Study: Shooters Can Improve Eyesight

[Spartan_X]

Study: Shooters Can Improve Eyesight

By Kris Graft

A new study claims that playing fast-paced shooter games can help improve the eye?s ability to distinguish objects in cluttered spaces.b>

Think about it: When playing Gears of War, you have the uncanny ability to identify the toe of a Locust sticking out from behind a concrete barrier from a mile away.

Are you superhuman? No? rather you started training your eyes to decipher cluttered areas since you began playing Castle Wolfenstein on your 386.

University of Rochester?s Daphne Bevelier published a new study in the Psychological Science journal that explained that certain eye conditions have to do with the size and shape of the eye. Some traits of an eye, however, are neural, she said, and can be developed.

Shooters such as Gears of War, Halo and Lost Planet help study subjects improve spatial resolution.

Bevelier said that fast-paced shooters ?push the human visual system to the limits and the brain adapts to it. That learning carries over into other activities and possibly everyday life."

Such games could also help slow the aging process and treat conditions such as lazy eye, she said.

However, slower-paced games such as Tetris don't have a similar effect on eyeSource:rce: Next-Gen

[MightyJordan]

Ain't the first time games have been proven to improve something about your body.

[doherty]

Sent to my parents!

=]

good read

[Fighter-X]

CS 1.6 ftw hehe. I love fast paced games.

[DELTETHISACCOUNT]

Gears + Halo

That's all I play! :D

[neoadorable]

games are of course a huge benefit: most gamers have excellent spatial awareness and coordination, that's a fact.

(gets up from desk)

OUCH.

[Bawx]

1.6 was good for something afterall.

[DirtyLarry Veteran]

games are of course a huge benefit: most gamers have excellent spatial awareness and coordination, that's a fact.

(gets up from desk)

OUCH.

ROFL

Great eyesight, but horrible back and neck problems. plus the beginnings of carpal tunnel syndrome (not even kidding there, have to go back in two weeks for an x-ray than schedule an appointment with a neurologist). Granted the carpal tunnel is a result of the mouse more than the controller, but with that said if I play for any extended amount of time on the controller my wrist does wind up KILLING ME.

Still seems like a relatively fair trade off to me, considering I still have 20/20 eyesight and both my parents started needing reading glasses at my age.

[CPressland]

Puts gears of war back into the 360 drive! :p

[Spartan_X]

Great eyesight, but horrible back and neck problems.

well, you can consider that as a training for one these whenever you need one in the future... :laugh: :rofl: :p

[.Ark]

well, you can consider that as a training for one these whenever you need one in the future... :laugh: :rofl: :p

Holy **** lol! I want one.. those look tight

[mattrobs]

Studies claim a lot of things.

Let's see them prove it.

[SilentMage]

Studies claim a lot of things.

Let's see them prove it.

The last time I went to the eye doctor (back in 2004, I'll admit) my vision was rated as 20/15, which was a marked improvement over the last time I went, where I was rated as 20/20.

Note that both my parents wear glasses for both driving and reading whereas my vision is above-average. AND when I was much younger (back in the 90s and early 2000s, when I was still in HS and starting college) I could sit and play my SNES for 8 hours straight.

Today I got that twitch finger that comes w/ "training" via Doom, Quake, UT, Starseige Tribes, UT2004, Call of Duty, and many more FPS games.

For me, that is proof enough, at least from a personal standpoint.

Lastly, I don't think I'll be needing that awesome mecha-chair just yet -- my body's in fairly good shape I'd say. I'll put it on my wishlist when I hit 40 though! :D

~SilentMage

[ToneKnee]

well, you can consider that as a training for one these whenever you need one in the future... :laugh: :rofl: :p

Johnny 5! :D

[Nicholas-c Veteran]

im sorted! chop my legs off and get one of those chairs and a helmet so everything is in nightvision and has data everywhere

[neoadorable]

heh they look like the hunter killer tanks from terminator. cool.

crap Larry, this a constant problem for you? hope it works out, but not sure what can be done save for rest. and we know rest is the gamer's worst enemy...

anyway really hope it gets better.

as for eyesight, i wouldn't credit games with that. in fact the strain may promote certain problems. do you guys have an issue with floaters?

[madmk]

If you've been Quaking since its release, you should have better vision than superman :D

[Skiver Veteran]

see i have to agree with this in some ways... i wouldnt say my eye sight has improved but i would say im more aware of my surroundings... and especially now when i play a FPS like FEAR, i often spin to the side to look down a corridor as i run past and spin back on track in about a second if not less... and in that second i take in if their is anyone their and whether or not they are on my team.... another thing, not that i noticed but my girl noticed was that... i spot enemies alot faster then she can... plenty times i have been playing and she will say how the hell did you see that or something along those lines...

but then i was playing crackdown last night and i had to stop my eyes were hurting so bad... think that was just a strain of not blinking for however long

[SacrificialSoldier]

well that is an interesting fact!

[Kreuger]

I shall start playing halo more often again haha

[KHaKi-]

ROFL

Great eyesight, but horrible back and neck problems. plus the beginnings of carpal tunnel syndrome (not even kidding there, have to go back in two weeks for an x-ray than schedule an appointment with a neurologist). Granted the carpal tunnel is a result of the mouse more than the controller, but with that said if I play for any extended amount of time on the controller my wrist does wind up KILLING ME.

Still seems like a relatively fair trade off to me, considering I still have 20/20 eyesight and both my parents started needing reading glasses at my age.

I know EXACTLY how your hand feels, I'm starting to get carpal tunnel too, and it doesn't help I type on a keyboard all day at work :(