Articles tagged with Video Games
A meta-analysis of 20 studies with over 38,000 participants found a small positive correlation between video game playing and body mass in adults, but no link was established for children and teenagers. The study suggests that people who spend more time gaming may also spend less time exercising, contributing to weight gain.
Researchers at Lancaster University created a series of games that require players to use their peripheral vision, resulting in significant improvements in object recognition. The study found that even just one gaming session led to lasting improvements in peripheral awareness, suggesting potential applications in team sports and hazar...
A randomized clinical trial found that children exposed to violent video games with guns were more likely to engage in dangerous behavior, such as pulling the trigger at themselves or others. Self-reported consumption of violent media was also a risk factor for this behavior.
A reinforcement learning-trained AI agent achieves human-level performance in a popular 3D multiplayer game, developing high-level strategies independently. The agents outperform human opponents and form cooperative teams, even with slowed reaction times.
A new study by University of British Columbia researchers found a correlation between excessive engagement with loot boxes and measures of problem gambling, but not problem video gaming. Loot box use was associated with risky gambling behaviours, suggesting that the feature may be contributing to gambling-like problems in gamers.
Researchers developed a video game to study spatial orientation and navigational abilities, finding that virtual navigation performance is comparable to the real world. The game was played by 4 million people and showed changes in navigational habits before clinical Alzheimer's symptoms appear.
A new longitudinal study found that playing video games did not affect boys' social development, but girls who played more frequently at age 10 had weaker social skills two years later. The study suggests that gaming may be a way for socially struggling youth to cope with feelings of isolation and loneliness.
A new study published in Games for Health Journal found that allowing dark play in a serious video game has no significant effect on its effectiveness. The researchers analyzed the effects of dark play on medical students' ability to advise care, learning motivation, and attitudes towards delirious patients.
Researchers suggest dynamic pricing strategy that targets both avid and casual readers, with hardware prices initially high and then lowered while e-book prices increased, locking in consumers and generating ecosystem of products. This approach can be applied to various complementary products beyond tech.
A new device, paired with a customized video game, helps retrain stroke survivors' arm muscles into moving more normally. Most participants experienced increased arm mobility and reduced arm stiffness, retaining function after finishing the training.
Researchers Korbut observed crowds in metro-mobs to understand how they move and coordinate actions, finding that individuals follow free space minimization rules and rely on others' movements for direction. The study highlights the importance of speed control, stopping signals, and joining methods in mob organization.
The study of knitting reveals the underlying mathematical rules governing shape and stretchiness, which could lead to designing new tunable materials. Researchers aim to create flexible material replacing biological tissues with personalized sizing and elasticity.
Research from the University of Kent reveals that walking simulations are blurring art forms, creating a new genre with stories akin to reading a book. Games like Dear Esther engage players more than traditional video games, making it a fantastic way to tell a story.
A new breed of algorithms has mastered Atari video games 10 times faster than state-of-the-art AI, using a combination of reinforcement learning and intrinsic motivation. This method autonomously identifies sub-goals and exhibits relatively human-like behavior, making it competitive with Google DeepMind in the game Montezuma's Revenge.
A recent study found that team video gaming increased effectiveness of newly-formed teams by 20% after just 45 minutes. Researchers played Rock Band or Halo 4 with coworkers, who saw a significant increase in actual performance on subsequent tasks.
Researchers found that playing Tetris reduced flashbacks in patients with PTSD by 64%, offering a potential new treatment method without relying on therapists. The intervention involves writing down stressful memories and then playing Tetris to alleviate symptoms.
Researchers found that frequent violent video game players were more accurate in identifying rotated target images despite being shown distracting graphic content. This suggests a link between violent media exposure and altered perception, with players less affected by emotional disruptors.
Researchers from Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg investigated the relationship between footballers' performance and market value in the German Bundesliga. They found that star players tend to be overvalued, while others are traded at below-market value. The study also highlights the impact of a club's reputation and commercia...
A University of Pittsburgh researcher is using video games to test and improve artificial intelligence algorithms. The goal is to create AIs that can learn from their mistakes in complex, uncertain environments. By analyzing gameplay data, the algorithm can refine its strategies for optimal decision-making.
Researchers found that playing Tetris can induce a state of 'flow', reducing worry and negative emotion in individuals waiting for uncertain news. The game's adaptive difficulty level played a key role in achieving this state, which provides a convincing link between flow and improved well-being during anxious periods.
Research from the University of Surrey found that 13-14 year old girls who classed as 'heavy gamers' were three times more likely to pursue a PSTEM degree. The study suggests that identifying and targeting female gamers early may encourage more to study science and technology degrees.
A $1.38 million grant from the US Department of Education will fund a three-year project to develop a video game designed to help kids with ADHD learn academic skills and better succeed in school. The project aims to provide a cost-effective means to educate students with ADHD, who require more counseling and disciplinary action.
Researchers at UNH's Prevention Innovations Research Center created two video games to teach bystander intervention skills in situations of sexual and relationship violence and stalking. The interactive scenario game was especially effective in increasing male attitudes toward bystander intervention.
Researchers designed video games to enhance heuristic judgment in emergency medicine physicians. The intervention improved accuracy in trauma triage decisions, with participants who used the games showing a 17-18 point lower under-triage rate compared to those receiving no intervention.
Faster countdowns have been found to increase patience in video game players, even after the game is over. The study suggests that a quicker countdown creates a sense of time passing more quickly, reducing impatience and encouraging more deliberate decision-making.
A new video game designed to train empathy in middle schoolers showed improved connectivity in brain networks related to empathy and perspective-taking. The game, 'Crystals of Kaydor,' was developed by University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers and found to enhance emotional regulation skills.
Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University and DeepMotion Inc. developed a physics-based method for controlling animated characters to learn dribbling skills from motion capture data. The system requires millions of trials but produces arm movements closely coordinated with physically plausible ball movement.
A new study found that tablets can positively impact social learning among children with speech problems, shifting accents towards more interactive approaches.
A recent study published in the American Journal of Human Biology found that healthy gaming experiences are linked to favorable gene expression profiles. The research, led by Dr. Jeffrey Snodgrass, highlights the importance of social connectedness in mitigating negative effects of online gaming.
Older adults with mild cognitive impairment showed significant improvement with exergaming, which combines physical exercise with complex thinking and memory skills. Exergames may be an effective tool for slowing the debilitating effects of Alzheimer's disease.
A study by HSE University researchers found that per capita GDP and IT infrastructure significantly impact success in competitive gaming. Countries with higher GDP tend to perform better, while living standards also play a role, especially for online tournaments.
A new study found that daily violent video game play does not lead to increased aggression levels in adults. Researchers compared participants who played violent games to those who played life simulation games or didn't play at all, and found no significant differences in aggression levels over time.
A new audio-based interface called RAD enables visually impaired players to experience full 3D graphics and complex racetracks in racing video games. The system uses sonification techniques to provide players with relevant information, allowing them to form a plan of action and compete at the same level as sighted players.
Despite previous mixed conclusions, a large-scale study by University of York researchers found no evidence to support the theory that violent video games make players more violent. The team tested over 3,000 participants with varying levels of gaming realism, including 'ragdoll physics', and discovered no priming effect on aggression.
A new study led by Colorado State University researcher Jessica Witt investigates the impact of actions on vision. The findings suggest that vision is influenced by actions, but this effect may not be entirely dependent on the participant's level of understanding the experiment's purpose.
A new video game has been shown to improve doctors' ability to recognize and triage severe trauma patients, outperforming traditional text-based education. The game, which uses narrative engagement to promote behavior change, recalibrated physicians' brains to make quicker decisions with incomplete information.
A meta-analysis of 15 years of research on action video games found that gamers showed significant improvements in cognitive abilities compared to non-gamers. The study suggests that playing action video games can train the brain and improve attention, spatial cognition, and reaction time.
A UBC study found that extroverts perform better in Pokémon Go due to their strong social skills, while introverted players struggle. The researchers now aim to design video games with increasingly involved social features to aid those who struggle socially.
Researchers found that playing 3D video games like Super Mario 64 increased gray matter volume in the hippocampus and cerebellum of older adults. This led to improved short-term memory and cognitive function. The study suggests that learning new things, such as through video games or piano lessons, can reverse age-related brain atrophy.
A new video game-based training program has shown significant improvements in balance and posture for children and youth with autism spectrum disorder. The six-week program, which rewards participants for holding 'ninja' poses, also improved in-game performance outside the gaming environment.
Researchers at Imperial College London designed a video game called Balloon Buddies to enable physically impaired patients to engage in rehabilitation through collaboration with healthy volunteers. The study found that this type of engagement boosts performance and increases motivation, leading to better physical outcomes.
Young people's ability to perform well at two popular video games is linked to high levels of intelligence, according to researchers at the University of York. The study found a correlation between skill at certain online games of strategy and intelligence, similar to traditional strategy games like chess.
Cognivive's video games aim to enhance spatiotemporal cognitive abilities, building underlying capacity that different skills can draw on, improving real-world problem-solving abilities.
Researchers found that video game genres impact cognitive training, with strategy games offering unique benefits for memory and processing speed. Strategy games were associated with improved white matter connectivity in brain regions related to memory, while action games were linked to a brain region governing mood.
A study by Ruhr-University Bochum found that gamers excelled in a learning competition against non-gamers, particularly in situations with high uncertainties. This advantage is linked to increased brain activity in the hippocampus, a key region for learning and memory.
A new Iowa State University study reveals that having a TV or video game system in the bedroom can lead to decreased reading time, sleep deprivation, and an increased risk of obesity. The research also found that children who watched violent programs on bedroom media were more likely to exhibit physical aggression.
Research from the University of Liverpool reveals video game players excel in accuracy and confidence decisions as UAS operators. Professional pilots also perform well, but with less overconfidence compared to VGPs.
Research confirms that video game design influences brain plasticity, with action games reducing hippocampus grey matter. Players using spatial strategies perform better, while those relying on response strategies are more affected.
A new study by Dr. Véronique Bohbot and Dr. Greg West found that playing action video games for 90 hours can lead to grey matter loss in the hippocampus, but playing 3D-platform games may be safer and more beneficial for brain spatial memory. This research highlights the importance of choosing the right type of game to play.
A new study suggests that habitual players of action video games have less grey matter in their hippocampus, a major part of the brain associated with spatial memory and remembering past experiences. The study found that gaming can lead to changes in the brain that increase the risk of developing brain illnesses and diseases.
A recent study at the University of Pennsylvania found that commercial brain training with Lumosity had no effect on decision-making or cognitive function. The researchers recruited two groups, one following Lumosity and the other playing online video games, but neither group showed improvements in brain activity or decision-making.
A study by Kent State researchers found that playing Pokémon GO increased daily walking behavior by 102 percent among college students. The game also reduced sedentary behavior by 25 percent during the first week after downloading. These positive effects persisted weeks later, even with a decrease in game play frequency.
Research has shown that playing video games can change the brain regions responsible for attention and visuospatial skills, making them more efficient. Additionally, studies have found evidence of increased brain activity in reward system regions associated with internet gaming disorder.
A new chess ranking system ranks players based on the quality of their moves, producing more accurate results than traditional ELO scores. The system uses probabilistic models to estimate win/loss/draw probabilities for any match between two players.
A new architecture for 3D stacked memory increases rendering speeds by up to 65% by processing data in memory, reducing traffic between GPU cores. This innovation benefits both science, particularly complex modeling and virtual reality, and the gaming industry.
A new study of over 13,000 adolescents found a link between video game exposure and sexism. The research suggests that repeated exposure to media influences how we perceive social realities, and that video games can shape attitudes towards women.
A new study found that playing a highly visual-spatial computer game like Tetris can help prevent intrusive memories after a traumatic event. The intervention, which took just 20 minutes, reduced symptoms of acute stress disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder by 62% in patients waiting for emergency care.
A new UC Davis study found that video game users who received reminders played more often and experienced increased time spent playing, with some games increasing feelings of control over depression. The study, using six three-minute games, showed promise in reducing symptoms of mild depression.
Researchers at Silicon Studio developed an algorithm that uses 'ensemble' and survival analysis methods to predict when users will leave a mobile game. The model can automatically adapt to different games and data, enabling companies to understand user needs and design more entertaining games.
A new study on ArcheAge players found that despite violent acts, most exhibited prosocial behavior, strengthening social relationships and forming new ones. The study provides insights for game designers on how to reduce player churners and offers a realistic view of end-of-world scenarios.