Do Computer Games Cause Attention Deficit Disorder?
It seems rather obvious that the average attention span of the average teenager is that of a gnat.
It's completely obvious when you watch them surf the Internet spending less than 10 to 12 seconds on a single page, or watch as they text message their friends, and then continue on with the same conversation in the real world.
Further, any parent can tell you that these videogames while they might keep the individual's attention for hours of play, may also be causing attention deficit disorder.
There have been studies that both confirm this and deny it, nevertheless in real observation it appears they aren't all that great for boosting attention spans.
Okay so let's talk about this for a few moments shall we? You see, I found it rather ironic when I read an interesting article the Wall Street Journal technology section not too long ago on August 1, 2012; "Can Video Games Treat ADHD? Startup Seeks FDA Approval for Games That Help Attention Disorders," by Brian Gormley.
In other words, this is a specialty game which rewards the player for increased attention spans on a given task, and as they play the game longer, they have to pay even more attention to a single task, therefore increasing their attention span.
Still, it's kind of funny that one of the culprits that we suspect, computer games and videogames as causing a lack of attention span, has come up with a solution to solve the problem.
It kind of sounds like our government when they make bad policies, and the promise they have a solution to fix the challenges they created, which in turn leave the citizens scratching their head.
Indeed I'm scratching my head over this one, not because I have ADHD, because I wonder if it will actually work.
It's true that computer games have solved other problems, and they can be used for many things, so only time will tell.
It was interesting that DARPA came up with a concept to allow people to fold proteins as a videogame, and they were able to have the players engage in the folding and unfolding of these proteins to discover new proteins, as well as find several savants who happened to play the game, and everyone had fun in the process.
Strike another one up for videogames.
There was an interesting research paper I read a few years ago and the researchers stated; "if you already are on the verge of ADD, and you play videogames, you are done for, it's enough to push you over the edge," and I've always remembered that because it makes sense to me, and it seems counterintuitive that a computer game can treat ADHD, but it appears that computer games have been used to treat PTSD from returning soldiers, so maybe it is possible, who knows.
Nevertheless, it is a pretty interesting concept, so I thought I'd bring it to your attention.
Indeed I hope you will please consider all this and think on it.
It's completely obvious when you watch them surf the Internet spending less than 10 to 12 seconds on a single page, or watch as they text message their friends, and then continue on with the same conversation in the real world.
Further, any parent can tell you that these videogames while they might keep the individual's attention for hours of play, may also be causing attention deficit disorder.
There have been studies that both confirm this and deny it, nevertheless in real observation it appears they aren't all that great for boosting attention spans.
Okay so let's talk about this for a few moments shall we? You see, I found it rather ironic when I read an interesting article the Wall Street Journal technology section not too long ago on August 1, 2012; "Can Video Games Treat ADHD? Startup Seeks FDA Approval for Games That Help Attention Disorders," by Brian Gormley.
In other words, this is a specialty game which rewards the player for increased attention spans on a given task, and as they play the game longer, they have to pay even more attention to a single task, therefore increasing their attention span.
Still, it's kind of funny that one of the culprits that we suspect, computer games and videogames as causing a lack of attention span, has come up with a solution to solve the problem.
It kind of sounds like our government when they make bad policies, and the promise they have a solution to fix the challenges they created, which in turn leave the citizens scratching their head.
Indeed I'm scratching my head over this one, not because I have ADHD, because I wonder if it will actually work.
It's true that computer games have solved other problems, and they can be used for many things, so only time will tell.
It was interesting that DARPA came up with a concept to allow people to fold proteins as a videogame, and they were able to have the players engage in the folding and unfolding of these proteins to discover new proteins, as well as find several savants who happened to play the game, and everyone had fun in the process.
Strike another one up for videogames.
There was an interesting research paper I read a few years ago and the researchers stated; "if you already are on the verge of ADD, and you play videogames, you are done for, it's enough to push you over the edge," and I've always remembered that because it makes sense to me, and it seems counterintuitive that a computer game can treat ADHD, but it appears that computer games have been used to treat PTSD from returning soldiers, so maybe it is possible, who knows.
Nevertheless, it is a pretty interesting concept, so I thought I'd bring it to your attention.
Indeed I hope you will please consider all this and think on it.
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