Video Games and gaming, the brain food of the future and past. I remember as a child playing Atari, Nintendo and at later years Sega. I also remember by mother yelling at me repeatedly to “stop playing those darn games and go outside to play”, not to mention the old adage of “when we were kids we didn’t have video games to play, we had to use our imagination and creativity to have a good time.” Well, the science and truth has come home to roost that gaming has increased brain power.
According to Ben Silverman’s article Is gaming good for the mind, “science has proved that gaming increases cortical firing and makes us better thinkers.” (Silverman, 2009) Researchers for North Carolina University and the Georgia Institute of Technology are now studying the effects of gaming in the elderly.
The study of gaming effects on the elderly is being led by Dr. Anne McLaughlin assistant professor of psychology with North Carolina University. Current results indicate the best games for the elderly “contain three fundamental brain strengthening qualities – attentional demand, novelty and social interaction.” (Silverman, 2009) The current best game fitting this quality according to Dr. McLaughlin is the Wii Boom Box games.
When reflecting upon my childhood experiences playing games, throwing the controller in frustration and doing the “happy dance” when I had achieved my goals, I can truly appreciate the life lessons I gained. Today’s gaming experiences are changing from the days of the Nintendo and Sega days, not to mention the Atari days, and they are showing progressive traits for not only the current children of the day but for the children of yesterday. A lot of our focus as we age is channeled away from ourselves. We are forced to take on the challenges of raising children and taking care of aging parents. With the current trends for increasing interactivity and the current research showing occupational and life benefits to gaming, there is no doubt games are such a large part of our life. The Army uses gaming as a recruiting tool, crane operators work on hand eye co-ordination simulators and doctors are now working remotely with robotics. These abilities and experiences of today are influenced and improved by the popular cultural icons of our childhood and these iconic inventions show no signs of distinction.
Bibliography
Alvero Pascual-Leone, L. M. (2009, June 30). Take two video games and call me in the morning. Retrieved July 3, 2009, from Scientific America: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=video-games-by-prescription
M. Petracca, M. S. Common Culture (Fifth ed.). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall.
Silverman, B. (2009, July 2). Yahoo Games. Retrieved July 03, 2009, from Plugged In: http://videogames.yahoo.com/events/plugged-in/is-gaming-good-for-the-mind-/1331945
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I agree that video games are part of our pop culture. Realistically, how many people would wait overnight in front of a Best Buy for the Wii if it wasn't popular?
ReplyDeleteVideo games have become a new way of life and why not make them stimulating and educational. Being a WOW (World of Warcraft) widow, I'm not a huge fan of the time spent on video games, but understand their purpose. I guess I really can't complain if the game keeps him in the room next to me.