Video games lead to faster decisions that are no less accurate

**Tyrael** · 14th-September-2010

Video games lead to faster decisions that are no less accurate
Study suggests that video games could be training tool for quicker reactions

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The researchers tested dozens of 18- to 25-year-olds who were not ordinarily video game players. They split the subjects into two groups. One group played 50 hours of the fast-paced action video games "Call of Duty 2" and "Unreal Tournament," and the other group played 50 hours of the slow-moving strategy game "The Sims 2."

After this training period, all of the subjects were asked to make quick decisions in several tasks designed by the researchers. In the tasks, the participants had to look at a screen, analyze what was going on, and answer a simple question about the action in as little time as possible (i.e. whether a clump of erratically moving dots was migrating right or left across the screen on average). In order to make sure the effect wasn't limited to just visual perception, the participants were also asked to complete an analogous task that was purely auditory.

The action game players were up to 25 percent faster at coming to a conclusion and answered just as many questions correctly as their strategy game playing peers.

"It's not the case that the action game players are trigger-happy and less accurate: They are just as accurate and also faster," Bavelier said. "Action game players make more correct decisions per unit time. If you are a surgeon or you are in the middle of a battlefield, that can make all the difference."

Full article.

**Marx** · 14th-September-2010

Seems the 'violent, patriarchal' games that feminists despise so much - are not as bad for us as they would like to pretend.

**Zuberi** · 14th-September-2010

Of course, even puzzle games are great for fast decision making.

**Ambiorix** · 14th-September-2010

That's just an adrenaline rush.

I've had moments when playing Unreal Tourament that it feels like I'm in a kind of trance that affects the experience of time. Fraggin' players left and right while running past and jumping over them. Awesome feeling.