Daphne Bavelier's TED Talk presents information in favor of using video games to increase cognitive function, memory, and vision. Below is an outline of the points she made:
- Average video game player is 33 years old.
- Statistics from Activision: 68,000 years of play for Call of Duty: Black Ops (in one month - worldwide).
- We should leverage that power to increase learning.
- In reasonable doses, games (even shooter games) have a powerful impact on players.
- Stepping into the game lab: measure the impact of games.
- Game playing makes your eyesight worse - actually improves one’s vision - can see small detail in the context of clutter. Improved ability to resolve levels of grey. This knowledge can be used to help vision impaired.
- Gaming leads to attention problems and distractibility - fast reaction can help resolve cognitive conflicts. Gaming improves this.
- Tracking objects around you - is improved with gaming. Average person can keep track of 3 chunks of information at a time - video gamers can keep track of 7.
- Parietal, frontal, and anterior cingulate - all three areas are more efficient in people who play action games.
- Multitasking - switching from one task to another - video gamers are better at this than most.
- Multimedia-tasking - listening to music, chatting online, and searching the web. Most people who identify themselves as highly capable of multimedia-tasking are abysmal at multitasking.
- Wine can be good for health BUT some wine can be bad and in different quantities can cause issues. Games can be thought of the same way. Need the right ingredients and the right dose.
- Forcing someone to play games still improves vision and reaction times.
- Mental rotation: a shape that has been rotated but shape/size not changed.
- Effects of gaming are long lasting.
- Scientists vs. entertainment software industry (chocolate v. broccoli) - no one wants to eat chocolate covered broccoli. Need to bring brain scientists and developers together.
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