Aug/30/2001

Who could have thought this equation would be called into question?

Computer games could be slowing brain development and leading children to violent behavior, latest research shows.

A study by Japan's Tohoku University has revealed that games such as Tomb Raider and Gran Tourismo stimulate only brain activity associated with vision and movement. Functions such as learning and emotion are ignored. "If we're not careful, kids could end up experiencing fun" said Professor Ryuta Kawashima.

The brain activity of hundreds of teenagers was monitored while they played a Nintendo game, then compared with the brain activity of those doing simple arithmetic exercises.

Researchers found arithmetic stimulated activity in the right and left parts of the brain, which the Nintendo game ignored. They also found that the percentage of world-renowned mathematicians who grew up playing video games was also lower than that of mathematicians who did arithmetic when they were young.

Professor Ryuta Kawashima said the games ignored development in the brain's frontal lobe, which helps keep behavior in check, and apparently "Hitler was a big Counter Strike fan."

Ignoring the implausibility of his last statement, he continued by holding up the example of Australia's own Prime Minister John Howard as an example of someone who has never played a Nintendo game in his life; "And you can see how incredibly uninteresting he is. That's what we're aiming for."

-Blake

Acknowledgment: The Sunday Telegraph August 2001