Question of the Day, July 11, 2010
- Thread starter The Escapist Staff
- Start date
I've been gaming since I was about 4. I think anything I'd say would be biased. i don't know how it would have been if i wasn't a gamer, and I never will know. What they need to do is do a long term study of people, from early childhood to early adulthood, have half not play games and the other play games all the time, and watch how their attection spans are affected over an extremely long period of time, like 10 years or something. We need to know the long-term results as well as the short term.
Of course, IDK how they do it, maybe they do what I just exlpained. But in my not-so-humble opinion, I think that my attention span has been either unaffected or possibly improved as a result.
Of course, IDK how they do it, maybe they do what I just exlpained. But in my not-so-humble opinion, I think that my attention span has been either unaffected or possibly improved as a result.
If anything could be said to have impacted the attention span of the human race, it's 30 second commercials and television in general. Gaming wants to suck you in and keep you there, while most TV wants to hold your attention just long enough to get you to watch a commercial, then watch a series of short commercials, and it's back to that loop again. While there are certainly some games that are short and frantic, most of them are quite involved and all-consuming, and few people can really game well while doing anything else. Yes, I'm looking at you Mr. Tank who is watching The Sopranos and chain pulling while the healer is out of mana and the rest of the party is dead.
A lil bit. If anything though I would have thought it would have increased you attention span. You spend an extended amount of time on something.
Although if I particularly like a game I find it hard to think of anything else.
Ahem... I shouldn't say this but after... Special Relations with my one and only, I always feel like I have to Game....
Although if I particularly like a game I find it hard to think of anything else.
Ahem... I shouldn't say this but after... Special Relations with my one and only, I always feel like I have to Game....
I have had conditions that affect my ability to concentrate but can't say that gaming has made any noticeable difference. If I can't concentrate then I don't really want to play games.
This is the 'violence' issue all over again. Do children act violent because of violent games or do violent children simply like to play violent games? Do games reduce childrens' attention spans, or do children with reduced attention spans simply like to play games. Humans' are far too complicated creatures to be labled and graphed with any real accuracy. EVERY single person is unique and experience life in a unique way with unique reactions and results for similar circumstances. For years they tried to attribute all of kids idiosyncrasies to television viewing habits, and what have they learned? Dick all. So now they move on to video games. What a waste of time and money.
P)
Video games have been used to treat AD(H)D for some time.
The study that was reported by the Escapist recently (that indicated a negative connection between video games and attention spans) wasn't really about the attention span of the child, exactly, but attention during school, which is certainly not the same thing. It seemed to me like the kind of study that is geared toward a desired result, which, in my opinion, is poor science.
And even the negative connection that they drew only indicates correlation, not causation. It seems to make sense that if studies show that video games can get kids with ADD to focus, kids with ADD will focus on video games.
The study that was reported by the Escapist recently (that indicated a negative connection between video games and attention spans) wasn't really about the attention span of the child, exactly, but attention during school, which is certainly not the same thing. It seemed to me like the kind of study that is geared toward a desired result, which, in my opinion, is poor science.
And even the negative connection that they drew only indicates correlation, not causation. It seems to make sense that if studies show that video games can get kids with ADD to focus, kids with ADD will focus on video games.
I'm not too sur, i've always playd video games since i was a child, me and my dad used to play Yoshis Island, that and some bizare game on the Commodore 64 were the first couple of games i can remember and i've never had any problems concentrating infact i tend to have quite a steely resolve in making sure i get whatever i'm doing done properly before moving on.
not sure whether thats a trait i took from gaming or maybe a trait i already had that gaming benefits from as i say, i started too young to noticed a change.
not sure whether thats a trait i took from gaming or maybe a trait i already had that gaming benefits from as i say, i started too young to noticed a change.