Video Games Cause Brain Damage

Not much of a worry for me, as I hardly play the things.

If anyone finds a link to the actual study or at least its abstract, please post it. I've had a brief trawl but just turned up dozens of gamer blogs pouring vitriolic knee-jerk scorn on this piece of news.

Personally I'm no big fan of screen-based gaming and have noticed what I consider to be adverse behavioural changes in people I know who've become absorbed in these types of games, so part of me wants to welcome this finding. But....I'm not sure about the scientific validity of this study.

The thing that makes me suspect that the doc behind this study is pushing an agenda is that he published a similar article in January in which he drew some very far-fetched connections between videogaming and the use of textspeak:

http://www.chinapost.com.tw/news/archives/taiwan/200719/99511.htm

A correlation between textspeak usage and violent videogame play? How did he put together his test group? Did he take a bunch of randomly selected people from disparate backgrounds, including people who don't normally play such games, and see if there was a before/after effect on their linguistic capabilities? Or did he select a group of youngsters who already play games and have mobile phones? The correlation seems to me more likely to arise from common cultural influences than from a direct causal link between gaming and use of textspeak.

I might add that I know some friends' kids who write in textspeak all the time but who hardly touch video games.

Another problem with this kind of article, is that you have to be wary of how much of the conclusions are actually being drawn by the journalists, rather than the researcher. Hardly any science articles published in the popular media are worth the paper / electrons they're printed on due to the filter of bad journalism that's applied to whatever the researchers have said.

I'd like to take a look at his actual study. I wonder if it is a genuine published piece of peer-reviewed research, or just a popular press release to attract more funding...

Research is needed on these sorts of things but it needs to be credible, scientifically sound research.

Has anyone else noticed that all of the big "scientific discoveries" that have been popularized in the media (cold fusion, for example?) tend to be very unscientific? Science is just as political as any other facet of modern society, and both scientists and, more importantly, the sources of their funding, have personal agendas.

Decreased blood flow to the brain? That happens when we sleep, too. All that means is that the brain needs less oxygen because it's only focused on doing one thing: playing the game. Is anyone taking into consideration that violent video games (shooters, fighters, and Grand Theft Autos) are more reflexive and less mentally engaging than their puzzle-solving counterparts, and would therefore require less brain function?

I hate bogus science.

Another thought on video games, not related to brain damage, but still interesting.

I was talking to my uncle the other day, who lives in L.A., who told me he was talking to a cop down there who said that since video games had become big, crime had gone down 40%. This is because all the people who would normally be out committing crimes are at home, playing video games. He also mentioned that those who would steal or commit some other crime for the thrill now are able to get the thrill off of playing games like grand theft auto. One thing I thought was really cool - the Bloods and the Crips now have an annual halo tournament against each other. Isn't that really cool? Instead of shooting each other up, they're playing halo, which still allows them to take pride in victory, go up the ranks, prove their worth, etc., etc. If video games continue to have this kind of effect on crime, then they've got my support, hands down.

Well, anything is bad for you if you do it excessively. Some videogames make people dizzy and if used excessively blur the person's vision. Motion sickness also affects some players and other things that can physically harm you are stated right on the warning label of most videogames.

Andrew: SEO