Practice makes perfect, and even when that practice is done via a video game, it can be effective in developing visuomotor skill, according to researchers.
In a study published in the journal Psychological Science, Li Li, Rongrong Chen and Jing Chen detailed how playing action-based video games may have a hand in boosting an individual's ability to coordinate incoming visual information and motor control, a skill crucial to many activities in the real world, including driving.
Playing video games has been shown to offer benefits before. But while it has been established that video games stimulate visuomotor abilities, there was little research on whether video game play also affects visuomotor control. To explore the connection, the researchers came up with a series of experiments.
First, the researchers used driving simulation to compare the visuomotor abilities of those who have experience with action video games (identified as having played a minimum of 5 hours a week over the last six months) and those who have negligible experience. Three 95-second trials were carried out, where the participants were tasked with controlling a virtual vehicle by staying within the designated area while factoring in crosswinds affecting the car's direction.
Compared to players with negligible experience with action video games, experienced players showed greater precision control and deviated less from the designated area.
Participants were also tested by controlling a dot at the center of the screen and the results were similar to the virtual driving test.
To establish that there is a causal link between action video games and visuomotor skills, the researchers worked with participants who have zero experience with action video games. One group was assigned to train in 10 1-hour sessions playing Mario Kart, while the control group was assigned to play Roller Coaster Tycoon III.
After the training sessions, the Mario Kart group showed improved visuomotor control skills while carrying out the target dot task. The same level of improvement was not observed in the Roller Coaster Tycoon III group.
In a similar study, participants also demonstrated better visuomotor skills after training with Unreal Tournament, a first-person shooter (FPS).
However, Mario Kart and Unreal Tournament affected different aspects of visuomotor control.
According to the researchers, this is a hint that the two may be used as training tools for different groups of people. For example, FPS games are ideal for drivers with stable control, but require improvement in predicting input error signals, while beginners who need to learn stable control are better off with driving video games.
Photo: Michael Himbeault | Flickr
