Why Gaming Is Good For You

from the more-reasons! dept

Wed, May 28th 2003 10:27am — Mike Masnick

Last week we had a post explaining why people should be allowed to play video games at work, and this week comes a more scientific study explaining why playing video games is good for you. While conventional wisdom used to say that staring at a TV screen or computer monitor for hours on end did bad things to your eyes, this new study says that regular video gaming improves your visual skills. So, forget contact lenses, go play some video games... Even more to the point, the study found that it's live-action video games that make the difference. They had people some people play a first-person shooter, while others played Tetris, and found that the live-action players improved their eyesight more than those playing Tetris. How long until a video game company starts advertising that playing their games improves your eyesight?

Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.

Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.

While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.

–The Techdirt Team

21 Comments

If you liked this post, you may also be interested in...

Reader Comments

Subscribe: RSS

View by: Time | Thread

WYERSMAN, 28 Feb 2004 @ 2:07pm

No Subject Given
OMG! Thats awesome I'm so going to set this site at a reference for my Senior project.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
josh, 30 Sep 2004 @ 10:32am

video games
im doing my science project on do video games improve eyesight and i need some info about it.can you help me. --------------------------------- if i take my prostetic leg and beat yo with it would i be kicking you or hitting you?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- blah blah, 5 Oct 2004 @ 7:19pm
  
  Re: video games
  go to google and search video games good for you i'm doing a project on it to i've got heeps
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Anonymous Coward, 17 Jun 2008 @ 1:32pm
  
  Re: video games
  YOULL BE KICKING MY ASS
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
  - Anonymous Coward, 17 Jun 2008 @ 1:33pm
    
    Re: Re: video games
    OH HELLS YAH M###########
    [ link to this | view in chronology ]
josh, 27 Mar 2006 @ 9:43am

if you've got any other tips, please tell me, my parents think all video games should be aboloshed and i'm writing a persuasive speech in class that will hopefully convince them otherwise
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- George Maendel, 7 Jun 2006 @ 1:22pm
  
  Re: same here
  my parents also think that vidoe games are evil and should be destroyed. im doing a speech on video games improving your visual reflexes and still need a little but more info, would you be able to provide some.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Anonymous Coward, 17 Jun 2008 @ 1:36pm
  
  Re:
  TELL YOUR STUPID PARENTS TO GO TO THE COMPUTER AND READ ALL THE PAGES THAT SAY THAT VIDEO GAMES ARE GOOD FOR YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
Dick inu, 13 Nov 2006 @ 12:49pm

suck my vader
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
videogamegeek, 10 May 2007 @ 5:20pm

I'm using this site 4 my research project. im now turning my mom's decision about me playing video games
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- ALESI MONTERROSO, 17 Jun 2008 @ 1:39pm
  
  Re:
  I HOPE SHE LETS YOU PLAY NOW
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
Anonymous Coward, 1 Nov 2007 @ 12:18pm

games rule
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
oriongame25, 29 Nov 2007 @ 1:26pm

i am doing a research paper on whether or not games are good for you.i say they are but others say they aren't.so in order to prove it i am going to need a crap load of info so i can prove it once and for all .this will probably help me to be able to get more games if my mother realizes that they are not destructive but are instead very helpful.can u help me?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Anonymous Coward, 14 Dec 2007 @ 6:57am

penis
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Alfredo Martinez, 26 Mar 2008 @ 12:24pm

Games are Good!
Well i know one of theis days the game world would make a good point to show that games are rely good for you, they keep you out of the streets where their is gangs and truble at foot. Hey games keep you out of drinking and driving, which kill more teens that anything els. Games keep your mind of cheating with your wife. and Games keep you in tackt with your skills like reading and writing, Like for exm: World of Warcraft! i play it i use all my skills in it, like reading and writing almost forgot you need to know math in this game and use common sence to actualy be good in this game. you lead of the middel ages and how they would act in it and otheir great things that come handy in life. Games will keep you out of the stres and all the bad habits that you have life smoking and drinking, and if you like to hang out with drug-addicts then playing games will keep you out of their way. if you say you get bord at work playing a game will help you pass time fast and before you notice you will be done with the day. Well i dont know what otheir people say about games but i love them and got me true alot of stuff in life that most teens would have problems with like: gangs, drugs, alcohol and driving, with will keep the adults safe from us, since we will not be in the streets we will not spray paint your car of garage. ^_^ lol. Well this is my lil comment?. so you have anything to say to me il be glade to know by my email(NO SPAM PLEASE).
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- AreyouevenT2, 21 Jan 2013 @ 10:05pm
  
  Re: Games are Good!
  You're not even T2 yet are you, fag. You can't talk about being good at the game if you haven't hit 2200 yet.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
injinji, 7 Nov 2008 @ 4:00pm

lololololololol yeah meybe not thou....
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
gamejerk101, 13 Jan 2009 @ 5:09pm

games rule
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
gamejerk101, 13 Jan 2009 @ 5:10pm

games rule
Im in 7th grade and doing a report. thnx for the info!!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
DRP_SNAKE, 15 Jan 2009 @ 6:59pm

i pwn noobs
ive been playing games since ps1 came out . and i still cant stop . the thing with videogames is that when you play , you dont blink as much and dont pay attention to whats going on around you. effect - YOUR EYES LOOK LIKE YOU GOT PINK EYE! lol. my parents took my ps2 away because of this. but it all goes back to normal after about 2 -3 days. you just need lots of sleep. still, games DID improve my reflexes .. perhaps too much . say dodging about 3 balls in dodge ball at a time. my hand - eye coordination is pretty good too. also , ive improved in sports as well in education . DONT ASK Y CAUSE IDK! lol. so i dont think games are bad for u at all. + its the most fun and easiest way to waste time. but dont forget once you start gaming . theres no going back . you might end up addicted to them like i am. pls dont over do it! and good luck to all my fellow gamers that pwn n00bs ;] we need to win this argument! www.youtube.com/tokyoxtremedrifter
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Anonymous Coward, 26 Jan 2009 @ 12:42pm

yes they do my experiment shows they help your reflexses
[ link to this | view in chronology ]