Blog 5 - Video Games and Health

For my final for this class, I am going to give a presentation on the effects of video games on health. I gathered all of the images through google, so I own nothing in the slideshow, but I will repost my favorite picture from the slide show here:

The presentation consists mostly of summarized versions of studies done on the effects of video games on the brain, which I would prefer not to post here without links to the articles (which I accessed through the school library so I'm not sure that they'd work here). So I will post a condensed version of my speaking notes.

*A study in 2008 showed that video games can increase a person's attention, spatial memory and decision making skills. Gamers slightly outperformed non-gamers.

*A 2012 study showed that FPS gamers had faster reaction times, better speed and better accuracy than non-gamers. It also helped to combat the common idea that violent video games beget violent, antisocial and impulsive behavior.

*A 2012 study done on high school boys showed that heavy gamers had better short term memory encoding than casual and non-gamers.

*A 2009 study done on a 24 year old brain trauma patient showed that 5 weeks of using a car simulator had helped improve his memory and increased brain activity.

*From here, I'll lead into Jane McGonigal, repeating things I said in my last blog: http://gamersoranye.blogspot.com/2013/12/blog-4-jane-mcgonigals-extra-7-minutes.html

*And finally, a study was done using Lumosity(http://www.lumosity.com/) and ATP3(http://www.lapublishing.com/apt-attention-process-training-test/) that showed that both programs had helped significantly improve cognitive function in brain trauma patients.

Overall outcome: Video games are good for us. So when people try to tell you otherwise, tell them that there is ongoing research that keeps proving the benefits of video games and then run off and play whatever game you happen to be playing now. Thank you and good night!

Oh and here, have some baby animals because they are adorable and good for you:

This last one reminds me of my boyfriend, who gets a special thank you for giving me the list of research that my presentation is based on.

Citations (the best I can do is SJSU library links, but the journals are there for those who don't have SJSU access).

Enhanced visual short-term memory in action video game players.

 Blacker, Kara J. Curby, Kim M. ; Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics, Vol 75(6), Aug, 2013. pp. 1128-1136. [Journal Article]

The effects of video game playing on attention, memory, and executive control.

Boot, Walter R. Kramer, Arthur F. Simons, Daniel J. Fabiani, Monica Gratton, Gabriele ; Acta Psychologica, Vol 129(3), Nov, 2008. pp. 387-398. [Journal Article]

Video game play changes spatial and verbal memory: Rehabilitation of a single case with traumatic brain injury.

Caglio, Marcella Latini-Corazzini, Luca D’agata, Federico Cauda, Franco Sacco, Katiuscia Monteverdi, Silvia Zettin, Marina Duca, Sergio Geminiani, Giuliano ; Cognitive Processing, Vol 10(Suppl2), Sep, 2009. Special issue: Neuroscience today: Neuronal functional diversity and collective behaviors. pp. S195-S197. [Journal Article]

Action video gaming and cognitive control: Playing first person shooter games is associated with improvement in working memory but not action inhibition.

Colzato, Lorenza S. van den Wildenberg, Wery P. M. Zmigrod, Sharon Hommel, Bernhard ; Psychological Research, Vol 77(2), Mar, 2013. pp. 234-239. [Journal Article]

Let the games begin: A preliminary study using Attention Process Training-3 and Lumosity™ brain games to remediateattention deficits following traumatic brain injury.

 Zickefoose, Samantha Hux, Karen Brown, Jessica Wulf, Katrina ; Brain Injury, Vol 27(6), Jun, 2013. pp. 707-716. [Journal Article]

Intensive video gaming improves encoding speed to visual short-term memory in young male adults.

Wilms, Inge L. Petersen, Anders Vangkilde, Signe ; Acta Psychologica, Vol 142(1), Jan, 2013. pp. 108-118. [Journal Article]

Blog 4 - Jane McGonigal's Extra 7 Minutes of Life

So this post is assuming you have seen two videos from Jane McGonigal's TED talks.

Here is the first, where she explains why we need to play more games:
http://www.ted.com/talks/jane_mcgonigal_gaming_can_make_a_better_world.html

Here is the second one, which I would like to discuss:



I would like to discuss the second video. In this video Jane starts off by discussing the top 5 regrets of the dying.
1. I wish I hadn't worked so hard.
2. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.
3. I wish I had let myself be happier.
4. I wish I'd had the courage to express my true self.
5. I wish I had lived a life true to my dreams and not what others expected of me.

She goes on to describe how games address each of these issues (though the last one is still a question) using scientific research. My favorite thing she says in this bit is that online games can out-perform pharmaceuticals for treating clinical anxiety and depression. It can boost moods and produce long term increases in happiness. I no longer need to justify why I prefer to spend more time playing games (at least, when I have the time to), but just in case, I'll be saving this statistic.

Jane moves on to describe a brain injury she had that left her bedridden and wishing to die because her doctor's orders said she basically shouldn't do anything.
So to combat the suicidal thoughts, she turned her recovery into a game and eventually posted it online. It's called SuperBetter.  https://superbetter.com

The game uses quests that boost your attributes: Physical Resilience, Mental Resilience, Emotional Resilience, and Social Resilience.
These attributes actually correspond to 4 of the 6 types of health: physical, mental, emotional, social, intellectual and spiritual (this one is not addressed through the game).

She has her audience do the first 4 SuperBetter quests which gives them all +1 to each type of resilience and then she uses science and math to explain how this increases your life span. The short version of this is if you do simple things every day, you will live for, at least, an extra 10 years. The math breaks it down to an extra 7.5 minutes added on for each day of these activities. 

The reason I love this video is because Jane used gamification to help herself recover from a brain injury and she has since turned into into a game that anybody can play, that is extremely healthy and good for you and that is the easiest thing in the world to play. Simply because it's life. It's the good life, broken down into silly quests that can only be good for you. It encourages people to live happy lives and it's really an inspiring video. The scientific research to back up her game adds an extra layer of awesomeness. Who doesn't want to live longer from enjoying themselves? And what gamer doesn't want to be able to tell all the nay-sayers that science is providing more and more evidence that games are good for us?