Do video games improve hand-eye coordination?

Video games have been shown (especially FPS’ and RTS’) to increase hand-eye coordination and decision-making skills.

9 Likes

I think that spending time discussing whether or not yoyoing is a waste of time is wasting time that could be used yoyoing.

11 Likes

Time is used to be wasted.
We spend our limited lifetime yoyoing.
This is our lives!

3 Likes

Only within the game and on the controller, not in real life practice. Respawn games actually have reverse effects in real life scenarios, go play paintball and you’ll understand why video games are just games… on the other hand yoyoing practices true hand eye coordination, not virtual.

1 Like

Not true. In fact many surgeons now practice complicated procedures with specially-designed ‘games’.

Haha is this a thinly veiled nod to the trope of ‘violent video games create violent people’ or that people lessen the value of a life because you can die and respawn in video games? That’s a horrible argument. It’s been disproven a thousand times.

1 Like

That has absolutely nothing to do with hand eye coordination. They use robotics and computers for extremely precise procedures, but those programs do not improve hand eye coordination outside of the program. Also training programs can help you learn how to use the controls on flight simulators, but again, they do not translate into real world situations. Look at your tv screen, then look at the world around you, the scale is impossible to replicate. Virtually reality can help but even if the calibration is off by one degree, you’ll be training the wrong muscle memory

1 Like

This has nothing to do with learning or training how to do something. Obviously you can’t learn how to ride a motorcycle by playing a motocross game, because it lacks a required real world-element.

There are certain video games where the faster your reaction speed, the better you’ll do. Quickly identifying objectives in the game and responding with the appropriate button combinations and movements increases finger dexterity and can help improve reaction speed. It may not offer the spatial aspect as juggling or yoyoing does, but there can be noticeable improvements nonetheless.

1 Like

Here’s a fun exercise: in VR throw a ball against a wall for 20 minutes, take off the goggle and throw a real ball against a wall and try to catch it.

2 Likes

I’d rather throw a ball at a virtual brick wall than talk to one.

5 Likes

Regarding the hand-eye coordination argument, I don’t think gaming helps too much. But just because you arent improving hand-eye coordination via gaming doesn’t mean that there arent other areas of your brain being strengthened depending on the game. Respawn FPS games would most definitely improve attention and reaction time. True, you could probably get the same benefits via yoyo with an added bonus of improved hand-eye coordination, but whether yoyo would do this to a lesser or greater extent has not been studied (to my knowledge) and is up to speculation.

Saying simulations and games can’t have real life benefits is laughable given the research. Not everything can be learned via simulation, true, but to dismiss it entirely is objectively false.

4 Likes

The military knew this for a very long time now.

2 Likes

I am a big fan of Age of Empires game.I think It is good to play the games for limited amount of time like 1hr or 2 hr in a day and the rest of the day focusing on work.

1 Like