Applying Gaming Skills to Real Life Situations – Part 3
Do you ever find yourself annoyed or upset? Maybe you just had a rough day and you’ve come home feeling on-edge?
What’s the first thing you want to do?
If your answer is ‘play some video games’ then you’re not alone.
.
Case Study 3: Just What I Needed!
————————————————————–
So life just kicked you square in the cheeks and you need to wind down; you pick up a controller, sit at a desktop or start fiddling with your handheld. Did you ever stop to think “Why am I doing this?”
The answer: It works.
It’s been proven that video games are key tools in the psychiatric world when it comes to treating medically diagnosed conditions which affect concentration (as shown in Case Study 2), but did you know that studies have shown gaming to be a promising treatment for depression and anxiety?.
Multitasking at its finest.
A year-long study by the East Carolina University’s Psychophysiology Lab and Biofeedback Clinic tested the efficacy of video games for treating depression and anxiety. Almost 60 clinically diagnosed sufferers of depression took part in the testing, and the results were rather impressive.
“The hypothesis was tested using state-of-the-art technologies including psychophysiology, biochemical and psychological measurements, and found an average reduction in depression symptoms of 57% in the experimental ( “video game” ) group.” -Dr. Carmen Russoniello [Source]
Considering how hit-and-miss other forms of treatment can be; 57% is definitely a positive outcome.
“In my opinion the findings support the possibility of using prescribed casual video games for treating depression and anxiety as an adjunct to, or perhaps even a replacement for, standard therapies including medication.”
It has also been shown that the beneficial effects a gaming session has on a person’s mood can persist for the long-term.
The participants of the ECU’s test partook in casual games produced by PopCap, who are famous for Bejewelled and Peggle. The researchers are optimistic about ‘more hardcore games’ as well, so I’m looking forward to a possible future study into how more elaborate or complicated games affect moods. Personally; I like a challenge!
The fact that video games have such an influence on our state-of-mind is intriguing when you think about it, and it explains why we tend to get so frustrated when our gaming sessions are interrupted.
.
There’s not much else to say that you don’t already know, so I’ll answer some questions:
“Only your first AGS article was a case study. Why did you call the second one that?” Michael, regarding the AGS series.
That’s a legitimate question Michael; a case study usually consists of analyzing a single example event, chain of events or a person. The sub-heading for this series is actually a sort of inside joke. Each article is built upon where my curiosity leads me after I make personal observations regarding differences between how I interact with my environment when compared to others and, as such, are often linked to a certain event which gives me a moment of clarity and insight.
Whew, that’s a mouthful! To finish up I’ll also answer several questions at the same time; Yes, I did spell ‘more’ as ‘moar’. No, it is not negligence or a typo; it’s gaming lingo. Yes, that was a Dragon Ball Z reference. No, the position in queue wasn’t Photoshopped.
Did you enjoy this case study? Then you might be interested in previous articles of this series:
Applying Gaming Skills to Real Life Situations – Part 3Applying Gaming Skills to Real Life Situations – Part 2
Every gamer at some point or another has noticed there’s just something different about them. Whether it’s positive or not could be subject to situation or debate, but we do see the world in a slightly different hue.
I suppose you think i’m treading the line of pseudo-philosophy right now, but perhaps i’m being more literal than you think? Perhaps you should take a moment to read…
.
Case Study 2: Improved Perception
————————————————————–
Allow me to lay down a familiar scenario before we become dazzled by those smooth-talkin’ facts. This set of events will be fairly generic, so reimagine it as needed. (Veronica would recommend that the fairer sex imagine it to be about an article of clothing, if that’s your thing):
So you and 2 buddies are off on a walk. Suddenly you see something out of the corner of your eye: a fleeting casual glance at a girl you quite fancy. You turn to your friends ‘Joe’ and ‘Bob’.
Joe is a gamer. He doesn’t play as often as you, but he does enjoy a little bit of [insert console here] every now and again. It’s a different story with Bob; he’s fun to socialize with but he simply enjoys different things.
“Oh man, did you see that?” You enthusiastically nudge an elbow at Joe.
“Just the back-end. What do you think, an 8 at least?” Joe smirks.
Bob curiously pipes up with “What are you two talking about? A car?”. A laugh is likely had at Bob’s expense.
Let’s introduce other common incidents. Have you ever:
- Stopped suddenly without knowing why for a brief second, only to realize you instinctively halted before walking into a spider’s web?
- Snapped your eyes to a bird swooping past, even though you only caught a hint of its shadow on the ground?
- Been rather agitated by a small blinking light in a room, despite nobody else seeming to care?
If you can relate to any of these examples; you might just have higher-than-normal visual attention than others, and it’s probably related to your gaming habits.
“It is well known that exposing an organism to an altered visual environment often results in modification of the visual system of the organism. The field of perceptual learning provides many examples of training-induced increases in performance.” C. Shawn Green and Daphne Bavelier continue on to explain how this relates to video games in a positive manner, making the interactive medium the focus of their study [Source (Protected material. A summary is free, but the full data from the experiment requires subscription)]
(If you really want to go digging up specifics, you can get started with the listed references at this link.)
Note that the scientists discovered that action games (such as First-Person Shooters or Real-Time Strategies) provided the greatest increase in their subjects’ visual capabilities.
“Results indicate an enhanced allocation of spatial attention over the visual field, even at untrained locations, in [video game players]” as quoted from the researchers.
In fact, the researchers have been claiming that regular gaming can increase a person’s vision by upwards of 20%, and go on to proclaim that effects can last for the long-term.
“Action video gameplay changes the way our brains process visual information. After just 30 hours, players showed a substantial increase in the spatial resolution of their vision, meaning they could see figures like those on an eye chart more clearly, even when other symbols crowded in.”
To sum it up: Gamers are more efficient at noticing subtle differences and tracking movement. Video games train your mind to be more focused and attentive to details otherwise overlooked by others.
Gaming also happens to increase a person’s contrast sensitivity, according to a later study by Nature Neuroscience [Source].
“The contrast sensitivity function (CSF) is routinely assessed in clinical evaluation of vision and is the primary limiting factor in how well one sees. CSF improvements are typically brought about by correction of the optics of the eye with eyeglasses, contact lenses or surgery. We found that the very act of action video game playing also enhanced contrast sensitivity, providing a complementary route to eyesight improvement.”
It has been suggested that video games might be particularly beneficial for those who have poor vision at night, and that gaming might even help prevent road accidents.
Since these studies have been published (amongst several others) researchers funded by the National Eye Institute (USA) has announced that they support the habit of gaming particularly during the application of more traditional eye-correction (including lenses and surgery).
The improvements have been considered so profound that doctors are utilizing our interactive medium to treat various medical conditions which affect perception or mental focus. Some psychologists have even been using custom-made games to treat the specific mental illnesses of their field. A great example is Unique Logic and Technology’s ‘Play Attention’ program, which is designed to promote greater focus in patients dealing with ADHD. [Source]
A quick note: It probably also helps that we are no longer using CRT monitors (at least, we rarely use them anymore). The flickering of old CRT monitors can be attributed to regular eye strain. Today’s screens are considered less harsh on the human eye.
Perhaps now when you jokingly spout out the words “I see what you did there” (or type a 1337 equivelant) you can do so with the knowledge that you are, in fact, qualified to have seen what your friend did, and where.
Did you enjoy this case study? Then you might be interested in previous articles of this series:
Part 1: Confidence and Control
Applying Gaming Skills to Real Life Situations – Part 2Applying Gaming Skills to Real Life Situations – Part 1
Sometimes it doesn’t matter what genre you play, when you’ve played it or who you’ve socialized with; it’s a fair assumption that you’ve heard the following incredible insight: Why don’t you get off that game and do something constructive?
It always felt like you were being singled out, didn’t it? Was if fair? Maybe not.
After all, video games are and interactive medium. It’s probably a safe bet that your friend or family member had their own (and probably more useless) quirk or hobby. Surely the time you’ve spent on them has made you skilled at something productive?
In an attempt to prove that it’s possible that your hours of ‘training’ can be applied to real-life situations, i present to you the first article of ‘Applying Gaming Skills to Real Life Situations’!
Case Study 1: Confidence and Control
————————————————————–
So you’ve slapped a helmet on your virtual head and cruised around a pixelated raceway a few times? Any sceptic will tell you that you’ve wasted potentially constructive time; that you’ve accomplished nothing… but are they wrong?
A recent experiment performed by the world-famous Top Gear crew has had some interesting results.
Greger Huttu was no ordinary geek; after all, he did win the iRacing online tournament to net himself a sensible prize of $10,000. Upon hearing about his feat, the boys at Top Gear took it upon themselves to perform a test: How well would his skillset in the gaming world translate onto a real race track?
“The telemetry confirms it. His braking points are spot on. He’s firm and precise on the throttle. And in the fastest corner, he’s entering at 100mph compared to an experienced driver’s 110 – a sign of absolute confidence and natural feel for grip. Remember, this is a guy who has never sat in a racing car in his life – he’s only referencing thousands of virtual laps.” [Source]
Those fireflies aren't gonna catch themselves.
The official article (although slightly abridged) can be found on the Top Gear site at this link.
We aren’t talking about a small feat here. Most regular people would brown their trousers if you hurtled them around a corner hugging a racetrack at 100mph (approximately 160kph), but does he even seem phased to you? Apparently the greatest concern he had on his debut day in the driver’s seat was a noteworthy case of motion sickness.
I’m sure there are many concerned people out there who are considering protesting that this is a case of desensitization, but allow me to calm you with the friendly reminder that the mental process associated with it is healthy and natural. How do we know this?
“Dreaming is our most creative conscious state, one in which the chaotic, spontaneous recombination of cognitive elements produces novel configurations of information: new ideas.” -J. Allan Hobson
“…a possible function of a dream to be weaving new material into the memory system in a way that both reduces emotional arousal and is adaptive in helping us cope with further trauma or stressful events.” -Ernest Hoffman
While dreams are subject to a fair amount of speculation and theory, i don’t think there’s anybody who can honestly claim that those seemingly random occurrences in sleep-state have never altered their perception. Brand me biased if you will, but i’m just stating my opinion.
Thanks for reading the first installment of this new series. That’s all for today, TTYL!
As a final note, i would like to express my thanks to everybody. Thankyou for welcoming me back so gracefully. Your words of encouragement were greatly appreciated.
Applying Gaming Skills to Real Life Situations – Part 1