Hum Posted November 12, 2010 Share Posted November 12, 2010 The video game Tetris may quell flashbacks of traumatic events in a way that other kinds of games can't, researchers have found. The curious effect might have to do with how the shapes in the game compete with images of a traumatic scene when it comes to getting stored in one's memory. Tetris, one of the most popular video games of all time, involves moving and rotating shapes falling down a playing field with the aim of creating horizontal lines of blocks without gaps. In earlier work, scientists at Oxford University in England found that playing Tetris after traumatic events could reduce flashbacks in healthy volunteers. The hope of this research is to reduce the painful memories linked with post-traumatic stress disorder. "Our latest findings suggest Tetris is still effective as long as it is played within a four-hour window after viewing a stressful film," said researcher Emily Holmes, a research clinical psychologist at Oxford University. "Whilst playing Tetris can reduce flashback-type memories without wiping out the ability to make sense of the event, we have shown that not all computer games have this beneficial effect ? some may even have a detrimental effect on how people deal with traumatic memories." To explain these unusual results, think of the mind as having two separate channels of thought. One is sensory, dealing with perceptions of the world as experienced through sight, sound, smell, taste and touch, while the other is conceptual, responsible for combining sensory details in a meaningful way. These channels generally work in harmony with each other ? for instance, we might see and hear someone talk and quickly comprehend what that person is saying. However, after traumatic events, the sensory channel is thought to overwhelm the conceptual one. As such, we are less likely to, for example, remember a high-speed traffic accident as a story than as a flash of headlights and the noise of a crash. These sensory details then intrude repeatedly in a victim's mind in the form of flashbacks, often causing great distress. full story Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick H. Supervisor Posted November 12, 2010 Supervisor Share Posted November 12, 2010 That's odd, I could have sworn this was reported a few months ago... Oh well, time to dust off my Gameboy! EDIT: They did report it a while back, although I guess this is a continuation of the study. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*RedBull* Posted November 12, 2010 Share Posted November 12, 2010 That's odd, I could have sworn this was reported a few months ago... Oh well, time to dust off my Gameboy! EDIT: They did report it a while back, although I guess this is a continuation of the study. Yes please stop your flash backs, they are annoying :p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick H. Supervisor Posted November 12, 2010 Supervisor Share Posted November 12, 2010 Yes please stop your flash backs, they are annoying :p Heh, while I may not be dusting it off for my amusement, I could start renting it out to people as a DIY Therapy Kit. ?15 for 2 hours, a bargain compared to the price of talking to a professional! :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hum Posted November 12, 2010 Author Share Posted November 12, 2010 EDIT: They did report it a while back, although I guess this is a continuation of the study. I guess FOX reporters were hard up for a story :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Paliath Posted November 12, 2010 Share Posted November 12, 2010 Neowin did a report on this a while back: https://www.neowin.net/news/tetris-can-reduce-post-traumatic-stress-say-researchers :p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Growled Member Posted November 14, 2010 Member Share Posted November 14, 2010 I like Tetris and all but it never would have occurred to me that it was good for this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McCordRm Posted November 14, 2010 Share Posted November 14, 2010 <Shrug> Makes sense to me. A distraction is only effective if it actually takes your mind off the thing you've been dwelling on. And Tetris does require a certain amount of focus and concentration. Which also explains the time lapse; note that the article suggests playing the game within four hours of the incident. The longer you dwell on something, the harder it is to de-program. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carmatic Posted November 14, 2010 Share Posted November 14, 2010 nice, Pub Quiz 2008 actually increases the post traumatic stress disorder flashbacks! i ought to play it more often Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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