Violent video games have been blamed for every kind of crime under the sun. Robberies, shootings and even kidnappings have been related to different video games in the past but now some researchers have found evidence that those kinds of games might actually make you smarter.
According to research presented at the Games for Learning symposium, which took place last week at the New York University (USA), playing fast-paced video games can improve attention, vision and cognitive functions.
Researchers from the University of Rochester (Rochester, NY, USA), found that playing first-person shooters can help by allocating the brain’s resources in a better way and helping in adapting to new situations faster. The research also pointed out that these video games can improve peripheral vision as well as the ability to see objects in low light conditions. These findings could eventually lead to a video game based treatment for some eye related illnesses, like lazy eye.
The State University of New York at Albany presented a study from the Israeli Air Force that stated that pilots who played a game called Space Fortress had better results in their pilot training than recruits who didn’t.
It’s good to read about research that highlights the positive aspects of gaming. Casual games have been shown to have cognitive benefits but the fact that first-person shooters carry their own benefits is awesome.
Read [Research & Studies @ Gamertell] Also Read [AP] Site [Games for Learning Institute]
Image credit: Infinity Ward
Just because they have a few cognitive benefits doesn't mean they don't cause any cognitive harm. You could seek out the same benefits from a different interface–one that doesn't include completely senseless violence. This doesn't pardon these types of games at all for the harm I see them causing in youth on a regular basis. It's a fact that young people who play first person shooter games are less able to control their aggression and harbor more aggressive feelings. And it's not like the military is going to be waving this research in the face of nay-sayers. It's going to be used by little punks who sit around playing Call of Duty for seven hours a day to justify their addiction to electronics.
http://apaannualmeeting.blogspot.com/2010/05/new-research-video-games-and-aggression.html
And increased motor function doesn't make you "smarter". Having good hand-eye coordination and peripheral vision do not go hand in hand with intellegence and vice versa.