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In two previous articles ( here and here), I summarized evidence countering the common fears about video games (that they are addictive and promote such maladies as social isolation, obesity, and violence). I also pointed there to evidence that the games may help children develop logical, literary, executive, and even social skills. Evidence has continued to mount, since then, concerning especially the cognitive benefits of such games.

The most recent issue of the American Journal of Play (Fall 2014) includes an article by researchers Adam Eichenbaum, Daphne Bavelier, and C. Shawn Green summarizing recent research finding evidence of lasting positive effects of video games on basic mental processes-such as perception, attention, memory, and decision-making. Most of the research involves effects of action video games-that is, games that require players to move rapidly, keep track of many items at once, hold a good deal of information in their mind at once, and make split-second decisions.

Such research employs two strategies-correlational and experimental. In a correlational study, regular gamers are compared, on some perceptual or cognitive test, with otherwise comparable people who don't play video games. The typical finding is that the gamers outperform the non-gamers on whatever test is used. This doesn't prove that gaming is a cause of better performance, because it is possible that people who choose to play video games are those who already have superior perceptual and cognitive abilities. The best proof that gaming improves these abilities comes from experiments in which all of the participants are initially non-gamers, and then some, but not others, are asked to play a particular video game for a certain number of hours per day, for a certain number of days, for the sake of the experiment. In these experiments, the typical finding is that those who play the video game improve on measures of basic perceptual and cognitive abilities while those in the control group do not.

In what follows, I'll simply list some of the findings that have come from this sort of research, all of which are summarized in the article by Eichenbaum and his colleagues. The reference I cite for each finding is to the original research report.
Improvements in basic visual processes
* Improved visual contrast sensitivity. Fifty hours of action video game play (spread over 10 to 12 weeks) improved visual contrast sensitivity (the ability to distinguish subtle differences in shades of gray) compared to controls (Li et al., 2009).

* Successful treatment of amblyopia. Amblyopia (also called "lazy eye") is a disorder arising from early childhood in which one eye becomes essentially non-functional. Li and colleagues (2011) performed experiments in which some adults with this disorder played action video games using only the bad eye (the good eye was covered). Other adults with the disorder did other things with the good eye covered, such as knitting or watching television. The result was that those in the gaming condition showed great improvement-often to normal or near-normal functioning-while those in the other conditions did not. Many in the gaming condition developed 20/20 vision or better in the previously "lazy eye," and visual attention and stereoscopic vision (ability to coordinate input from the two eyes to see depth) were restored to normal.
Improvements in attention and vigilance
* Improved spatial attention. Green & Bavelier (2012) found that action video gaming improved performance on the ability to locate, quickly, a target stimulus in a field of distractors-a test that has been found to be a good predictor of driving ability.

* Improved ability to track moving objects in a field of distractors. Action games improved the ability of children and adults to keep track of a set of moving objects that were visually identical to other moving objects in the visual field (Trick et al., 2005).

* Reduced impulsiveness. Action games improved performance in a test of the ability to refrain from responding to non-target stimuli, in a situation in which most stimuli called for a response but an occasional stimulus called for no response (Dye, Green, & Bavelier, 2009).

* Overcoming dyslexia. Dyslexia, in at least some cases, seems to derive from problems of visual attention. One study found that as few as 12 hours of video game play improved dyslexic children's scores on tests of reading and phonology (Franceschini et al, 2013). In fact, the improvement was as great or greater than that achieved by training programs that were explicitly designed to treat dyslexia.
Improvements in executive functioning
Executive functioning refers to a person's ability to allot his or her mental resources (such as perception, attention, memory) in ways that allow for rapid, efficient problem solving or decision-making. Many experiments have shown positive effects of video-game training on measures of executive functioning. Here are two examples

* Improved ability to engage in multiple tasks simultaneously. Chiappe and colleagues (2013) found that 50 hours of experience on an action video game significantly improved performance on a test called the Multi-Attribute Task Battery, which is modeled after skills required in piloting aircraft. It involves using a joystick to keep a target centered on a screen, monitoring fuel levels, responding to lights on an instrument panel, and listening and responding to radio communication. High scores on this test correlate well with real-world piloting performance.

* Increased mental flexibility. A number of researchers have reported that experience with action video games improves people's abilities to switch rapidly and without error between tasks that have conflicting demands (Anderson et al, 2010; Green et al, 2012; Colzato et al, 2014).

* Reduction of mental decline that accompanies aging. Cognitive flexibility, attention, working memory, and abstract reasoning all tend to decline with age. Many experiments, with elderly participants, show that video game play can result in improvement in all of these abilities (e. g. Basek et al., 2008). One study found that such play led not just to cognitive improvements, but also to better self-concepts and enhanced qualities of life in elderly participants (Torres, 2011).
Improvements in job-related skills
Many studies indicate that video games improve job performance, especially for jobs that require good eye-hand coordination, attention, excellent working memory, and quick decision-making. One correlational study, for example, demonstrated that video gamers were better than non-gamers in the ability to fly and land aerial drones and were essentially as good as trained pilots on this skill (McKinley et al., 2011). Another correlational study revealed that young, inexperienced surgeons who were also avid video gamers outperformed the most experienced surgeons in their field (Rosser et al., 2007). In an experiment, novice surgeons who were provided with experience with video games improved their performance in laparoscopic surgery compared with a control group of surgeons who did not have that experience (Schlickum et al., 2009).

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If you are a parent who has been limiting your child's computer play because of the claims you have read of harmful effects, the research summarized here and in my previous posts on video gaming might give you pause. The bulk of the research suggests that the claims about negative effects of video gaming are largely myths and that there are real positive effects. The kinds of mental skills that video games help to develop may be increasingly important in today's world.

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And now, what are your thoughts and questions about all this? What experiences have you or your children had with video games? This blog is a forum for discussion, and your ideas, knowledge, and questions are valued and taken seriously, by me and by other readers. As always, I prefer if you post your comments and questions here, in the comments section, rather than send them to me by private email. By putting them here, you share with other readers, not just with me. I read all comments and try to respond to all serious questions. Of course, if you have something to say that applies only to you and me, then send me an email.

-Free to Learn is now available in paperback as well as hardcover.

-For a wealth of information about self-determined education, see alternativestoschool.com]

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Cognitive Benefits of Playing Video Games

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In two previous articles ( here and here), I summarized evidence countering the common fears about video games (that they are addictive and promote such maladies as social isolation, obesity, and violence). I also pointed there to evidence that the games may help children develop logical, literary, executive, and even social skills.

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Post some  facts you find on this padlet

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Only 3% of gamers are loners and never play with others, according to an Interactive Australia report by Bond University. Many games involve multi-person play, with players either in the same room or connected online.

And, says Dr Lawrence Kutner, director of the Harvard Medical School's Centre for Mental Health and Media and co-author of Grand Theft Childhood: The Surprising Truth About Violent Video Games and What Parents Can Do, games are a topic of conversation that allow kids to build relationships with their peers.

'Boys and girls view game playing as a social activity, not an isolating one,' he said.

'For boys, game strategy is a topic of conversation.

'If you don't play, you're left out of that ubiquitous conversation.'

Video games can give you an eye for detail.

Researchers from the University of Rochester found people who spent 30 hours training on action games over a month spotted targets on a cluttered screen 80% of the time; non-gamers managed this only 30% of the time.

Allstate, a US insurer currently trialling video games for older drivers, has found that game software can improve visual skills important for safe driving. National Institutes of Health studies have shown the software reduces crash risk by up to 50%.

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The Pros and Cons of Playing Computer Video games

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Only 3% of gamers are loners and never play with others, according to an Interactive Australia report by Bond University. Many games involve multi-person play, with players either in the same room or connected online.

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Video games rot your brain.

You lose concentration.

Video games make you dull.

Video games are a distraction and are of no use at all.

What will you do playing all these games, do they pay you to play video games now?

No, no, no, no, and yes.

Yes, video games are good for you because...

1. They help to develop problem-solving skills

A hard level and epic boss can be a bitch. You work extra hard in your head to devise strategies to beat them. Unless you are a genius gamer, you fail the first time and then take another shot, but this time you are thinking of a different novel way to beat that mean bastard (remember the last level of Max Payne 2?).

It gives you good problem-solving skills.

2. Enhance creativity

Video games make you creative. One study found that playing video games helped in increasing creativity in children. You know what the whopper is? Creativity and cellphones have no correlation at all. Dump your cellphones for those sexy gaming consoles and gaming PCs.
*drools over the latest GPU chip*
3. Video games improve your mood, are relaxing, and fade anxiety

Frustrated and angry? Play Angry birds! Who doesn't like the sight of a whole big structure with pigs on it, brought down by an exploding fat bird?

Games like these instantly improve your mood. They also help you relax when you are anxious before attending that interview to the job you really want.

4. They even help you become social

No, not all gamers are sitting in their moms' basements, overweight and in their smelly brown underwears, chugging on soft drinks at the rate of 10 litres an hour.

Studies have showed that video games actually help you become social. 70% of all gamers play with someone else on the internet. They make friends too. But, video games are not substitutes for real life socializations. Maintain a healthy balance of real life and online friends.

5. Video games help in stimulating the growth of new neurons

Once considered impossible, neurogenesis (growth of new neurons) actually takes place in the brains of gamers. We all know that grey matter is an indicator of intelligence in the brain. A study showed increased grey matter in the brains of gamers. This means you are literally building brain muscle by gaming.

Video games are the gyms for the brain. Go, workout for 30 minutes.

6. They help you think quick, make fast decisions and analyses

Anyone who has played a fast-paced game can relate to this. Some games need really quick reflexes. Even the simple game of Tetris in its hard levels is a complete finger-biting, sweat-inducing, fast-paced, decision-making workout.

They are thinking about using video games to train soldiers and surgeons to make crux decisions in a split second.

7. Video games make you persevere

"I AM GONNA GET BACK AT YOU! YOU WAIT, YOU PIECE OF VILLAIN SHIT!", you screamed as you lost to the boss/villain for the 9th time. But, you keep at it. Video games help you persevere.

It's a very challenging setup and you don't really want to give up, and you fight it again and again to beat the system. It really teaches you tenacity.

8. Video games help you recognize patterns

At the end of the day, every game out there is basically a code, programmed by people. Large games with many levels have repeating patterns.

You learn pattern recognition even without knowing. Now though, they are making in-game AI (artificial intelligence) so much harder and unpredictable, that finding patterns is getting harder.

9. Better hand-eye coordination

Non-gamers use a lot of brain juice to coordinate between eye movement and hand movement. A study has shown that gamers don't even think about hand-eye coordination. Most of their brain power is focussed on higher tasks like defeating the AI because hand-eye coordination is already automated.

10. Help you navigate better

Anyone who has played GTA or Counterstrike can relate to this. Games with vast open worlds help you navigate better. You explore landscapes on the scale of hundreds of kilometers in such games. It helps your navigational abilities over time.

11. Risk taking

Almost all games are pro-risk. They are programmed to reward risk-takers. Outrageous solutions to the most difficult problems have you doing the victory dance.

It helps in making you pro-risk, with calculated strategies, obviously. We all know the risk-reward correlation - the more the risk, the better the reward.

12. Help in teamwork and better cooperation

Ask anyone who has played Counterstrike, League of Legends or Dota with his friends. They are almost communicating telepathically with their teammates.

Their coordination and communication go deeper than the usual banter we have with our conventional teammates in real life. Working together to achieve a common goal to the point that you will sacrifice yourself altruistically, comes quite naturally to gamers.

13. Better vision

Video games give you better vision. A study has shown that playing a video game changes pathways in the brain, helping the gamer to distinguish more shades of grey. Called the contrast sensitivity function, it is the same ability that helps you drive better at night. So yeah, it helps you see better.

I had a 50 Shades Of Grey joke here, but it's too dirty.

14. They get you lots of money and help in international relations

Take the case of the youngest millionaire of Esports - Sumail. He hails from Pakistan and one of his teammates is Sahil Arora, an American-Indian.

Whaaaaat? An Indo-Pak team combo? A successful Indo-Pak team combo?! Yes! And they won a whopping $6 million when they won The International Dota 2 Championships this year, with Sumail pocketing a cool $1.2 million. An Indian and a Pakistani teamed up with three others to win a game that is dominated by the Asians.

And Sumail is just 16! He is 16 and he made his first million dollars!

Esports is the future they say, with tournaments getting better with more audience and fatter prize money. People are realizing that there is a scope of getting into gaming professionally. Big bucks, fame, international friends and a faster, more intelligent brain.

Yeah, I want to game more!
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14 Reasons Why Playing Video Games Is Actually Very Good For You

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Video games rot your brain. You lose concentration. Video games make you dull. Video games are a distraction and are of no use at all. What will you do playing all these games, do they pay you to play video games now? No, no, no, no, and yes.

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Playing any game give you relaxation and kind of comfort from all the tension which we face in our day to day life. Video games are not only popular among the kids but a large community of adults have also adopted it as a craze. Being in demand more and more new games are releasing every year. Playing video game not only helps you in keeping you cheerful all the time but it has lots of health benefits too. Here in this article, I am going to mention the pros and cons of playing a video game.

Keeps you Happy
As the technology is growing day by day on a large scale the demand of people are also increasing and in order to fulfill it they work harder to that they can get everything possible. Most of the people are so busy that they can't get a single moment of time and it affect one's health. In a day at least we should take out time for playing the video game for 30 minutes which not only helps you in removing your stress but also holds all your tension for the time. You indulge your self in the game and it keeps you happy all the time. Happiness makes a person healthy and glowing all the time.

Decision maker
If you play a game you get limited time to cross the level. Here you act faster to choose the right path or the selection of completing quickly. This also helps in your daily life, if you are confused about something you will have the courage to take the decision.

Overcoming Dyslexia
While playing video games you are completely focused on the game. You give your full attention to the game and you also start adopting this habit in your life. If you are fully focused on your work you will complete it quickly and correctly.

Improve Visual Skills
Playing a video game may improve our visual ability which is a crucial thing for reading or driving at night. According to a team of the researcher at Rochester in New York playing action video games train the brain to better process the certain visual information. Some of the new games 2017 are created in high resolution and this helps getting the better picture quality more clearly.

Ability to learn
It is believed that playing games may make us bad in study but according to a research there are many video games which enhance our brain flexibility. Some of the games required constant thinking and players Input. Playing such types of games can improve your ability of learning.

Slow down Aging
You might have seen senior citizens act slowly even they have the ability to make the thing faster. Maintaining a healthy exercise keeps you smarter and you look younger than your real age. You can see a person aged 60 if playing a video game for 4 to 5 hours a day will look like 50-55 years old. Playing video games boost up your speed and helps in maintaining your health.

Winning Ability
You might have seen many persons quit a particular task or anything if they fail in one or two attempt but playing video games teach you to never give up. Which playing a video game you might get stuck at a certain level where it seems impossible to cross that level for you but it's your will who encourage you to not to quit. You will find the possible way to cross the level. A video gamer also adopts this ability in their life.

Apart from the advantages, there are many disadvantages of playing a video game too. Some of the disadvantages of playing video games are:

Insomnia
Playing video games may cause insomnia. Playing video games at night may cause sleep problems. According to a research, watching TV or playing video game after 9 may distract kids mind and they suffer sleeping problem.

Addiction
You might have seen a person holding the game controller and playing a video game all the time. Playing a video game good but making it an addiction is worst. Some person has the ability to cross the levels very soon. Such person gets addicted to the game and they always sit at one place without maintaining their daily schedule and this impacts in their daily tasks.

Makes you violent
According to a CNN report, an 18 years old gunman killed nine people in Germany and he was a fan of first-person shooter video game. Playing such type of video games may distract your mind and you tend to think about the same and this also implemented in your habits.

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Playing any game give you relaxation and kind of comfort from all the tension which we face in our day to day life. Video games are not only popular among the kids but a large community of adults have also adopted it as a craze.

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one topic could be the pros another one could be the cons

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Video games are exceptionally good types of games for enhancing problem-solving. Strategic Video games are a great way to test your brain and to learn to overcome different obstacles and problems.

Pros of Video games

Prediction skills, logic and reasoning: As a player plays the game with more interest, it improves his gameplay, and he begins to use logic and reasoning skills to project what to do next in a calm and composed way.

Map reading skills: Some strategy games are played on topographical maps. Players need to learn to understand the map for their best movement and defensive situations. Roads, woods, oceans, elevations, mountains, major rivers, coral reefs, streams, bridges, towns are all elements players need to understand.

Mathematics: Some strategic games demands the basic understanding of addition and subtraction, along with skills in calculating percentages, odd ratios, multiplication, and division.
Cons of Video Games

Increasing levels of obesity with screen-based time, primarily television

Playing more than 3 hours of video games day can result in poor psychological adjustment in children

Violence and video games

Ignoring other activities due to 7 hours 38 minutes a day of digital-media time

Possibility of video game addiction

If you want to have more information, then, I would recommend you to check out

Pros of Strategy Based Video Games

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What are the pros and cons of playing video games?

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Answer (1 of 13): Pros are different depending on the type of game, but the general ones are: * Strategic thinking * Problem solving * Hand-eye coordination * Team skills (team based multiplayer games) * Spacial awareness * Creativity (some games) Cons mostly come from spending too much t...

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procon.com

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Do Video Games Cause Violence? 9 Pros and Cons

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Proponents say playing violent video games causes more aggression. Opponents say the games are a convenient scapegoat for real-life violence.