New research has claimed that video games may improve a range of attention-related visual skills.
The research, commissioned by the US Government's National Institute of Health, found that young adults who played action games such as Grand Theft Auto 3 and Medal of Honour, several times a week for at least six months are better able to monitor complex visual environments than non-players.
They can also keep track of more objects at one time, and process fast-changing visual information more efficiently. The subjects were aged between 18 and 23 and were divided into groups for four experiments.
Non-players can use action video games to improve their visual skills, the researchers found. Ten hours' training on Medal of Honour is enough to improve a range of visual skills, reports Nature (May 28).