Comments on: Shoot ‘em up video games are good for your eyesight http://derrenbrown.co.uk/blog/2009/03/shoot-em-up-video-games-are-good-for-your-eyesight/ The official Derren Brown Blog Fri, 10 Feb 2012 11:29:57 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1 By: ScreamingGreenConure http://derrenbrown.co.uk/blog/2009/03/shoot-em-up-video-games-are-good-for-your-eyesight/#comment-7212 ScreamingGreenConure Tue, 31 Mar 2009 12:52:49 +0000 http://derrenbrown.co.uk/blog/?p=1140#comment-7212 Well, I know the media spin sucks, but scientists can't just not release results becauseof that even ifthey do know what the media will do. That just means keeping us in ignorance. I think you're a little overly worried about the after-effects of the public hype. Sure, there's a perception games can desensitize people to violence - and to some degree, that may even be true. However, if it IS true, movies and the BBC News can also desensitize you to violence - there's no way it could just be video games. Neither of those things are going to be banned any time soon. When you get out of the territory of head-shaking and angry articles about Street Fighter and start trying to restrict video games, you start to impose an awful lot on freedom of choice and freedom of expression. That is not easy to do on the basis of a crappy article in the Daily Mail about Little Timmy kicking the dog after playing Mortal Kombat, and the minute anyone tries it you'd better believe that all those same media outlets will be running stories on the Nanny State and the Government Going Too Far (tm). It's like an inbuilt safety mechanism. Well, I know the media spin sucks, but scientists can’t just not release results becauseof that even ifthey do know what the media will do. That just means keeping us in ignorance.
I think you’re a little overly worried about the after-effects of the public hype. Sure, there’s a perception games can desensitize people to violence – and to some degree, that may even be true. However, if it IS true, movies and the BBC News can also desensitize you to violence – there’s no way it could just be video games. Neither of those things are going to be banned any time soon. When you get out of the territory of head-shaking and angry articles about Street Fighter and start trying to restrict video games, you start to impose an awful lot on freedom of choice and freedom of expression. That is not easy to do on the basis of a crappy article in the Daily Mail about Little Timmy kicking the dog after playing Mortal Kombat, and the minute anyone tries it you’d better believe that all those same media outlets will be running stories on the Nanny State and the Government Going Too Far ™. It’s like an inbuilt safety mechanism.

]]> By: jameshogg http://derrenbrown.co.uk/blog/2009/03/shoot-em-up-video-games-are-good-for-your-eyesight/#comment-7207 jameshogg Tue, 31 Mar 2009 11:48:04 +0000 http://derrenbrown.co.uk/blog/?p=1140#comment-7207 You are probably right. I do direct my rants towards media spin, but probably unfairly to the well-meaning scientists as well. Still, they must know what the media are going to do with their conclusions... :( It is the aftereffects of the studies that concern me, not really the studies themselves. It is the self-fulfiling prophecies that really scare me. I probably do know to an extent these studies can be true. It is just I am reluctant to admit it with all the 'OMFG GAMES CAUSE CANCER' piss takes that more or less offend audiences by expecting them to believe it if they want to be 'part of society'... Regardless of what science persues, isn't it not going to really matter if people begin to believe that games are highly damaging anyway? Isn't it not a war of the loudest words at the end of the day? That is what really bugs me. And yeah, maybe I have been too harsh. You are probably right. I do direct my rants towards media spin, but probably unfairly to the well-meaning scientists as well. Still, they must know what the media are going to do with their conclusions… :(

It is the aftereffects of the studies that concern me, not really the studies themselves. It is the self-fulfiling prophecies that really scare me. I probably do know to an extent these studies can be true. It is just I am reluctant to admit it with all the ‘OMFG GAMES CAUSE CANCER’ piss takes that more or less offend audiences by expecting them to believe it if they want to be ‘part of society’… Regardless of what science persues, isn’t it not going to really matter if people begin to believe that games are highly damaging anyway? Isn’t it not a war of the loudest words at the end of the day?

That is what really bugs me. And yeah, maybe I have been too harsh.

]]> By: ScreamingGreenConure http://derrenbrown.co.uk/blog/2009/03/shoot-em-up-video-games-are-good-for-your-eyesight/#comment-7193 ScreamingGreenConure Tue, 31 Mar 2009 08:41:55 +0000 http://derrenbrown.co.uk/blog/?p=1140#comment-7193 Greg: no, they did a before and after test and found the gaming improved peoples' contrast sensitivity. Jameshogg: No. Scientists can't just keep "keep what they find to themselves" when their results make you uncomfortable. That's not a good thing to suggest at all. Part of the point of science is facing that things aren't always what we expect or want them to be. However, you have to remember that the media does not report on science well. They cheerfully take several studies and condense them down to a 100 word article and a grabby headline. One example of that was that post a while back about peoples' mental abilities declining at age 27. I talked to a friend studying neuro and she looked at a couple of news articles, then had the sense to look into the researcher. It turned out that it really was not as simple as "oh crap your brain declines and dies we are DOOMED." News articles about science are interesting and fun to read - but you have to take them with a good handful of salt, and don't blame the researchers because the Telegraph or whatever decided to skim the surface of their work, dumb it down, and make it sound as conclusively controversial as they could. Greg: no, they did a before and after test and found the gaming improved peoples’ contrast sensitivity.
Jameshogg: No. Scientists can’t just keep “keep what they find to themselves” when their results make you uncomfortable. That’s not a good thing to suggest at all. Part of the point of science is facing that things aren’t always what we expect or want them to be. However, you have to remember that the media does not report on science well. They cheerfully take several studies and condense them down to a 100 word article and a grabby headline. One example of that was that post a while back about peoples’ mental abilities declining at age 27. I talked to a friend studying neuro and she looked at a couple of news articles, then had the sense to look into the researcher. It turned out that it really was not as simple as “oh crap your brain declines and dies we are DOOMED.” News articles about science are interesting and fun to read – but you have to take them with a good handful of salt, and don’t blame the researchers because the Telegraph or whatever decided to skim the surface of their work, dumb it down, and make it sound as conclusively controversial as they could.

]]> By: Peter H http://derrenbrown.co.uk/blog/2009/03/shoot-em-up-video-games-are-good-for-your-eyesight/#comment-7183 Peter H Mon, 30 Mar 2009 20:49:29 +0000 http://derrenbrown.co.uk/blog/?p=1140#comment-7183 I know a surgeon who managed to convince the taxman that his PS3 could be tax deductible as it improved hand eye co-ordination, thus decreasing morbidity amongst his patients. I know a surgeon who managed to convince the taxman that his PS3 could be tax deductible as it improved hand eye co-ordination, thus decreasing morbidity amongst his patients.

]]> By: Catharine http://derrenbrown.co.uk/blog/2009/03/shoot-em-up-video-games-are-good-for-your-eyesight/#comment-7172 Catharine Mon, 30 Mar 2009 18:47:43 +0000 http://derrenbrown.co.uk/blog/?p=1140#comment-7172 Greg: you may be onto something there. Greg: you may be onto something there.

]]> By: jameshogg http://derrenbrown.co.uk/blog/2009/03/shoot-em-up-video-games-are-good-for-your-eyesight/#comment-7167 jameshogg Mon, 30 Mar 2009 16:25:49 +0000 http://derrenbrown.co.uk/blog/?p=1140#comment-7167 I was a pro gamer three/four years ago. I played a Real Time Strategy game called Populous The Beginning - it was made by Bullfrog in 1998 so if you wanna take a look, don't expect the graphics to be good lol. It involved aztec tribes fighting to take control of each world. Each tribe had a shaman who could cast spells such as lightning, landbridge, tornado, firestorm and volcano. The aim was to build an empire and take over everybody else more or less. Now I gave that about 18 months work and ended up being the best in Scotland for a good while. One thing I've always said about my skills in this game was that I believed they helped in my school studies - I was getting the highest grades in almost every class. The other classes had the second highest. Hard to believe, isn't it? But that's what happened. One other subtle thing I noticed was that I was quite alert to my surroundings in those days. My attention to detail was high and I could see objects from very far away compared to other people. I could suss that games have this link with vision because they train your senses in very deep, interactive, repetitive levels. After all, a muscle is going to be weak if it is not exercised. So this study doesn't surprise me. However, don't expect me to go down without a fight on any game-bashing studies. I hate them. It's almost like scientists deliberately go out of their way to give food to the media. Can't they study something like this instead? Or at least keep what they find to themselves? Bah. I know I struggle to be objective here... I know fine well I am being biased because I am a gamer. But I hope you understand - when we get bashed for big corporation profit, we can't sit around! Since when did Sonic start killing people violently? SERIOUSLY! So I am only going to say this once - it is the player's RESPONSE to the games that causes those sorts of things, not the games themselves! Anyway, yes. Training muscles equals training senses more or less. I know so from my own experience. Here are some of my favourites :- Sonic The Hedgehog (said so already :) ) Advance Wars Populous The Beginning Metal Gear Solid Resident Evil 4 Soul Calibur Halo Counter Strike Super Smash Bros Rome Total War Mario Kart Doom 3 Might and Magic VI and VII There are many others that I can't think of at the moment lol. Anybody got games they play here and there? I was a pro gamer three/four years ago. I played a Real Time Strategy game called Populous The Beginning – it was made by Bullfrog in 1998 so if you wanna take a look, don’t expect the graphics to be good lol. It involved aztec tribes fighting to take control of each world. Each tribe had a shaman who could cast spells such as lightning, landbridge, tornado, firestorm and volcano. The aim was to build an empire and take over everybody else more or less.

Now I gave that about 18 months work and ended up being the best in Scotland for a good while. One thing I’ve always said about my skills in this game was that I believed they helped in my school studies – I was getting the highest grades in almost every class. The other classes had the second highest. Hard to believe, isn’t it? But that’s what happened.

One other subtle thing I noticed was that I was quite alert to my surroundings in those days. My attention to detail was high and I could see objects from very far away compared to other people.

I could suss that games have this link with vision because they train your senses in very deep, interactive, repetitive levels. After all, a muscle is going to be weak if it is not exercised. So this study doesn’t surprise me.

However, don’t expect me to go down without a fight on any game-bashing studies. I hate them. It’s almost like scientists deliberately go out of their way to give food to the media. Can’t they study something like this instead? Or at least keep what they find to themselves? Bah. I know I struggle to be objective here… I know fine well I am being biased because I am a gamer. But I hope you understand – when we get bashed for big corporation profit, we can’t sit around! Since when did Sonic start killing people violently? SERIOUSLY! So I am only going to say this once – it is the player’s RESPONSE to the games that causes those sorts of things, not the games themselves!

Anyway, yes. Training muscles equals training senses more or less. I know so from my own experience.

Here are some of my favourites :-

Sonic The Hedgehog (said so already :) )
Advance Wars
Populous The Beginning
Metal Gear Solid
Resident Evil 4
Soul Calibur
Halo
Counter Strike
Super Smash Bros
Rome Total War
Mario Kart
Doom 3
Might and Magic VI and VII

There are many others that I can’t think of at the moment lol. Anybody got games they play here and there?

]]> By: Greg http://derrenbrown.co.uk/blog/2009/03/shoot-em-up-video-games-are-good-for-your-eyesight/#comment-7166 Greg Mon, 30 Mar 2009 15:44:38 +0000 http://derrenbrown.co.uk/blog/?p=1140#comment-7166 Could this possibly be a chicken & egg situation? One of the main attributes for being good at shoot-em-ups is good visual acuity, plus hand-eye coordination. I would have thought good gamers had to have good eyesight. Good to know that it doesn\'t seem to do any damage though! Where\'s that console.... Could this possibly be a chicken & egg situation? One of the main attributes for being good at shoot-em-ups is good visual acuity, plus hand-eye coordination. I would have thought good gamers had to have good eyesight. Good to know that it doesn\’t seem to do any damage though! Where\’s that console….

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