Video games and brain function.

I've been noticing a flux of quasi-philosophical threads in the gaming forum, and I've been stewing with this thought in my head.

Have video games helped you to be a better thinker? I mean, put yourself in any scenario that doesn't involve a video game. Football, doing laundry, writing school reports, making A's on tests, cooking, etc. Do answers come quicker to you? Can you reorganize sports plays on the fly? Can you single out relevant parts of a textbook to find the information you want, faster than anyone else? Can you take down a deer faster than your dad can? Are your reflexes fine tuned? Do you speed your way through things, or do you think about a strategy long and hard before you tackle a problem? Is it a healthy mix of everything? Does common sense come naturally to you?

Once again, I ask that you put yourself in an example that doesn't involve video games. How have games helped you in life?

Video games have made me more tactical on my thinking. Rpgs have helped me be more creative when I must build the character. And any game with math in helps me in mathematics. Trust me, I have applied every video game I played into my life. And it has helped me in school.

Video Games do indeed cause "side-effects".

Though mental abilities are inhanced depending on the game:
Reflexes are inhanced due to limited reaction time.
Thinking pattern is inhanced(you think outside of the box, yet are able to go deeper into the box;complex thinking).
Math skills(for the rpgs, that need money)
Observation skills are inhanced(You first find what is going on; find the enemy('s/ies') weak points)
Enginuety is inhanced(use what you have to do things others havent found to do)

As you see there are more good things about video games than bad.

Some of the dumbest and least imaginative people I know play tons of video games, and so do some of the brightest people I know. It has nothing to do with games, but with the person's own ability. If you play Madden every day for a year, I still wouldn't trust you to play quarterback for my team. No matter how many times you've beaten Final Fantasy VII, it will never make you any better at math. Playing Soul Caliber might make your Hand-eye coordination a little better, but so will everything else you do with your hands.

So no, Video games do not help you think. And yes, I do play video games, so I'm not just saying this out of hatred for the gaming clique.

Video games helped with my thinking and on getting better at puzzles.

It depends really on the game how much you play it, how long you play it, and if you're good at it. Not only that, but it also depends on the person who plays it, if they're a fast/slow learner. If they're a deep/shallow thinker. Tieing all those strings together forms a different shape.
So if the makes you better a certain something or somethings, then yeah. Perhaps. But I wouldn't rely on this as a resource due to the fact that there are 'better' and more educational things to use out there.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Yojimbo51

Some of the dumbest and least imaginative people I know play tons of video games, and so do some of the brightest people I know. It has nothing to do with games, but with the person's own ability. If you play Madden every day for a year, I still wouldn't trust you to play quarterback for my team. No matter how many times you've beaten Final Fantasy VII, it will never make you any better at math. Playing Soul Caliber might make your Hand-eye coordination a little better, but so will everything else you do with your hands.

So no, Video games do not help you think. And yes, I do play video games, so I'm not just saying this out of hatred for the gaming clique.

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Thank you. I wasn't gonna say anything, but you took the words right out of my mouth.

Okay, guys. I can handle the dissention among the critics. Some people weren't made for video games. And to hell if I know if either Yojimbo or Survivor are any good at them or not. But I'm not here to discuss that. Don't flame me for a misunderstanding.

How about DDR with dance pads? Doing the harder difficulties has done wonders for my physical stamina. I last a lot longer in soccer, and I'm able to do the more complicated foot movements with the ball. Hacky sack couldn't get any easier for me, either. So, video games aren't necessarily a full-blown guide in how you can just pwn life, so to speak. Video games are unlikely to help you in winning verbal arguments, but they contribute to quicker thinking and accurate beliefs. They're rather used for supplements of thinking processes, just as I've been trying to argue. I'm quite sure there are other ways to practice the same traits.

Of course it's arguable that some people just aren't cut out for gaming. But gaming is something that I believe needs to be practiced overall, to see any benefits. Work on your hand-eye or even your foot-eye coordination. I mean, just because a game relates to an activity, doesn't necessarily mean it's going to correlate into talent. Most of the ideas I'm talking about deal with reflexes and thought patterns. If you can systematically take out enemies according to threat level, then it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say when he quarterbacks for a team, he'll choose the person that's most open, or run the ball himself if he has to. Does this mean he's physically capable of handling a QB position? No. However, he can do things that are suited to his strengths. I certainly wouldn't put a twig of a person on that position. Put some common sense into it.

Games don't have to have a direct talent to their lifetime counterparts. But I do believe this theory to be verifiable, when concerning ways that one handles brainstorming. You can take that to as many levels as you like.

Not everyone is suited for gaming. Naturally, they'll have other activities that will supplement their own lifestyles. But I think it's unfair to write off games as mindless entertainment, because they do help with human thinking, reflexes and endurance, both physical and mental. And I don't deny that some activities help a lot more, depending on what needs to be addressed. It rather depends on your (to include everything known to man besides games) general, personal strengths.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lucidian Dyne

Can you single out relevant parts of a textbook to find the information you want, faster than anyone else? Can you take down a deer faster than your dad can? Are your reflexes fine tuned? Do you speed your way through things, or do you think about a strategy long and hard before you tackle a problem?

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These two certainly apply, playing a lot of RPG's finding relevant information out of a buttload of text is a very important skill. Also, tactical RPG's have helped my strategies when playing board games like risk with my family.

Well it's proven that playing voilent games or shooting games or anything similiar, makes your reflexes better.
And other games are sometimes good aswell, take RTS, it makes you more strategic.

lets see...for me many rpgs have improved my vocbulary...by a lot too...
aggronne online has improve my typing......um i think thats all i can think of

Since English is my second language, games has helped me learn it well.

Yeah, video games do make me think more tatical. One time i got an answer right on a test just because i played this game and remembered it.

Video games help me solve difficult puzzles...

they keep me on my feet and aware of everything around me and they made me understand alot more about just about everything