Video Games ARE Good For You: Part III

So, here we are on the last leg of this three part series. If this were a horse, it would have been shot and put out of its misery long ago. Fortunately, no angry parent has come chasing after me with a gun, so let’s wrap this up. In this final post, I’ll discuss how video games can help with visual development and look at a real life application as a result of playing video games. And finally, I will provide a brief summary of what we have learned.

Visual Development

According to one study, “Action video games may train our eyesight so we have a better contrast sensitivity function (CSF), which is our ability to detect shades and colors that differ from the background”. The study goes on to explain how video games may even help improve the physical process that take place in the brain behind the eye balls. In another study, it has been shown that playing video games not only helps with the physical process of visual development, but they also contribute in a positive way to increasing visual attention. In other words, playing video games might also help improve focus for people. Unless, of course, a child is sitting in a boring math or history class, and all he or she can think about is playing games after school. But don’t worry parents, as long as your child can graduate, regardless of the grade, playing video games can be a step in the right direction for young people entering the work force. We’ll look at that next.

Real Life Application

So here’s the crunch, the punch line, the benefits of having played video games in a very real and concrete way. Mom and dad, listen up. Guess who wants children who have been raised on video games: none other than dear old Uncle Sam. That’s right, the military has found that those who have played video games adapt very well to their electronic world. A report put out by CBS states: “In short, video games made better soldiers and sailors faster, safer and cheaper.” So while some may say that video games today are violent (and I would not disagree), these same violent games, the war games especially, are actually teaching our young people the same military tactics that the armed forces teach.

Summary

Ok, so this is where I put the stupid disclaimer stuff and provide a summary. I should probably mention that there could be just as many studies found that portray the negative side of video game addiction as there are that show the positive side. I didn’t do that, because I didn’t want to. I could say that if you play too much, you may end up with thick, black rimmed, coke bottle glasses, hands permanently cramped as if holding a game pad, and a bottom that has become irrevocably numb from sitting in the same position for hours on end. I should also mention that many of the studies included in this three part series did suggest that not all video games provided the benefits as discussed. In terms of the benefits, some games are more beneficial than others. You can read about this for yourself if you really want to. So…for the rest of the summary:

1. Cancel your Prozac prescriptions.
2. Find a way to convince your parents that you are doing your homework by playing video games.
3. Understand that you will actually be more social and have more friends as a result of playing.
4. Who needs an eye doctor? Just play video games – it will do your vision a world of good.
5. Continue to play video games, and get a job.

P.S. For some reason that is beyond me, I am having a problem with the links in this post. The links for the studies mentioned in this post are as follows:

http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2009/03/action-video-games-improve-eyesight.ars

http://powerusers.edc.org/materials/Green-BavelierQuestionAbstract.pdf

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/02/08/eveningnews/main672455.shtml

Video Games ARE Good For You: Part II

Last week, we began this three part series by examining a study that showed the medical benefits of playing video games for those struggling with depression and other health issues. This week, we are going to look at how playing video games help children learn and develop social skills.

LEARNING

Let’s move on to the area of learning. In an article entitled “Why Video Games Make You Smart”, “According to some scientists and academics, video games can actually make you smarter. The strategic thinking and problem solving involved in video games makes them good learning machines.” The article goes on to explain a little bit about how video games work, how the brain learns, and how video games make learning fun. The study goes on to say: “Gamers must deal with immediate problems while keeping their long-term goals on their horizon. "'Probing' refers to the strategic thinking and complex problem solving of video games, according to James Paul Gee, professor of education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Gee says that playing a video game is similar to working through a science problem. Like students in a laboratory, gamers must come up with a hypothesis. For example, the hidden treasure is in the castle. They engage in an action by hunting for the treasure. Gamers discover if their hypothesis is true or false when they search the castle. If they don't find the treasure, they revise their hypothesis the next time they play."

Well DUH!! Who wants boring? If I had a choice to learn logic and puzzle solving through textbooks vs. video games, I choose video games any day. And moms, think about it. Wouldn’t it be easier to get your kids to do their homework if it was a video game? Rather than fighting to get them off the games, you could actually be proud of what little Susie is learning with a game pad and joystick in her hot little hands. You may read the full article I reference in this section by clicking here. Let’s move on to social development.

SOCIAL SKILLS

How many times have you heard anyone say, or read somewhere, that playing video games can harm social development and social interactions? That sitting in front of a television or computer playing a game is harmful because it leads to a more solitary life and will stunt social growth? WRONG ANSWER!

"By providing places for social interaction and relationships beyond the workplace and home, MMOs have the capacity to function much like the hangouts of old," they said. And they take it one step further by suggesting that the lack of real-world hangouts "is what is driving the MMO phenomenon" in the first place.” In addition, MMO games can provide a deep, rich, entertaining, and valuable social structure for those who embrace them. “The researchers, Constance Steinkuehler and Dmitri Williams, claim that MMO’s function not like solitary dungeon cells, but more like coffee shops or pubs where something called ‘social bridging’ takes place.”Furthermore, MMO’s “reward players for cooperation and the formation of long-term player groups or “guilds”, (and) is part of the game. Game play in MMO’s is not a single solitary interaction between an individual and a technology.”

In fact, from personal experience, I can tell you that I have have met folks of all ages from across the globe. Video games can also help make the generation gap disappear, and bring people together who otherwise would never meet. There is also something to be said in learning to work together in teams to accomplish a goal impossible to achieve in solo play.

So mom, listen up – while sweet little Johnny is sitting in front of the television beating up bad guys, he may very well be doing it with online friends, meeting new people from different cultures, and reinforcing what he was taught in kindergarten. That is, how to share and play nice. Again, you can read the full article I reference in this section by clicking here.

I will wrap up this three part series next week when we look at how video games can help with visual development, and then finally examine a real life, ADULT application as a result of playing video games.

Video Games ARE Good for You: Part I

The original home video game, “Pong”, was developed by Allan Alcorn and released for consumer consumption (can a video game be “consumed?) in 1972. Thirty-eight years and multitudinous consoles later, I can hear echoes of my mother’s voice in the voices of thousands of other modern day mothers of young children across the globe: “Playing those video games so much is not good for you – you need to stop, take a break, and do something better with your life”.
I have the IGN RSS Wii News Feed in my Favorite Bar on my browser. This post was prompted by a headline I saw there about a week ago. The headline is as follows: “Drop the Prozac and Pick Up a Game”. The title intrigued me, so I checked it out. As I was reading the article, which discusses the benefits of video games for those who are depressed and/or physically handicapped, I thought: “Are there any other studies out there that that support what I, and those like me, have known for years? Are there more studies out there that espouse the benefits of video games in other areas of life?” To the possible dismay of aggravated mothers everywhere, the answer is a resounding “YES”. My next three posts will cover the benefits of playing video games in the following areas of life, based on articles and studies I have found by browsing the web.

1. Medical Benefits
2. Learning in Children
3. Social Skills Development
4. Visual Development
5. Experience Towards Real Life Applications

Links for each article will be included in each section that article addresses. Feel free to use the articles in their entirety when you encounter a situation where you must defend yourself against an aggravated mother.

MEDICAL
Let’s begin with the IGN article that first caught my attention, about the benefits of video games vs. Prozac. The article states “Interactive entertainment can be a . . . place where players are not seen for their disabilities first. And not just physically disabled people, [but] people with depression, anxiety, and stress have found that games are just what the doctor ordered.” Furthermore, “In a six month study of 134 people, they (the researchers) found that playing Bejeweled reduced stress by 54% compared to a control group. The games also help lift participants’ moods, particularly with Peggle (a researcher) where there was a massive 573% improvement after playing.”

WOW – 573% improvement. Let’s put the Prozac people out of business folks. If there was a better reason for Wii Unite than this, I sure as heck don’t know what it is.
I will continue this series next week, where we will look at the positive impact playing video games can have on learning and social skills development in children.

Goodbye Game Crazy

An IGN article, authored by Jim Reilly, stated recently that Game Crazy would be liquidating its remaining stores and shutting down. This is sad news for me. Game Crazy has been around for a long time, and it was the only video game store, strictly speaking, in the Wenatchee Valley when my wife and I moved here 10+ years ago. A few years after that, Game Stop opened a new store in our Valley right across the street from Game Crazy, creating serious competition for the franchise. Not long after that, this particular Game Crazy went out of business. It was sad to watch. I loved Game Crazy. I loved the spacious store and the ability to browse without being pestered by sales people. Most of all though, I loved that you could try out a game before buying it. It was hard to watch the gradual decline and eventual fall of this one store. I resented Game Stop for quite a while after that. I also hated that Game Stop did not let you try out games before buying them. Being the mature adult that I am now, however, I eventually got over it, sort of. A lot of my "getting over it" had to do with the fact that Game Stop now had a captive consumer base, and they were the only choice for me if I did not want to drive 20-30 minutes to find another place that would have as wide a selection of video games. And to be honest, Game Stop has now earned a place in my video game addicted soul. The store has grown on me: it's still hugely convenient (I drive right by it on my way home from work every day), the atmosphere of the store is pleasant, it's clean, and the store manager now knows me by name (how sick is that?). Seeing that I am a regular, he takes care of me now, enabling my addiction in the most considerate of ways. Still, having said all of this in praise of Game Stop, I am sad to see Game Crazy go. After all, it was my first true video game store love, and I don't think anyone else can fill that particular hole in my heart quite the same way.

MHT Common Sense

So I was playing MHT in the am before I had to go to work, having joined a party of three others online. One of the other three players had chosen a quest, and when I looked on the quest board, I discovered that the quest chosen was to capture Baggi. Generally speaking, I do not like capture's, but I wanted more Baggi hides, bones, or whatever else I might get from this particular quest, so I decided to participate. When we entered the map to begin the quest, two of the players explained in chat that they were going to do some mining. My biggest concern at this point was whether or not one of these two had the trap(s) needed for the capture. I was hoping this was not the case. Yin (the on-screen name of the person I was with) and I proceeded to begin the attack on Baggi to wear him down. Not more than five minutes into the quest, one of the "mining" players fainted while Yin and I were in a completely different zone battling the giant Baggi. He and I had not fainted yet. I was like, what the - - - -?

So Yin and I continue our attacks, and to my complete and utter surprise, about two minutes later, the other player who was mining fainted. Not more than ten minutes into the quest and the two mining players had each fainted once. The question in my head at that time was "How the heck do you faint while mining?" Sure, the little Baggi can attack and harm you, but it's not hard to get away from them. It only takes a little common sense to see your health is less than half or so. Not too hard in my opinion. Needless to say, one of these two players fainted again a few minutes later, and we failed the quest.

So we get back to the tavern, and another quest is chosen by one of these other players. I gently remind everyone that they might want to bring extra potions. When I look on the board, the quest chosen is once again to capture Baggi. At this point, I failed to exercise common sense myself, because despite what happened the first time, I joined them again. Stupid me.

At least no one went mining this time, and no one fainted. We were all getting along quite well, doing an excellent job of putting the screws to Baggi, working as a team, having a jolly old time. We made Baggi leave the first zone, but he still was not limping, or even drooling. We followed him as he entered another zone. Shortly after we got there, one of the other players laid down the only trap we had among the four of us. Baggi fell in it, but it was much too early. I asked if anyone else had a trap, and they all said no. I immediately abandoned the quest, as it was impossible to complete at this point.

Back at the tavern, one of the others once again chose a quest. When I looked at the board, it was to capture Rathian. I actually laughed out loud. No common sense. They couldn't even capture Baggi. I told them I would not join them. At this point, I was getting smart. They asked why. I explained that if they couldn't even capture Baggi, what made them think they could capture Rathian? The response I got at this point in chat was "lol". So I guess they thought their lack of common sense was funny. Actually, I thought it was funny too.

So what is the point of this blog entry? Simply this: use common sense when playing MHT online, especially if you are in a party with others. Don't fail a quest out of stupidity or out of a lack of common sense. Bring potions, bring traps, bring whatever tools you need to succeed, and then use them wisely. On top of that, watch your health. Let others know what you are doing, and be smart about it. One other piece of advice – if you don't' want to use common sense when you play MHT online, at least have enough consideration of others to play that way by yourself.