Learn Your Sport and Make Better Decisions Through Gaming
The ability to make decisions and react quickly during competition often affects the outcome of a game. One surprising way to enhance sports knowledge and make the right choices on the field? Play video games.
A recent study at the University of Rochester suggests that playing video games actually trains people to make right decisions faster. Scientists discovered that gamers developed a heightened sensitivity to what’s going on around them and improved a wide variety of skills, including multitasking, keeping track of friends in a crowd, and reading small print.
(Hmm, isn’t that basically what quarterbacks, point guards and other team leaders do—minus the small print reading, except for QBs reading plays on wristbands.)
Sport-specific games such as Madden 11, NHL 11, and NBA2K 11 allow athletes not only to relax and bond with their teammates, but also to increase their understanding of the game and improve their decision-making skills.
Defensive coverages, set plays, offensive schemes, counter attacks—with details like these, video games simulate actual competition, helping young athletes learn more about their sport. NFL running back Ryan Moats, who helped create an intro for EA Sports Madden 11, agrees that video games are instructive. He says, “Growing up, I used to play with my cousins and family members all day long, and we actually learned a lot.”
Authors of the Rochester study also report that video games can be “a potent training regimen for speeding up reactions in many types of real-life situations.” (Hmm, think close games.)
Given the rapid evolution of video games over the past few years and motion-based advancement for the PS3 and Xbox 360, it’s interesting to speculate about what new benefits athletes will realize through gaming in the future?
Head to sciencedaily.com for more details on the University of Rochester’s gaming research.
Source: sciencedaily.com
Photos: live.drjays.com, zimbio.com
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Learn Your Sport and Make Better Decisions Through Gaming
The ability to make decisions and react quickly during competition often affects the outcome of a game. One surprising way to enhance sports knowledge and make the right choices on the field? Play video games.
A recent study at the University of Rochester suggests that playing video games actually trains people to make right decisions faster. Scientists discovered that gamers developed a heightened sensitivity to what’s going on around them and improved a wide variety of skills, including multitasking, keeping track of friends in a crowd, and reading small print.
(Hmm, isn’t that basically what quarterbacks, point guards and other team leaders do—minus the small print reading, except for QBs reading plays on wristbands.)
Sport-specific games such as Madden 11, NHL 11, and NBA2K 11 allow athletes not only to relax and bond with their teammates, but also to increase their understanding of the game and improve their decision-making skills.
Defensive coverages, set plays, offensive schemes, counter attacks—with details like these, video games simulate actual competition, helping young athletes learn more about their sport. NFL running back Ryan Moats, who helped create an intro for EA Sports Madden 11, agrees that video games are instructive. He says, “Growing up, I used to play with my cousins and family members all day long, and we actually learned a lot.”
Authors of the Rochester study also report that video games can be “a potent training regimen for speeding up reactions in many types of real-life situations.” (Hmm, think close games.)
Given the rapid evolution of video games over the past few years and motion-based advancement for the PS3 and Xbox 360, it’s interesting to speculate about what new benefits athletes will realize through gaming in the future?
Head to sciencedaily.com for more details on the University of Rochester’s gaming research.
Source: sciencedaily.com
Photos: live.drjays.com, zimbio.com