-editor-10-17-2014/1100-5049/ deferentially a nice write up.10/17/2014 - 6:44pm
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