Researcher Connects Playing Shooters With Better Aim

Andy Chalk

One Flag, One Fleet, One Cat
Nov 12, 2002
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Researcher Connects Playing Shooters With Better Aim


Playing games with gun-shaped controllers apparently makes you a better real-life killer.

Professor Brad Bushman of Ohio State University is fairly well-known among gamers for his staunchly anti-game research, which has determined with remarkable consistency that violent videogames will be the end of us all and that anyone who suggests otherwise is probably either lying or incompetent [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/109455-Study-Claims-Anti-Game-Research-More-Reliable]. His latest bit of science follows in pretty much the same track, declaring that gamers who spend as little as 20 minutes playing first-person shooters with controllers shaped like guns display significantly better real-life aim than those who don't.

Bushman had 151 college students fill out a survey to determine their level of aggression, attitude toward and knowledge of guns, and how often they played videogames. They then spent 20 minutes playing either Super Mario Galaxy [http://www.amazon.com/Resident-Evil-4-Nintendo-Wii/dp/B000P46NKC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1335915951&sr=8-1]. Then they all went out to the range [or wherever] and busted some caps.

The conclusion? Players who used a gun controller in a shooting game with human targets scored 99 percent more headshots on mannequin targets using a real gun than those who played the other games, and also had 33 percent more shots hit other parts of the mannequin, most of which probably landed in the poor dummy's junk. [That's not actually part of the research results, just a guess.] The study also found that people who regularly play violent shooting games are more accurate and get more headshots than those who do not.

Dr. Bushman, according to his website [http://bushman.socialpsychology.org/], has a Ph.D. in social psychology, whereas I'm more of what you'd call a high-school flunkout, so I certainly wouldn't presume to challenge the academic validity of his study. But I'm not entirely sure what the breakthrough here really is. Assuming his results are accurate, which is impossible to even guess at without knowing his methodology, giving people practice in a simulated environment in order to make them better in the real world is hardly a new idea. Should we really be surprised that 20 minutes with a light gun gives one a steadier hand and better eye on the firing range?

On the other hand, the suggestion that people who play shooters in general are better marksmen is absolute nonsense. It makes about as much sense as claiming that jumping up and down on a box of Band-Aids can make someone a better doctor.

As Call of Duty: Modern Warfare [http://gamepolitics.com/2012/05/01/research-shooters-make-you-better-aim-real-life#comment-279482]. Probably coincidental, but more than a little fortuitous, too.


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Mar 28, 2011
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This annoys me, as giving sombody time to use a replica gun will obviously improve their ability to use a real gun. How many of these participants already knew how to take the safety off first though, i wonder?

Most everything i learned on guns and weaponry in general, before even firing a shot, was through television media. How many movies make it a plot point that "the Rookie" hasn't taken the safety off or loaded the round into the chamber?

You watch enough television, and you'll know how to shoot, never mind using a faux gun in a videogame.

[/mild ranty thing]
 

Harker067

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Sep 21, 2010
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While I havn't read the article I am curious as to what controls where done. Was experience on the range for example taken into account? Maybe people who like guns IRL like playing 1st persons shooters? Its worth pointing out that IRL cops and military are trained not to shoot for the head but the center of mass as its more effective so go for the head could actually be counter productive. Also while 99% seems big really it could be better stated as double. Its also not necessarily relevant depending on the numbers 2 vs 4 for example. Unfortunately I don't think I can get access to the paper but I'd be very curious to give it a read through and see how rigorous it was.
 

Gearhead mk2

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Aug 1, 2011
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inb4moralguardians

And didn't they do a study a while back that showed FPS's improved eyesight?
 

Shy_Guy

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Apr 13, 2009
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This is so incredibly stupid and such a waste of time! Not enough facepalms in the world for this...
 

Harker067

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Sep 21, 2010
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http://www.livescience.com/19984-violent-video-games-improves-real-shooting-accuracy.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Livesciencecom+(LiveScience.com+Science+Headline+Feed)

Here's a link with a bit more information about the study. They do claim to have asked about previous gun use. Although I might have prefered higher sample sizes (151 people split in 5 groups) bigger the sample the better but ohwell. The gun game players made on average 7 headshots out of 16 with an airsoft gun (other groups dropped down to 2). I'd be curious how these results rank against other things like watching movies etc.
 

F4LL3N

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May 2, 2011
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I'm beginning to think playing FPS' could potentially put you in the 'right' frame of mind, which could theoretically improve your aim and over special-opness. But that doesn't really mean anything, neither does this research. I wonder if he realizes there's a different between having good aim and wanting to go on a shooting rampage killing as many innocent people as possible.

Let him prove shooters give you better aim. It'll at least reinforce the idea that video games are a good teaching platform.
 

KeyMaster45

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Jun 16, 2008
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I call bullshit, it's timed too well and far too coincidental. If he actually did an experiment I'd bet my next meal it was conducted improperly, high bias, and with just a dash of outright fraud.

I say we just outsource all future "violent game testing" to Aperture Labs, and I nominate Professor Bushman as the first test subject.
 

s_h_a_d_o

Mr Propellerhead
Jun 15, 2010
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Andy Chalk said:
Professor Brad Bushman of Ohio State University is fairly well-known among gamers ... His latest bit of science follows in pretty much the same track, declaring that gamers who spend as little as 20 minutes playing first-person shooters with controllers shaped like guns display significantly better real-life aim than those who don't.
"Playing games with gun-shaped controllers apparently makes you a better real-life killer."

Has anyone introduced Professor Bushman to the industrial design adage "form follows function", and explained to him that practising with any tool specifically designed and built to accomplish a particular task, will increase the user's chances of success at performing said task?
 

Ignatz_Zwakh

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Sep 3, 2010
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Color me unsurprised. I don't see a correlation between knowing how to use a gun though and being prone to flipping one's shit and gunning down people at random.
 

CM156_v1legacy

Revelation 9:6
Mar 23, 2011
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DVS BSTrD said:
Well that's a big NO SHIT Sherlock!

Imagine the new pumper stickers: Guns don't kill people, Wii Zappers do!
If you want my Wiimote you'll have to pry it from my cold, dead hands!

Molon Labe!

OT: Reminds me of the time we took my brother out to the range for the first time. Shockingly, he had really good aim for someone who was 13 at the time. And he'd never used a gun before. But he did play quite a few FPS games.
 

Azuaron

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Mar 17, 2010
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(I am a psychologist.)

Breaking news: activities that make you practice hand-eye coordination enhance your hand-eye coordination on other tasks.

I really don't see what he's trying to prove with this, anyway. I mean, if you really want to get good at shooting guns accurately, you could, I don't know, go to a shooting range and shoot real guns. And either way (video games or shooting range) you're still not likely to go out and start shooting actual people.

So... what's his point?
 

ZippyDSMlee

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Sep 1, 2007
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There is a sliver of truth to it, as we experience different forms of physics we are more apt to understand trajectory better.
 

Robert Ewing

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Mar 2, 2011
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ORLY?

Well, I don't think it improves your aim so much as it teaches you techniques. Such as how to hold the gun, how to fire it, what to aim for etc.

And might I add, movies have been doing this for more than half a century.
 

SinisterDeath

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Nov 6, 2006
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Why didn't this so called 'scientist', do a before and after shooting range test? How can we know that those in the 'shooter group' weren't already 'that' good with the guns on a shooting range, prior to playing the video game? how do we know the group playing the 'wii' version, weren't just 'lousy' shots to begin with? Shouldn't there have been '2' test groups, one, as a control to see the 'average' increase in 'skil' at going to a 'fire range' within a set interval 'twice', to mark there supposed 'average-increase' in skill?
And then compare those results, to another group, that, goes to the shooting range to 'test' there first scores.
Play Resident evil/ect, then go back to the shooting range, to see if there 'skill' at firing 'real' guns, goes up by a far more significant margin then the 'other' group?

The way the article states the 'study', really shows that this guy was 'leading' the group to the 'answer' he wanted.
 

Comando96

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May 26, 2009
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I learned to shoot with an air Rifle before I learned to shoot with a mouse... sorry but I've seen no improvement with my shooting due to video games because air rifles are single shots, so I can't try my aim while I jump from a ledge spin 360 degrees MP5 blasting away, resulting in the deaths of 5 people...

I'm sure that it helps in the sense that doing any task with hand-eye coordination helps with an unrelated task which requires hand coordination... still that assumes the physics are realistic... shooting in a game doesn't prepare you to deal with recoil. Makes no different with single shots where you need to re-aim but with an assult rifle, sub machine gun or even a handgun, games are not as good for training as joining a local gun club, and fuck me those aren't getting as much attention as video-games (not that there are many in the UK).
 

CardinalPiggles

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Jun 24, 2010
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So ban gun peripherals, not gun games. Also

On the other hand, the suggestion that people who play shooters in general are better marksmen is absolute nonsense.
I'm glad someone else actually knows this too. Training with something like a gun needs practice with a gun, not a mouse/controller, it's no where near the same thing.

Lastly, this Anders Breivik thing is getting right on my nerves, and I get the feeling someone fucking paid him to do this shit because all this is doing is pouring fuel on the flame that is burning video games.