Family Life

09.14.10 | FL News Team

(Rochester, NY)  --  Playing action video games trains the brain to make accurate decisions more quickly.  Researchers at the University of Rochester found that the benefits of playing so-called shooter games extends to everyday skills such as driving and multi-tasking.  Lead author Daphne Bavelier said, "If you are a surgeon or you are in the middle of a battlefield, that can make all the difference."  

Scientists divided two groups of 18-to-25 year-olds who said they weren't regular video game players.  One group played 50 hours of "Call of Duty 2" and "Unreal Tournament," both action games.  The others played the slower-paced "The Sims 2."  When later given tasks that required quick thinking and fast answers, the action gamers were up to 25-percent faster.  They answered just as many questions correctly.  The findings are reported in the journal "Current Biology."