Link
This will make parents cringe, but kids who want to play violent video games have new ammunition in their argument.  This week researchers presented findings that the games can be an effective learning tool….improving vision and other brain functions.

Yea, like to make great mindless drone pilots.        hurray

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Akoukq5DvAE
(excuse the Jesus thing at the end, you still get the message?????)

noozwatcher - 28 May 2010 09:07 AM

Link
This will make parents cringe, but kids who want to play violent video games have new ammunition in their argument.  This week researchers presented findings that the games can be an effective learning tool….improving vision and other brain functions.

No surprise here.  This has been known for several years.

And yet the media will continue to publish scare stories about fat kids, game addiction and the evils of talking to people on the interwebz.

I tend to tease the older vets that I have an easier time learning to do ultrasound, endoscopy, and other such technical skills because of all the quarters I pumped into video games as a kid. I like to tell my mom I’m earning those quarters back now, with interest!

Of course, it isn’t necessary for a game to be violent in order to take advantage of the fact that fast-paced games can improve cordination and so on. Whether or not first-person shooter games and the like have any negative effects, it doesn’t seem like it is the storyline or content per se that is improving these skills, just the manipulation of controls, evaluation of rapid on-screen cues, and so on. It seems like it ought to be possible to make games that can accomplish this without content that some people object to on principle.

Heh.  And yet, I still have terrible hand-eye coordination when it comes to sports.  Damn you nervous system!  DAMN YOU!!