Report: Violent Gaming is Good For the Brain
Apparently splattering virtual brains and entrails makes you smarter.
The debate about gaming and its effects on the human brain will probably go on forever. There's always two sides of the argument, each providing valid points on whether gaming is good or bad for humans in the big picture. Those defending games and their violence now have an extra round of ammo to fire against naysayers: video games are good for the brain... or at least, that's what boffins are reporting in the Frontiers of Cognition journal.
"Playing video games helps the natural reflexes, it makes players more responsive and able to switch between different tasks," said Assistant Professor Dr Lorenza Colzato of Leiden University's psychology department. "This type of thinking is very practical for the modern lifestyle where people are doing so many things at the one time."
According to SyFi News, Colzato said that gamers who like to play violent titles aren't necessarily going to engage in anti-social behavior. In fact, parents shouldn't be scared to let their children play. Who cares about the gore, profanity, and a lack of consequences for committing violent acts--the cognitive skills are more important, helping young gamers land fast-paced jobs.
Surprisingly, the article considers the impact of violent gaming on the elderly. "If elderly people had a lot of problems with their thinking they could play video games to improve their minds," Colzato said. "This could become a common nursing home activity, it would be a successful strategy."
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I new it... I've been saying this for years.
YES, now my mom cant say that violent games make me violent and dumb xD
If we allow elderly to play games, we might have a transition from modern warfare to call of duty 2. Out of stuborness they ll keep telling us the old ways are better...
And it keeps me wondering how the tide of the elderly will effect the war between activision - Respawn..
Grandpa watcha doing?
Oh just blowing some Goooks its good fer my brain see?
it makes me giggle when I think about a nursing home having a FPS lan party lol
Yep, games are giving birth to a whole generation of little Einsteins. Just look at WoW, it´s riddled with rocket scientists! Oh wait...
So...the truth comes out.
I've always believed that gaming, in any form, benefited us on more ways than just getting entertainment. Yea you have people who argue that gaming is bad because it makes us couch potatoes and we get no physical exercise making the obesity epidemic worse, and yes this is true. However gaming has always been good for hand-eye coordination, tactical thinking, training our minds to multi-task, even pay closer attention to what we see and do. Im sure I could go on and on about the benefits (oh and lets not forget awesome stress reliever in some cases) but I won't.
Who cares about the gore, profanity, and a lack of consequences for committing violent acts--the cognitive skills are more important
Careful, now. You might end up looking like you're taking sides on the issue and not just reporting the story.
Wow. If this is true I must be a bloody Mensa candidate by now. I may be an FPS or two away from Einstein.
Allowing elderly to play games is the same as allowing someone with removable denture to join a boxing tournament...
Here's the article for those interested:
http://frontiersin.org/psychology/ [...] 010.00008/
I imagine that there would be different benefits for different games. Maybe FPS games are better for quick observation, coordination, and thinking, but strategy games, e.g. Civilization, are probably better for "big picture" thinking and long-term planning.
bookmarked
"Who cares about the gore, profanity, and a lack of consequences for committing violent acts--"
Although I agree the cognitive skills are important, I think less gore/profanity and such should be available to the younger age group. I have nothing against something like MW2, as I own it and play it, but there is an increasingly early exposure rate to sex, drugs, violence and such that I wish was not proliferating.
As for games, I am sure they increase reflexes as I have great reflexes despite not being an incredible or avid athlete. I think a lot of my quick critical thinking comes from forced situations provided in games. Although more of an FPS player, I also see the benefits of strategic and "thinker" games. (Portal, HL series etc.)
"Who cares about the gore, profanity, and a lack of consequences for committing violent acts--" Although I agree the cognitive skills are important, I think less gore/profanity and such should be available to the younger age group. I have nothing against something like MW2,
Yeah. None of the CoD games are terribly bad. There are little spurts, especially from headshots. L4D2 on the other hand is tantalizing with its gore. It's important to not over-expose a child since they haven't developed their sense of morality yet.
is this really anything new? The title is a bit misleading, understandably for the "hook" factor. it has nothing to do with violence and profanity being good for your brain, it's the fast paced multi-tasking.
StarCraft would be a prime example of a video game that is good for the brain. The mental work-out and hand eye coordination required is insane. I imagine it's like playing a musical instrument in some ways, forcing your brain and hands to successfully coordinate so many things at once.
This will do nothing to end the debate over gory video games. It is however more applicable to video games as a medium not being a "brain rot" .... though if you neglect other things in life that will certainly be a side effect
Ya ... that's why i do it.
Hey, I play violent games, and I turned out fine..*shrugs*
zero-hour and world of goo are games good for the brain......
i would have liked to watch my grandma playing GTA4
I like how they put a picture of soldier of fortune 2. How old is that game? 8 years? o.o
Computer games don't affect kids, I mean if Pac Man affected us as kids, we'd all be running around in darkened rooms, munching pills and listening to repetitive music.
Marcus Brigstocke
lol Based on the article heading alone: "tell that to the Asian kid who had a 10" clever put through his!"
uh oh.. Where's Jack Thompson..
If we allow elderly to play games, we might have a transition from modern warfare to call of duty 2. Out of stuborness they ll keep telling us the old ways are better...And it keeps me wondering how the tide of the elderly will effect the war between activision - Respawn..
Actually CoD4 > CoD2 > CoD6
It might train your reflexes, but it also trains you to be more tolerant towards violence. What you do with that is your choice, but last thing I would want is a smarter criminal. (I know, it's a gross oversimplification, but still.)
I have a problem with the statement ...
It's up to parents to filter.
"Who cares about the gore, profanity, and a lack of consequences for committing violent acts--the cognitive skills are more important, helping young gamers land fast-paced jobs."
It pretty much makes it sound like all games are violent and fit in this category. There are numerous games that are non-violent and popular that will most likely give the same benefit. Let the kids play the toned down stuff, and us grownups can choose to play the violent stuff
It might train your reflexes, but it also trains you to be more tolerant towards violence. What you do with that is your choice, but last thing I would want is a smarter criminal. (I know, it's a gross oversimplification, but still.)
We are better at killing people then previous generations. So if we have a major war, we are all set to pwn the enemy. Remember the ridiculously high percentages of soldiers who were shooting high back in Vietnam. I know for sure that I wouldn't be shooting high. We are competitive when it comes to killing people and the military loves that.
Games are also a big advantages when it comes to battlefield UIs like active maps or shooting through a monitor.
Regardless, it's doing a whole lot more than laying on the couch and watching baseball for hours...or in the case of a nursing home...daytime television.
Now I just have to convice my boss to let me take some 'training days' at home playing video games. Or even better, start charging my company overtime for all of those evenings and weekends I'm puting in.