Alt, Gamers more likely to experience sweet, lucid dreams
By Laura June 
posted May 28th 2010 4:04PM
posted May 28th 2010 4:04PM
New research coming out of Grant MacEwan University in Alberta, Canada has left us feeling a little... creepy. It turns out that gamers and those who have lucid dreams -- in which the person is aware of the fact that they're dreaming and can sometimes control the dreams -- have a few things in common. Namely, both are usually less prone to motion sickness and possess better spatial skills, as well as demonstrating higher levels of concentration. This led Jayne Gackenbach -- whose previous work had been in the field of lucid dreaming -- to surmise that incessant gamers might just be more likely to also be lucid dreamers. And guess what? Her research corroborated that -- and a second study revealed even more interesting tidbits -- such as the fact that gamers are also more likely to switch from first person to third person "out of body" views in dreams, as well. So, where does all of this lead us? Gackenbach sees the data and findings as applicable in the treatment of persistent nightmares, which can often be "ended" if the dreamer is able to take control of the situation, and ultimately could help treat certain stress-related disorders like PTSD. We'll have to see what the future holds, but we certainly aren't surprised to hear that heavy gamers can be cool even as they sleep.
Looks like all those years spent gaming aren't just a wast of time =D
I can never remember my dreams in the morning. :/
@VAreAct
I have COD nightmares all the time.
@cobjones Its scary how well the article describes my dreaming.
@VAreAct I know! I've been lucid dreaming forever! It's even got to the point I can dull out my senses in a half sleep state. Thats useful if you want to fall back to sleep.
I can remember almost every detail from my dreams. Sometimes I spent days, months or years inside the dreamworlds in my head, but I wake up and it's only 7-14 hours later.
Since I can remember the dreams, and sometimes share them, people tell me I have the most screwed up dreams they've ever heard of, and ask me if I'm on drugs. Fortunately, I'm clean. I don't know if this has much to do with the video games, or the giant meal I eat before bed. Or both.
Why yes, I often dream of Cake...
@Imran
The cake is a lie!
@Imran
You lie
@admlshake
hahahahhahaha awesome! OMG I'm a geek! :(
@Imran Sometimes...I dream about cheese.
@Reluttr
...and I dream of Kratos. Yum.
I almost never dream anything related with games, but do dream a lot about super heroes.
Haha no way, I go to grant mcewan
Dead Or Alive: Extreme Beach Volleyball being at the center of most of those dreams
I've often wondered the reason why I was able to have more control over my dreams. Now, is this causation or correlation? Besides that, sometimes I can't actually remember if I am in 1st/3rd person.
Lastly, other people here who have this, I assume I'm not the only one who actually gets the information somewhat telepathically and/or through omniscience.
@juanvaldez I have had lucid dreams since before I became a gamer. So that makes it correlation, right? For me at least.
Wait, so you're telling me, the reason I had the dream that made me join the Dark Side, plot to annihilate the Rebellion, kill countless trolls and Jedi, kill Samuel L Jackson and kill the Emperor in the hope to save Padme, was because i played too much Portal? I'm going to go Force Choke myself
@Lord Vader
Excellent. At long last, my plans are coming to fruition.
@Lord Vader Can you expand on the Samuel L. Jackson part? I'm a bit hung up on that tidbit.
@juanvaldez http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mace_Windu
@GaryZ Kinda a my-bad, I forgot and didn't care much for most of the current Star Wars movies. I didn't even see this one. And I was thinking of Sam J and wondering how he'd be in Vader's day and time.
@Lord Vader ...force choke all you want, just don't pass out when your comi... uh... nevermind, I misread.
@Lord Vader emo
@fast For the benefit of you Engadgeters who don't (yet) read XKCD.
http://xkcd.com/682/
Lucid Dream are awesome
@tyjb9x What's really awesome is that you're in a dream right now, lucid or not
Sweet? I call Shinanagins!
Just the other night, I had a dream that I was being attacked by a a masked girl and clowns. And then I had to get ICP to get her to stop (and I hate ICP). And then I was decieved and was slashed along my abdomen with an axe. I woke up and felt around, because I awoke feeling the pain.
Lucid, yes. Very livid, also.
@LiqwidZero
F**kin' dreams, how do they work?
"as well as demonstrating higher levels of concentration. " This has to be possibly the most controversial thing in the article. Perhaps it depends on the input and/or type of gamer? Not all are created equal and perhaps I'm thinking too much of the lesser type.
Whenever I used to start having a bad dream I would simply hit escape and repeatedly click quit game, after which I would awake.
I kid you not.
Its interesting how even though I was not aware that I was dreaming, I was able to awake myself by "quitting" the dream in the same manner as a video game.
@The Shadow Do you often dream about carrying around a keyboard?
I wish I could end this dream where Engadget keeps eating my comments.
@Khav Actually, there is not keyboard or mouse, yet I still am able to click...
It is a dream, after all.
I actually had a dream in which I was being chased down and had to jump over something and was like, "Where the hell is the jump key?!"
Alright young lady so you have nightmare every night? Hum Hum well I will prescribe you 20 hours of Crysis. 2 in the morning and 2 in the evening before sleeping.
If the symptoms persists I'll write you a 40h multiplayer prescription for Warhammer 40.000 Dawyn of war - Chaos Rising.
Have a nice day
Is that Alan Wake?
@archkron
Why yes it is
Name is the opposite of Dreaming
When I first started playing WoW, I had dreams I was OOM all the time.
I'm often having lucide dreams.. Sometimes.. It's not SO fun, because.. I know whats happening, and I can sort of, "think".. But some times, I'm being hunted or otherways hurt.. And I don't seem able to stop it! :0 Once I got shot like.. 20 times in my chest and stomach, but I kept on running, you know.. I didn't die.. I guess I would've if I didn't lucidedreamed.. ^^ Cos in my regular dreams, I die when I get shot or hit the ground from up heights.. - Still, it's kinda cool to be able to really, control the dream and just.. Doing fun stuff.. But my lucide dreaming is usually at the same state as other dreams, where I fing myself a bit confused waking up, cos if I run from something, knowing where I am atm, I suddently just wind up some other place.. And that's.. Not.. Real control. Only what happens on the spot.. :/ WHERE ARE YOU TAKING ME?! :/ And I'm not in 3'rd person I think.. And deffo never gaming related.. Yeah.. Once I felt like I was in the HUGE church in Devil May Cry 3.. But.. Nothing was like.. Devil May Cry-like.. I just.. Killed some big statue.. Or.. Knocked of his nose.. It was a gay nose, tho.
This seems like it should go under alt
@Bud92 Maybe that's why it IS under alt
@HansImGlueck
I got lost. Don't judge me.
So that's why I always see my dreams from a third-person perspective. I don't have a lot of lucid dreams though... Incredibly interesting!
Yeah but do gamers dreams ever BSOD?
I'm often having lucide dreams.. Sometimes.. It's not SO fun, because.. I know whats happening, and I can sort of, "think".. But some times, I'm being hunted or otherways hurt.. And I don't seem able to stop it! :0 Once I got shot like.. 20 times in my chest and stomach, but I kept on running, you know.. I didn't die.. I guess I would've if I didn't lucidedreamed.. ^^ Cos in my regular dreams, I die when I get shot or hit the ground from up heights.. - Still, it's kinda cool to be able to really, control the dream and just.. Doing fun stuff.. But my lucide dreaming is usually at the same state as other dreams, where I fing myself a bit confused waking up, cos if I run from something, knowing where I am atm, I suddently just wind up some other place.. And that's.. Not.. Real control. Only what happens on the spot.. :/ WHERE ARE YOU TAKING ME?! :/ And I'm not in 3'rd person I think.. And deffo never gaming related.. Yeah.. Once I felt like I was in the HUGE church in Devil May Cry 3.. But.. Nothing was like.. Devil May Cry-like.. I just.. Killed some big statue.. Or.. Knocked of his nose.. It was a gay nose, tho.
BRB pwning Freddy
"heavy gamers"? was that a thinly veiled fat joke? (Not that I object to fat jokes mind you.)
@Faceless Troll
i think you're just self conscious
That explains why I'm in 3rd person in many of my dreams. Although I feel left out. I've only had one long, fun lucid dream.
i dream of being sam fisher...