Videogames Can Help You Concentrate

[Lauren Admire]

Videogames Can Help You Concentrate

People who suffer from ADHD often have a hard time concentrating on things and become easily distracted. But can a new gaming technology help them learn to control this?

In Issue 183 of The Escapist, Joel Gonzales, diagnosed with ADHD himself, describes a new kind of controller: one that is helping ADHD patients gain control of their own attention spans. SmartBrain Technologies have designed a modified controller that measures a patient's brainwaves which requires the patient to control their concentration in order to play a regular videogame:

[blockquote]The unit decides how well the patient's brainwaves match up to a specified profile and adjusts the sensitivity of the controller accordingly - the more closely the patient can match the profile, the more responsive the game becomes to the patient's input. The controller sensitivity is not handled like an on/off switch; it's more like dimmer, able to provide a wide range of feedback.The SMART system works with any game released for the PlayStation 2 or Xbox, but it's most effective with games that provide constant movement. The best genres are platforming and racing, as it's easy to feel when the controller is losing its responsiveness. After patients complete the training, they can still use ADHD medication but it will likely not be necessary.[/blockquote]

Children using this system showed significant improvement in their concentration levels at home and at work. Read more about the SMART system and other neurofeedback research in Gaming The Brain [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/]. How else could videogames be used to live a healthy lifestyle?



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[Undercover]

Having recently been diagnosed with Adult ADD myself, (Which would explain a LOT) technology like this sounds very interesting to me, as I've tried other behaviour modifications to help me stay focused, excluding taking pills. I do NOT want to medicate myself and fuck around with my brain chemistry, thank you very much.

The "Gaming in the Brain" link doesn't seem to be working though, so I'll dig through the archives manually.

Anything that can help me sit through hours of XHTML & CSS coding without my mind drifting off is worth looking into.

Now if you'll excuse me I need to go flick a lightswitch up and down for about an hour.

Just kidding.

Yeah it'll only be for about 5 minutes or so...

 

[Vault boy Eddie]

Im sure Jack Thompson will find something wrong with this.

 

[Eric the Orange]

while this is cool and all, I have to wonder why you posted a thread on such an old article.

 

[SnootyEnglishman]

Dont most games come with controller sensitivity settings anyway? Why would we need a whole seperate and expensive system to do what is already programmed in a basic controller and game. ANyways this is an article in good standing just dont let FOX news get ahold of this

 

[Mordwyl]

I've known this ever since I got BETTER at school after starting to play videogames.

 

[Broady Brio]

I just play videogames and concertrate to win!

 

[cobrausn]

Ah ADHD... otherwise known as 'normal child with too much sugar and not enough parenting' in 90% of cases.

For those with an actual problem, though, this kind of thing is epic and deserves all the media attention 'negative' video game effects get.

 

[UsefulPlayer 1]

"Must....Kill....Control weakening.......Must Concentrate!!!"

Games, I think, offer the motivation for this technology. Done enough I guess it just makes the mind sharper.

 

[YurdleTheTurtle]

I am also diagnosed with ADHD but I certainly am not 'hyper' at all. It really is just an inconvenience to me because I find it difficult to concentrate or think properly. This is why I sometimes need extra time or quieter locations for tests and the like. People really need to know that not all ADHD diagnosed people are hyperactive 'kids'.

At any rate, this is actually pretty interesting, as I'd like to see some alternatives to conventional medicine like Ritalin. I'm still unclear on how this works. It adjusts the controller's sensitivity, but how does this actually help me concentrate, especially if I can change sensitivity manually? Are there any long term benefits to this?

Strangely enough, I find I can concentrate well when playing a game, which probably explains why I like video games so much and can keep up with fast paced ones. It's only when I'm doing work or something that my problems arise...