Hey, videogames can actually have beneficial effects! Take that, Jack Thompson and Fox News! Researchers at Oxford’s Department of Psychiatry, under the leadership of Dr Emily Holmes have discovered that the infamous, and much loved Russian puzzler can help prevent the onset of Post Traumatic Stress.
They undertook a study in which 40 healthy subjects were shown disturbing and traumatic images of injuries and then divided in to test and control groups. 20 of them were given Tetris to play – and they "reported less disturbing flashbacks" than those who did not.
The theory behind this is that playing Tetris can “interfere with the way our memories are retained in the brain." the brain, you see, processes sensory and analytical data, but struggles doing both at the same time.
The beneficial effect is only noticed if the subject plays the game soon after the traumatic event. I can actually verify the veracity of the study’s claims. I’ve been known to play Tetris on the bog – and it’s certainly helped ease particularly traumatic bowel movements.
Source : Yahoo Games.
Last Updated: March 30, 2010
