research-study
Latest
Can playing WoW improve your brain power?
Can playing World of Warcraft maintain or improve your brain power? When it comes to specifics like improving cognitive function, there really haven't been many significant, sizeable research studies that can put hard numbers on the line. WoW player and early onset Alzheimer's disease sufferer Bill Craig would certainly attest to the power of gaming in maintaining brain function -- he's living proof that WoW can be a vital part of a brain-healthy regimen to stretch and maintain cognitive function. (If you haven't already read Bill's story, you owe it yourself to follow that link. It'll make your day.) So when news of a fresh research project looking at WoW's effects on cognitive abilities in older players started making the rounds in the national media, Bill was one of the first to ping us with an excited email. "Tell us something we didn't already know, right, Lisa?" he crowed. "Guess I might be called a 'pioneer' of sorts, huh?" Indeed, Bill, you're totally my hero -- and look out, because it looks like the scientific world is starting to catch on and catch up to our secrets. This week, WoW Insider interviews Dr. Jason Allaire at North Carolina State University, who co-authored the recent study showing that playing WoW can boost certain cognitive functions in older adults. Himself a former WoW player and long-time MMO player, Dr. Allaire shares a gaming-filtered view of how his research and WoW interrelate to show that indeed, World of Warcraft can be good for your brain.
Television found to be a painkiller for kids
If you've spent more than five minutes around a kid, you're probably well aware that ripping him / her from the couch while their favorite cartoon rolls in the background isn't much easier than trying to get any solid deets on Apple's probably (not) impending iPhone (or similarly named product). Researchers in Italy took this seemingly well-known fact and put it to the test by drawing blood via hypodermic needle (rough way to prove a hypothesis, eh?) from a random sample of 72 children, all between the ages of 7-12. Not-so-surprisingly, little ones who were watching television while being stuck reported 50 percent less pain than kids who were being coaxed by dear old mom; the TV-watching subjects also claimed just one third the pain of those poor folks who endured the process while left alone without loving nor entertainment. Carlo Bellieni -- the author of the study, father of three, and neonatologist / pediatrician at the University of Siena in Italy -- claimed that such a powerful distraction was indeed beneficial in keeping the agony level in these type scenarios at a minimum, but was rather alarmed that television was a more potent painkiller than "a mother's touch." While it may be surprising that television won over the distracted hearts of children more effectively than their own mums, Dr. Brenda McClain of Yale University asserts that any type of "passive distraction" (like video games?) is better suited at redirecting thoughts, especially when you consider the sympathy of a parent typically leads a child to believe something awful is about to happen. In all honestly, however, it seems that television has always been an escape route from reality -- and although we're far from being doctors (of medicine), we have reason to assume that if these kids were replaced by grownups, we'd see somewhat similar results. So, any volunteers?
