Playing action games helps you make decisions

[gumgod]

Video game players who enjoy action titles -- particularly shooters -- are better at making quick, accurate decisions, a University of Rochester study finds.

Researchers presented a group of players and non-players with a series of dots and were asked to identify the direction of the dots' motion. Tests were varied in difficulty based on the number of dots that were moving in the same direction.

The study found players were able to make their decisions faster, and more accurately, then those who didn't play action games.

Researchers say the unpredictability of some shooters and other action games could play a factor in how quickly players can make decisions.

"Unlike standard learning paradigms, which have a highly specific solution, there is no such specific solution in action video games because situations are rarely, if ever, repeated," the researchers write. "Thus, the only characteristics that can be learned are how to rapidly and accurately learn the statistics on the fly and how to accumulate this evidence more efficiently."

The report's findings will be featured in the September 14 issue of Current Biology.

Source

It's nice to see research about video games that isn't negative every now and then.

 

[yuyuyup]

I've seen plenty of positive studies on videogames:

2010- http://www2.med.umich.edu/prmc/media/newsr...ils.cfm?ID=1678 Medical students believe video games can help them become better doctors

2010- http://www.nationalpost.com/Video+games+co...3911/story.html Video games could help soldiers deal with post-traumatic stress

2008- http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=6121775&page=1 Video Games Help Elderly Drivers

2004- http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4685909/ Surgeons may err less by playing video games

Countless others. I won't bother looking up how Dance Dance Revolution is put in schools, but I'll tell you it helped me lose 65 pounds and counting.

 

[gumgod]

I have too, I'm just saying that it's better than seeing the ones that are saying they will turn your children evil.

Thanks for the links and congrats on loosing the weight.

 

[injected11]

"Unlike standard learning paradigms, which have a highly specific solution, there is no such specific solution in action video games because situations are rarely, if ever, repeated," the researchers write. "Thus, the only characteristics that can be learned are how to rapidly and accurately learn the statistics on the fly and how to accumulate this evidence more efficiently."

I choked on my waffle laughing at the bolded.

Oh nos! Bad guiz wif gunz! Strafe and shoot. Done. Oh nos! More! Hide behind corner, strafe, shoot. Whew. Thank jebus for uber strats. This game r nevar teh same!

 

[Law]

"Unlike standard learning paradigms, which have a highly specific solution, there is no such specific solution in action video games because situations are rarely, if ever, repeated," the researchers write. "Thus, the only characteristics that can be learned are how to rapidly and accurately learn the statistics on the fly and how to accumulate this evidence more efficiently."

I choked on my waffle laughing at the bolded.

Oh nos! Bad guiz wif gunz! Strafe and shoot. Done. Oh nos! More! Hide behind corner, strafe, shoot. Whew. Thank jebus for uber strats. This game r nevar teh same!

Interactive Cutscene! QUICKLY MASH THE X BUTTON!

 

[Issac]

"Unlike standard learning paradigms, which have a highly specific solution, there is no such specific solution in action video games because situations are rarely, if ever, repeated," the researchers write. "Thus, the only characteristics that can be learned are how to rapidly and accurately learn the statistics on the fly and how to accumulate this evidence more efficiently."

I choked on my waffle laughing at the bolded.

Oh nos! Bad guiz wif gunz! Strafe and shoot. Done. Oh nos! More! Hide behind corner, strafe, shoot. Whew. Thank jebus for uber strats. This game r nevar teh same!

Well, honestly it is more to it. the enemies seldomly appear in the same patterns (if it's a better game). Enemies standing on a balcony, a troop running up behind you, swat-terrorists jumping through a window...

a Mario game? Run, Jump, Get flag/star. Done. Run Jump, Get flag/star Done.... "never the same". Layton? talk to someone, recall a puzzle, solve, done. talk to someone, recall a puzzle, solve. "never the same".