Study finds video games improve vision

ideo games, notoriously known for consuming hours of downtime for young players and for leaving many parents wondering about ill effects, may have health benefits after all, according to research by Daphne Bavelier, associate professor of brain and cognitive sciences and a member of the Center for Visual Science.

Bavelier

Featured in the latest issue of Nature and garnering international media attention, Bavelier's research suggests that playing video games--particularly the action-orientated type--may improve visual perception skills such as those used when driving and could potentially be used as a tool for rehabilitating visually impaired patients or preparing soldiers for combat.

The link between visual attention and action games was first recognized when one of Bavelier's students, Shawn Green '01, demonstrated exceptional proficiency at the visual tests he and Bavelier were devising. Upon discovering that Green, a current graduate student in the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, was an avid game player, the two embarked on a line of research to test if playing action games like Grand Theft Auto III, Medal of Honor, or Half-Life could train the brain to process certain visual information better.

Green

In the study, accomplished game players were presented with tests to measure attention and ability to perceive objects that appear and disappear rapidly. In all tests, avid game players far outperformed nongamers. And to their surprise, Bavelier and Green also discovered that players with as few as 10 hours of game playing showed significant improvements in visual awareness.

"Players can process visual information more quickly and can track 30 percent more objects than nonplayers," says Bavelier. "Several game players even achieved perfect scores on tests barely doable for nongamers."

"It's likely the sense of danger heightens awareness and trains the visual response of the brain," adds Green, "but other aspects might also contribute."

Green and Bavelier point out gaming is no substitute for building other areas of the brain and exercises that demand prolonged attention, such as reading or solving math problems, are likely not helped at all by extensive game playing.

As a next step in their research, the team would like to design action video games they can modify to determine which aspects of gaming facilitate such efficient learning. With that knowledge, Green and Bavelier would ultimately like to create nonviolent action games that could help stroke patients recover visual awareness.

This research was supported by the National Institutes of Health and the James S. McDonnell-Pew Foundation.

Maintained by University Public Relations
Please send your comments and suggestions to:
Public Relations.