Video Games Are Good for You

Lo and behold! Positive news on how video games can be good for you. Yes, after James Gee, professor of learning at the University of Wisconsin found out about the wonders of video gaming from playing his preschooler kid's learning game, Pajama Sam: No Need to Hide When It's Dark Outside, and hitting it off with solving problems in The New Adventures of the Time Machine, he decided to do a study on how video gaming affects the brain. What he has found out will delight video gamers. Apparently, video gaming sharpens thinking, social skills, and perception. Read more about this here.

Copycat Nintendo Wii abound. Click here to read the article.

3-D Viewing System Without Goggles

A new 3-D viewing system which requires no goggles has been developed by Physical Optics Corporation (POC). The product is an autostereoscopic video display with a holographic display screen that combines images in 2-D into 3-D viewing zones. Applications for the new system include CAD design, medical viewing, mapping, entertainment, graphics, and merchandising.

Infomania: New Medical Disorder?

Have you ever had a friend or family member who you cannot picture not using a cell phone or checking email? These are the people who are said to be infomaniacs. Some say it is a form of addiction. Infomania is a new medical term for a condition of people who cannot seem to let go of their gadgets like computers and cell phones. They affect mostly those who are exposed to technology like teenagers and office workers.

Theory has it that the use of technology can be as addictive as drugs because they enable the release of endorphins or hormones that give a sense of well being when used. Such endorphin highs could be what makes video game players keep playing again and again at the expense of other basic needs. Extreme cases involve ignoring food in exchange for the thrill of playing at an arcade (see related post: Video Game Overdose?). High school students have been observed in a mall buying tokens for games then later scavenging leftovers from the plates of food court customers.

Other studies say that gadgets give a rush of adrenaline, like when they are used as mediums for entertainment or socializing. Could such adrenaline rushes be associated with violent tendencies that are said to be displayed by players of shooter video games? Could this rush, or the yearning for a much bigger "fix," be the reason why some people attempt to reenact the fantasy world of such games in real life? Send me your comments.

The photo is from http://www.edu.pe.ca/stteresa/grade7_8/Proj0102/science%20fair/fair.htm

Video Game Overdose?

A man from Jinzhou, Liaoning province in China reportedly died after playing online video games "continuously" for seven days over the Chinese New Year holidays. The cause of death was unclear but the man was reportedly obese, although was young at 26. He collapsed on the last day of the holidays. Internet use has been steadily rising in China despite censorship by the government.

Research on the effect of video games on the human body have resulted in both positive and negative findings. One study reports that the flashing lights of video games cause epileptic seizures. Another says it can improve mental acuity. But whether playing video games is beneficial or not, what happened to the Chinese man was most likely the result of having too much of something one's own good. But, then again, maybe it was just his time. There is an old Chinese proverb that says: Enjoy yourself. It is later than you think. The photo is from http://www.rfa.org/uyghur/xewerler/tepsili_xewer/2005/09/13/internet?simple=1