Studies show video games stimulate brain function

I am totally addicted to "Guitar Hero III".

It's not that I'm good at it - I still play on easy, and I haven't even heard of half the songs.

But there's something about Johnny Napalm in his skin-tight skeleton T-shirt rocking out to the Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Suck My Kiss" that really gets my blood pumping.

This isn't my style of entertainment. Before "Guitar Hero III," the last video game I played was "Toejam & Earl."

My interest was passive at best.

Back then, my brothers - all avid gamers - holed themselves up in their rooms for hours playing "Sonic the Hedgehog" and "Street Fighter 2." I occasionally joined in - spastically fiddling with the controller while Chun-Li did a series of aerial spinning kicks against Blanka.

Fancy finger-work and 2D cartoon characters were not enough to hold my attention for more than five minutes.

Today, things are different. Games are 3D and involve more complex situations and obstacles than ever before. They're packed with enough excitement to turn even me into a video-game fanatic.

So now that I'm hooked, I have to justify the time I waste in front of my TV with a plastic guitar strapped across my chest.

Lucky for me, there's a good reason - studies suggest some video games can improve certain aspects of brain function.

A March 2007 study by the University of Rochester involving a group of college-aged people who played 30 hours of "Halo", "Gears of War" and "Lost Planet" showed a significant increase in the ability of the subjects to "track" specific objects in a busy scene, focus on multiple objects at the same time and process fast-changing visual information.

The benefits don't stop there.

As any gamer with a Nintendo Wii can tell you, video games can improve physical coordination.

Researchers at Iowa State University agree. The university's August 2003 study tested the motor skills, reaction time and hand-eye coordination of 33 doctors. The study found that the doctors who habitually played video games made 37 percent fewer mistakes and performed tasks 27 percent faster during surgery than non-gaming doctors. So if you plan on going to medical school, get a Wii and play "Marble Mania" - the small, delicate hand movements required are crucial skills for surgeons.

Because studies like these prove video games can be more than just mindless entertainment, scientists and game designers are creating games geared toward improving a multitude of specific neurological functions.

In fact, NASA video gaming technology for treating ADHD in children is already on the market. "S.M.A.R.T. BrainGames" utilizes a biofeedback sensory mechanism that measures brain activity during the game. The game measures performance based on the player's ability to control the frequency of his brain waves.

By helping brain waves settle into a more "normal" pattern, biofeedback technology is used to reduce excitement and stress - factors that inhibit the brain's ability to focus and react quickly.

It's hard to imagine getting all that from a video game, but these implications are very real. The merging of biofeedback technology with video gaming has been used to treat everything from drug addiction to post-traumatic stress syndrome.

Luckily, I don't need any psychotherapy from my PlayStation 2 - all I want is an hour or two of entertainment.

"Guitar Hero III" provides that and more mental stimulation than I thought possible a week ago.

From eyes to brain to fingertips, it allows me to experience the euphoria of synchronizing brain waves and perfect manual dexterity - all advantages of optimal brain function.

I am actively engaging in one of the most notoriously addictive hobbies of our time - and nothing has ever felt so right.

---- Contact Amber Scroggs at ascroggs@lsureveille.com