Hey, Mom! Don't make me do math - Hand me a Grenade Instead!

[Henry]

http://www.yahoo.com/s/87161

In a nutshell, a researcher doing a relatively small survey among various individuals on a college campus has found evidence that first-person shooters can improve visual attention and adaptation.

It's the news every kid dreams of hearing.

 

[Sir Whiskers]

Or perhaps people who are good at those things enjoy FPS games more than the rest of us (who can't hit the broad side of a virtual barn with any amount of practice)...

While there may turn out to be some validity to these findings, it reminds me a bit of how researchers can obfuscate cause and effect. For example:

1) People who get cancer are alive at the time the tumor develops.
2) People who are alive breath oxygen.
3) Breathing oxygen causes cancer, since everyone who has developed cancer has breathed oxygen.

 

[mojo1701]

3) Breathing oxygen causes cancer, since everyone who has developed cancer has breathed oxygen.

I knew it. I'm dead already.

 

[TheAuldGrump]

Hmmm, and there have been other studies that show that increasing one area of brain function decreases others. I seem to recall one from a few years ago regarding London taxi drivers.

Or in other words, you get better at what you do. 'Course it goes the other way 'round as well, sometimes you do what you're good at... (And then get better at it as well.)

The Auld Grump, who doesn't generally play FPS games, having a meglomaniacal urge to conquer the world instead....

 

[Alzrius]

Or perhaps people who are good at those things enjoy FPS games more than the rest of us (who can't hit the broad side of a virtual barn with any amount of practice)...

They think of that in the study, having some people who don't play video games all that much play some FPS's, and then take the tests again...lo and behold, they suddenly do much better!

EDIT: I read about this study on another site that said what I just said was true. The link above didn't include that part though. It's driving me crazy that I can't find the link to the version of the report that I read.

EDIT EDIT: Found it! The report I read was over at http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/techscience/story/0,4386,191733,00.html?

 

[Ghostwind]

My biggest problem with FPS is my eyes can't track things well enough without getting motion sickness. I love FPS games but they don't love me apparently. Must be why I excel at games of global domination that requires strategy and brain power. Hmmm... I feel an itch to play Civ 3 now...



EDIT: Spelling error... grrrr

 

[Sir Whiskers]

Ghostwind, same problem with me. I even get motion sickness playing Morrowind, which is incredibly frustrating. Oh well.

 

[Welverin]

Ghostwind, same problem with me. I even get motion sickness playing Morrowind, which is incredibly frustrating. Oh well.

I have a question for you two, have you ever noticed a difference on how you feel depending on the frame rate of the game? i.e. does a bad frame rate make you feel worse or make you feel sick sooner?

 

[Ghostwind]

With me, it doesn't matter what the frame rate is. Five minutes or less into the game and my eyes start hurting followed by nausea shortly after. I'm racking it up to old age since I used to play Quake non-stop. Strangely enough, I can play Nascar all day and not get sick (but I play it in overhead mode and not inside the cockpit).

 

[Sir Whiskers]

I've never stopped to check frame rate, but I know this happens regardless of which system and/or monitor I've used. As opposed to Ghostwind, I've always had this problem (since the original shareware Wolfenstein days), and was told it has to do with how my brain processes visual information (I have no idea if that's true or not).