Do you think Video games provides balance and coordination?

Well, whether or not you like video games I can firmly tell you a couple things about them.

1) The Navy uses MS Flight Sim to augment their formal Undegraduate Flying Training (UFT).

2) The Air Force will have a mix of 55% manned, 45% unmanned aircraft in the upcoming future. UAVs are literally some high tech videos, with an expensive product at the end.

Why risk a manned variant deep behind enemy lines when I can have a pilot, sitting at a console hundreds of miles away. Oh, and we he needs a potty break, or wants a snack, there's a second pilot there ready to relieve him. (UAV pilots in the AF must have a 4-year degree and an equivalent FAA commercial cert.)

3) The products we're developing in R&D use the premise that the "kids" have been in "training" for years at home with their joysticks in front of a monitor.

Look at the KC-X tanker programs. Both parties took the boomer out of the back and placed them behind the console with a remote vision system.


So to answer the question, yes video games do have a purpose if used appropriately.

On the other hand, children with some behavioral problems escape into video games so they don't have to interact with real people thus only aggravating their problems and avoiding the very things that will help to make them better. We took the game system away from our boys entirely because as much as they liked it, they simply could not play (even for an hour) without fighting. they are likewise limited to one hour per day of computer time.

Now they play outside and, brace yourselves, read books.

John's got a good point there as well.

I'd love to do a study one day on the correlation between addictive personalities and video games.

As an Air Force guy who loves his video games, flys the F-16, has over 1000 hours in UAVs, and has been involved in some of the human factors research into UAVs here's my $0.01 worth (hate recessions...).

First, for the OP. Yes. I firmly believe video games improve hand-eye coordinations as well as help train the mind on making quick decisions under pressure. I also believe that some of the newer technologies (the Wii as well as those mats for the dance games) provide some valid exercise. I'd offer they are not a complete replacement for kids getting outside and playing (or adults getting out and running).

As far as UAVs being expensive video games... That was my opinion when I showed up down there. I'm here to tell you that they take more piloting skills than a traditional airplane and you think you are in the airplane when you are flying it. Learning to fly it well was a surprisingly humbling experience. Not having flown any of the smaller tactical UAVs that don't have a "cockpit", but I think flying them would be more akin to a model airplane than a video game...

John

interactive games such as those like Wii sport have really helped the none sporty children get some excercise, and in built up areas this is sometimes the only option. severa lschools in the UK have games departments that have a suite of Wii systems - mainly to improve co-ordination.

I'd say that piloting a UAV versus a manned aircraft requires "different" piloting skills.

While you're not physically in the cockpit in a UAV, you do have to develop another sense.

In a manned aircraft, you have pax to be concerned with. So it's not what you can handle or stomach, it's how comfortable you want your pax to be.

Sorry guys, but you've been talking to a spammer who in all likelyhood hasn't even visited the forum since these threads were posted. His/her cunning plan was to improve their site's search engine performance by posting to a whole bunch of forums with links to their website.

I've only removed the spammer's posts, as I saw no reason to bin all the decent discussion going on in these threads.


Cheers,
Phil

Thanks Phil.

I've got to ask though, how'd you figure it out?

Google knows best.

Phil

Video game are great for helping to train and help certian skills grow.

As with so many things I think video games are great in moderation. I got my first computer when I was 5; a Commodore 64. I've been pretty much hooked on them sense... enough to become a software engineer after the Marine Corps.

Personally, I love video games of all types... first person shooters, flight simulators, and strategy games. I think there is a huge correlation between fast paced computer games and the various traits listed above; hand-eye coordination, quick thinking, risk management, and so forth. As the gaming consoles and games become more advanced I think this training grows. There have been many times that I was so focused on a flight sim game that I didn't even notice that I was sitting in a chair at home... but then I have a complete HOTAS, rudder pedals, headset to talk to others I am flying online with, head tracking system to control the view, etc. Very high immersion factor.

But, as I said above, they are good in moderation. I don't think we can blame the overweight kid epidemic on video games... it may play a small part though. And as for them making kids withdrawn and increasing the problems they are already facing... I am just not buying it. There may be a very small factor but there are so many other variables that come into play with this that you cannot even begin to pin it all on video games.

Terry_TBR said:

And as for them making kids withdrawn and increasing the problems they are already facing... I am just not buying it. There may be a very small factor but there are so many other variables that come into play with this that you cannot even begin to pin it all on video games.

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Please understand, I am not blaming video games for these kinds of problems in ALL children, simply that mine already suffer from developmental problems that tend to make them withdraw from other human beings. Video games, computer games, mp3 players, etc. all allow them to withdraw into their own private world which, for them, is the exact opposite of what they need to get better at interacting with humans. For average kids with normal development and good social skills I would simply recommend that parents set reasonable daily limits and stick to them.

As an undergrad, I had problems with computer based games. I would get so obsessed over them that I would let everythign else slide including grades. THey were really very primitive wargames by today's standards (hexes and unit symbols on stylized terrain).

I learned a lesson after a report card and unloaded the games. Now I don't even look at the adds because I know it will just get me sent to Fifth United Methodist Church of Possumtrot, TX as assitant groundskeeper.

Peartree said:

Please understand, I am not blaming video games for these kinds of problems in ALL children

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Sorry if I took your prior comment as a generalization across the board. That was my fault.

JAL3 said:

As an undergrad, I had problems with computer based games. I would get so obsessed over them that I would let everythign else slide including grades. THey were really very primitive wargames by today's standards (hexes and unit symbols on stylized terrain).

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There have been a few times that I have put off studying or doing homework to fire up a game and relax a bit. Luckily it has never been enough to affect my grade. But yeah... moderation is the key.