Abstract:

Can playing action video games improve visuomotor control? If so, can these games be used in training people to perform daily visuomotor-control tasks, such as driving? We found that action gamers have better lane-keeping and visuomotor-control skills than do non–action gamers. We then trained nongamers with action or nonaction video games. After they played a driving or ?rst-person-shooter video game for 5 or 10 hr, their visuomotor control improved signi?cantly. In contrast, nongamers showed no such improvement after they played a nonaction video game. Our model-driven analysis revealed that although different action video games have different effects on the sensorimotor system underlying visuomotor control, action gaming in general improves the responsiveness of the sensorimotor system to input error signals. The ?ndings support a causal link between action gaming (for as little as 5 hr) and enhancement in visuomotor control, and suggest that action video games can be bene?cial training tools for driving.