I’m sure you have noticed it. That constant glow of the television late at night, emanating from the dormitories. Or, that periodic shout from the room over, with phrases that you would expect to come from sports fanatics, like “No way!”, or “You got owned.” Yes, phenomena such as these have been caused lately by many students trying to escape their daily grind of studying child behavioral patterns, ancient civilizations, Bible history, and languages. I am writing about all those devout gamers who like to escape into a new world where anything is possible, but only the supreme reign. My study is about just how benefi cial a good game of Halo, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, or Unreal Tournament can be.

There are actually several benefi ts to electronic gaming. Gamers are said to have better reaction times, better vision, attention span, be less disruptive, and do better in school. Such benefi ts should not be ignored. If you think that video games are a complete waste of time, or if you are looking for a little justifi cation for your current addiction, please read on.

Let’s begin with the topic of reaction times. There has been noted time and again a direct correlation between being a gamer and having quick reaction times. From a study by Sandy Berger, it is noted that “Researchers at the University of Rochester say that action game players react to fast-moving objects more effi ciently and can track 30% more objects than non-gamers.” Butch Rosser, a laparoscopic surgeon, noted that his particular type of fi eld was better performed by people who have or do play video games. Laparoscopic surgeons insert a device that is similar to a long joystick into the skin. Rosser was quoted as saying, “First of all, if you played video games [at any time] in the past, it was found that you were signifi cantly faster and, more importantly, you created fewer errors than people who had no previous video game experience. Then when we looked at whether you were a current video gamer, we found that if you played video games currently, you were over 30 percent better—faster, and created fewer errors—than someone who did not play video games at all” (Kloza). Alan Castel, a psychology professor at Washington University of St. Louis found that “Video game players had faster reaction times on the order of 100 milliseconds, which might not sound like a lot but in this domain it’s quite a strong fi nding” (Kloza). Imagine how much better of a driver you would be with just a little better reaction time. These results are astounding and encouraging to all fellow gamers.

Now, on to my second point, better vision. A recent study in Nature, the weekly scientifi c journal, suggests that playing video games can be good for your vision (Berger). This is in direct opposition to the view that people who sit around the TV all day will inevitably develop poor vision. Better vision can help you everywhere, either driving your car, or sitting in class.

Which leads me to my final point, people who play video games perform better in school. This is attributed to the fact that gamers have better attention spans, and are subsequently less disruptive in class. In fact, in an article by the Cognitive Daily, an online magazine, children were introduced to a new type of learning by playing handheld games. Kids played these games for 30 minutes every day, to see what effects, if any it would have on the education of the children. These games were not directly related to education, but had educational principles incorporated into them. Instead of making kids do direct study, the games focused on a seemingly less challenging goal, like saving fairies from a prison. This allowed the children to stay focused on the game, instead of trying to do, for instance, math problems. Teachers were thrilled with the results of this study. In fact, “the children who played video games were more motivated, more likely to pay attention in class, and substantially less likely to be disruptive. Teachers, even those who were initially skeptical of the program, recognized signifi cant improvements in the classroom, and asked to be able to continue using the games in all their classrooms” (Munger). Also, Jesse Cravens, a teacher of students with emotional and behavioral disorders, says “I use XBOX as a positive reinforcer for appropriate behaviors. We also use 8 player capture the fl ag to promote the development of social skills, increased self image, and to foster teamwork. It provides a very effective opportunity for incidental teaching” (Munger). As you can see, there are many direct benefi ts to playing video games, and doing well on school work.

How much is too much, then? When does playing video games become a sin? Well, as Paul points out to us in 1 Corinthians 6:12, all things are permissible, but not everything is benefi cial. We can certainly play games, as long as they do not become an addiction for us. Video games can be a good, and healthy escape from our daily routines, but we must not be mastered by them. Otherwise, we would not be putting God fi rst in our lives, by serving him faithfully in our studies here at MLC. I believe this is the reason why we have those late night gamers up. Because they have already proven faithful throughout the day, and completed the tasks set before them. And, hopefully you too can now see the benefi ts of such practices. So before we jump the gun, and try to harp on our fellow brothers for wasting their time in front of the tube, let’s consider the possibility that they are actually trying to improve their ability to learn, and ultimately their ability to serve God.

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