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Study: Action games help you make fast decisions

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A study at the University of Rochester has found that playing action games trains players to make the correct decisions at a faster pace.

Non-gamer 18-to-25 year olds were split into two groups, with one set playing Call of Duty 2 and Unreal Tournament, and the other set playing The Sims 2.

After playing the games, the subjects were tasked with answering simple question about the game in as little time as possible: the action game players came up with accurate answers up to 25 percent faster than the second group.

Researcher Daphne Bavelier said games help players' brains to more efficiently process visual and auditory information.

"It's not the case that the action game players are trigger-happy and less accurate: They are just as accurate and also faster," she said.

"Action game players make more correct decisions per unit time. If you are a surgeon or you are in the middle of a battlefield, that can make all the difference."

Amazing. Thanks, 1UP.

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Patrick Garratt

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Patrick Garratt is a games media legend - and not just by reputation. He was named as such in the UK's 'Games Media Awards', the equivalent of a lifetime achievement award. After garnering experience on countless gaming magazines, he joined Eurogamer and later split from that brand to create VG247, putting the site on the map with fast, 24-hour a day coverage, and assembling the site's earliest editorial teams. He retired from VG247, and the games industry, in 2017.

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