University of Rochester: Action games improve vision
Science Blog covers a University of Rochester study that says action videogames improve visual processing by 20 percent. A group of students played Unreal Tournament and another group played Tetris, which was selected because of 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. We just hope that our improved ability to identify objects makes up for our blurred vision after marathon game nights.
