A New Study Says Video Games Can Improve Adult Vision

By Digital Trends Staff Published October 25, 2009

A New Study Says Video Games Can Improve Adult Vision

A study in Nature Neuroscience has discovered that playing video games can improve the ability in adults to identify different shades of grey against a uniform background. Previously it was believed there was no way to fix this.

Contrast sensitivity, as it’s known, tends to deteriorate with age, and is important for situations such as night driving. Improving it usually requires glasses, contact lenses, or even surgery.

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Researchers from the University of Rochester studied expert gamers and discovered that those playing action games had better contrast sensitivity than those playing other games, and this improvement lasted for months and even years.

Leader researcher Dr. Daphne Bavelier has postulated that the need to react quickly to visual information has made these games successful in improving contrast sensitivity. She hopes the results can be used to help treat amblyopia, according to the BBC.

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How fitness video games can help improve your mental well-being

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Be faithful

This one seems like it should go without saying, but it's something a lot of films and TV shows based on games don't get right. Even successful ones like the Sonic the Hedgehog films seem to feel a bit ashamed of the source material when they bring video game characters into the "real world." The Last of Us series works masterfully because it plays into the strengths of the source material, adapting an already critically acclaimed story accurately and respectfully. As a result, a great story is still great.
HBO's The Last of Us isn't a direct 1:1 adaptation (more on that later), but it's still unmistakably a TV version of the video game's story and even gameplay in some segments. That faithfulness shows respect for the game and is more likely to get fans on board with the creation and any potential deviations it might make. Sadly, many video game adaptations seem like they feel embarrassed of the source material, which shows in the quality of the final product and the fan reception to it.
Improve upon the source material