Video Games

Researchers at the University of Rochester in Rochester, NY have released findings from their studies on video-games recently, making some interesting conclusions.  First of all, they surveyed 1,000 gamers, and found that the “real reason games are so widely played is because achievement, explorative freedom, and connection with others (be it human or in-game characters) trump the “shallow sense of fun” which the study believes doesn’t keep players as interested.”  From the source: “‘It’s our contention that the psychological ‘pull’ of games is largely due to their capacity to engender feelings of autonomy, competence, and relatedness,” and playing video-games not only induces a positive motivation to play more games, but also “can be experienced as enhancing psychological wellness, at least short-term.”

A second study held at the University of Rochester found that playing action video-games actually improved visual processing by 20%.  They had one group of students play Unreal Tournament, and a second group play Tetris, which was chosen for its “motor complexity but visual simplicity.”  “After regular training with the respective games, the UT players more easily identified the orientation of a letter ‘T’ among a jumble of other shapes in a crowding test. The Tetris group’s responses didn’t change.  The study suggests that action games alter the way our minds process information even after playing; the researchers think that games could help combat certain visual disorders.”

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 6th, 2007 at 9:47 pm and is tagged with visual simplicity, psychological wellness, play tetris, gaming studies, playing video games, game characters, group play, sense of fun, university of rochester, relatedness, action games, second group, jumble, real reason, rochester ny, autonomy, contention, competence, unreal tournament, study suggests that. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback.

One Response to 'University of Rochester Gaming Studies'

1. 
   Eliot said:

   on February 8th, 2007 at 12:48 pm

   I’m not surprised. Gone are the days when video games are just a simply a jumble of bright colors flashing across your TV screen. You can find camaraderie with others and a depth in the gameworld that can be an intensely alluring experience.

   Games are starting to have a lot more in common with reality. They even emulate real world events as they unfold; ie the ‘episodic gaming’ genre. Kuma Games is one of those companies that creates games based on current events. The division between reality and gaming is starting to blur…

   [insert cheesy matrix quote here]

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