Using Duke Nukem To Diagnose Depression

from the see,-video-games-are-good-for-you dept

There have been all sorts of reports over the last few years suggesting ways in which video games may actually be good for people, but this latest one certainly may come as a surprise. Engadget points us to a story about some researchers who have determined that a modified version of the video game Duke Nukem can help diagnose and measure depression. Apparently, the researchers noticed that depression impacts the part of the brain that deals with "spatial memory," so setting up a test for spatial memory could help show the extent of depression. They took individuals who were already familiar with the game, and asked them to find certain landmarks in a virtual town within the game. Those who were depressed reached noticeably fewer landmarks in the time given than those who were not depressed. Of course, the article just gives the average scores of the two groups, rather than any details on the standard deviation, which would be pretty important here. Unfortunately, there's no word on how the decade of waiting for Duke Nukem Forever plays into the depressive state of these video gamers, but if anyone could show how it could be the cure for depression, perhaps the publishers would finally get around to releasing the champion of all vaporware.
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  • identicon
    Buzz, 13 Mar 2007 @ 12:36pm

    ROFL!

    "Unfortunately, there's no word on how the decade of waiting for Duke Nukem Forever plays into the depressive state of these video gamers, but if anyone could show how it could be the cure for depression, perhaps the publishers would finally get around to releasing the champion of all vaporware." -- I physically LOL'd at this part. I love Techdirt humor.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Paul, 13 Mar 2007 @ 12:38pm

    Autopilot?

    I wonder how the effected spatial memory correlates to driving in "auto pilot" mode. You know, when you start driving and know where you're going but you might miss a turn and start driving somewhere else out of habit then 2 street lights later realize "oh im an idiot" and get back on route.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Midnight Voyager, 13 Mar 2007 @ 12:45pm

    Ehe

    I'm afraid I shattered their little mold. I'm bipolar and I have fantastic spacial memory.

    ...

    Though maybe the horsepills involved could have something to do with that.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    GoblinJuice, 13 Mar 2007 @ 12:51pm

    What if you're left-handed and depressed? ;-)

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Casper, 13 Mar 2007 @ 1:06pm

    Gamings new level...

    So if I can make my enemy depressed, I might get an advantage in World of Warcraft? Sounds good to me, although I would hate to get them so depressed they can never find their way home.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Charles Griswold, 13 Mar 2007 @ 6:49pm

      Re: Gamings new level...

      So if I can make my enemy depressed, I might get an advantage in World of Warcraft?

      We could have a new warlock spell, "Curse of Depression", that forces the target's computer to play "Fly on the Windscreen" by Depeche Mode.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Luke, 13 Mar 2007 @ 1:07pm

    Hm.

    What if you are vaporware?

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Aramgeddon, 13 Mar 2007 @ 1:47pm

    Depression/Bipolar

    Ehe by Midnight Voyager on Mar 13th, 2007 @ 12:45pm I'm afraid I shattered their little mold. I'm bipolar and I have fantastic spacial memory. ... Though maybe the horsepills involved could have something to do with that."

    ok but there is a difference betwen bipolar and depression, bipolar is a psycosis disorder and depression is a nerosis disorder, different part of the brain any so duke nukem wont help you sorry

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      CyberSchnook, 20 Mar 2007 @ 9:08am

      Re: Depression/Bipolar

      Oh boy--another amateur psychiatrist on the loose.

      What you don't know would fill DSM-IV.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Missing, 13 Mar 2007 @ 2:18pm

    RE: casper

    Come on Casper, thats what Hearthstones are for!!!
    (giving up)
    Maybe I should take mine out of the SW bank!!

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Bill, 13 Mar 2007 @ 3:35pm

    Old Duke

    This seems pretty straight forward. If someone is depressed they're not going to have the motivation to complete sets of tasks. Simple as that. Old Duke by himself can be boring, so if the researchers want to better evaluate the subjects they need more motivation; they need multiplayer deathmatch mode. I'd find some validity to their results if the criteria was based on frag counts.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 13 Mar 2007 @ 4:39pm

    Boing

    Maybe the "non-depressed" just knew how to bunny hop, =)

    ... If that even existed in Duke Nukem.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    dorpus, 13 Mar 2007 @ 4:58pm

    But why would depressed people play?

    1. Only a minority of males who like to play war games, and who aren't sickened by virtual motion sickness, will agree to dukem nukem in the first place.

    2. A depressed person will not want to play video games at all.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 13 Mar 2007 @ 5:38pm

    hrm... so I should have horrendous spatial memory and no desire to play games... yet here I have great spatial memory (shitty every-other-kind-of memory though...) and play games when I have time. When I'm really depressed I play games more... hows that work?

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Cixelsid, 14 Mar 2007 @ 8:46am

    Duke Nukem Forever.

    Hah! More like Duke Nukem Never.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    CyberSchnook, 20 Mar 2007 @ 9:05am

    Duke Nuken CAUSED my Depression

    Save me a cookie.

    link to this | view in chronology ]


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