University of Rochester researches have determined that playing action-packed video games can have a positive effect on your eyesight. Professor of brain and cognitive sciences Daphne Bavelier and graduate student Shawn Green somehow managed to round up college students who didn't regularly play video games. First they administered an eye test, and then they administered an hour a day of Unreal Tournament, while a control group got stuck with Tetris instead. At the end of the month, the UT players showed a marked improvement when given the same vision test as before, while the Tetris players were all asleep.

"When people play action games, they're changing the brain's pathway responsible for visual processing," says Bavelier. "These games push the human visual system to the limits and the brain adapts to it. That learning carries over into other activities and possibly everyday life."

The research can now be assimilated by specialists who could theoretically use action game stimuli to help people with visual defects. Another check mark in the 'gaming is good for you' column. Michael Fahey

Action Video Games Sharpen Vision 20 Percent [Science Daily - Thanks Michael!]

Contact information for this author is not available.