Studies show FPS games improve vision
According to a new study, FPS games can actually improve the contrast sensitivity of players.
According to leading researcher, Professor Daphne Bavelier of Rochester University "This is not a skill that people were supposed to get better at by training. It was something that we corrected for at the level of the optics of the eye – to get better contrast detection you get glasses or laser surgery."
So, after hooking a group of gamers for more than 50 hours on Call of Duty, and another group on an non-violent game, results showed that the vision of those who played Call of Duty had improved by 43 percent. When set against the results of the other group, whose vision failed to improve at all, such a result can no doubt be deemed as statistically significant.
Additionally, Bavelier found that rather than simply being a temporary boost in vision, "the positive effect remained months, even years after training, indicating long-lasting gains."
Finally then, a study that can devalues the age old argument that video games damage the eyesight, gamers can confidently shoot there way to healthier, long lasting vision.
Do you find that playing FPS games has improved your eyesight? Or do you find that shooting too many bad guys puts a strain on your eyes. Let us know your thoughts in the forum.
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Discuss in the forums ReplySo we gain in situations such as identifying objects at distance and in movement. On the other hand, sometimes I feel my eyesight can get a little fatigued. It feels comfortable staring at a screen, but maybe that excess direct light is harmful for long periods.
Anobody agree?
Fixed that for you!
Goes to show I'm an avid FPS player, what with me spotting that typo right away. :)
I agree. I can read at longer distances and notice framerates below 60 generally better than my friends. I do however need glasses, so somethings deteriorated at some point.
I think eye sight in this case refers to the brain's ability to process and identify visual info, not an improvement in the eyes themselves. Although that might be considered situational awareness by some, I prefer to think of situational awareness as the ability to identify an individual stimulus in a sea of stimuli. So while a normal person getting shot at from many directions might not be able to tell you anything about where the shots are coming from, a person will acute situational awareness would say "sniper east ridge, MG in the top level of the barn, etc." Just from listening to the sounds.
Even then I think games probably improve both. Ever sat down with someone who isn't a gamer and fired up an FPS? They're getting shot to pieces and you're either face-palming or screaming out the locations of the baddies, which seem so obvious to you that you think the other person is blind or something ;) You don't even realize it normally, but you seem to have developed some sort of super-human sight from sitting in front of a screen all day.
For instance, situational awareness during driving is knowing there's a truck behind you, a motorcycle passing to your left and intense traffic ahead, avoiding surprises.
Identifying threats in a gunfire is a different skill, and so it identifying a different patch of green in the grass or noticing a change of patterns. Those aren't situational awareness AFAIK. But I do agree such skills are developed by games.
SA is a skill highly valued in flight sims. I've played Warbirds before, and that's where I learned how important it is to be aware and how good it is to dive under an enemy's tail. (:
lmao, good one :D
My eyes have gotten worse over the last 5 years but not in all aspects. They seem 'faster' because I can see (or feel) the difference between 85 and 100hz (i know you don't believe it but anyway) and I am quite fast to notice little details or small movements in objects. However, I can't read from decent distances anymore, whether it's on a pc or in a book. Everything is just blurry as hell and I can't seem to force my eyes.
Actually there is one thing that happened a few times in the past... If I put my hand on one of my eyes, for example if I am tired and am supporting my head with my arm, then, after about a minute, my eye (left or right, it doesn't matter) is able to see everything in such a clear way that it feels as if I was zooming. It really feels like the screen is closer to me. It's hard to explain
I saw a doctor once and she said I had a slight problem with my eyes being lazy. If I close an eye or cover it, it'll start moving and will not stay in sync with the other one, which takes a slight time to adjust when I re-open it
annoying
Quite often. A friend of mine that visits will sometimes play World at War online at my apartment on the 360. I will be playing something on the computer but end up calling out a player at his right or left to take out that he didn't notice when I glance at the screen for a few seconds. Now if only that would kick in for me while I am actually playing instead of watching someone else then I'de be all set. :(
I may have lazy eyesight as well. I notice a certain delay to focus correctly (very short). Did your doctor suggest anything? I'm lucky to be spending less time on PCs recently. :)
I think that's it exactly. It's more to do with the brain/eye relationship being improved. Along with it the ability to identify certain changes in contrast that are more often than not linked to movement or an awareness that something looks different. In games this relates to faster reaction times and a better chance you'll survive. The more you play, the better you'll get especially when you combine the fact you also hone these reponses in relation to the colours and contrasts you'll be expsosed to in a single title like CSS or BF2.
Personally i really enjoy fps games, but suck at them unless i play them alot, and well i have a terribly lazy left eye that is practically useless to me most of the time, but my peripheral vision is really good, so i will generally notice and adapt to those changes in visual situations alot quicker than what some of my old mates would have (ive moved on a bit in life) and they were the ones to point that out, as i would be able to notice stuff on screen, that they didnt.
Another thing, i went around a mates house and played CoD4, and was sitting a fair distance from the screen (2 meters maybe) and i was really bad at the game, but then when i moved to within a meter, i was instantly alot better, so i think this also could include the arguement of wether the distance you sit from the screen could affect your ability to noticed these changes, so for example someone sitting 30 cm away from the screen, could have a better, or worse, contrast sensitivity, compared to someone playing a 360 from 2-3 meters away.