Study Shows Games may be Good for Aging Brains

Here's a big duh article for me, but perhaps not for the rest of you:

Study Shows Games may be Good for Aging Brains - 1up.com.

This study, which shows playing video games helps older folks with their cognitive abilities (memory, reasoning, multi-tasking) really is no surprise to me. I attribute much of my own development of problem solving ability to playing video games. I might get knocked for saying it, but I always thought well designed, interactive, and engaging video games with a good story and lots of problem solving to typically be superior than your *average* book¹ for brain development and always superior to television or movies.

Most video games worth their salt, say something like the more recent Legend of Zelda or Warcraft III), are full of multiple branching decision points, cause and effect scenarios, quick decision making, and reinforcement of quick reflexes - albeit with your mind and fingers and not your typical functional muscle groups. You can not get this from the sedentary activity of being fed a movie or passively turning the page of some standard piece of fiction in which the words on the pages are never changed.

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¹Note that I said your average book. Even the best video games can't supplant good literature when it comes to enriching your noggin.

The importance of Defensive Tackles

The Sunday Night game last night between the Carolina Panthers and the NY Giants was further proof that having very good defensive tackles is a must to be a good football team in the NFL - or anywhere, for that matter. I have observed the downfall of the how stout the Jacksonville Jaguars defense was last year compared to this year after the departure of Marcus Stroud. Last night, it was the Panthers who were exposed after Maake Kemoeatu was unavailable. Their defensive line, while still above average, was vastly undersized and it showed. Poor Charles Johnson, a normally decent and young productive DE was force to play three technique some last night and got completely road-grated on the last two runs made by Derrick Ward by the Giants right side of their O-line. Not really his fault... guys at 270 pounds or less should not be asked to play in a three point stance on the interior of NFL defenses. Overall, it was a great game, but the lack of an presence at the DT position of Carolina was ultimately their downfall last night.

Yes... I play World of Warcraft

And... I have been playing it for about three weeks and I play on average, about one hour a day (probably one or two quests a day). The very last post before this one involved new statistics on the demography of video game players that should shoot a hole through any stigma we as a society should have on playing video games. More specifically I have noticed, there is an even larger stigma on players of massively multi-player online video games - stigmas and stereotypes that these people are loners sitting in their parents basements who have quit their jobs, eat Doritos all day and are completely unproductive members of society. Yup, just like football players are all misogynistic, violent, dumb brutes...

I like destroying stereotypes with my own actions personally and a side-effect of my playing this game is that I am helping defeat yet another stereotype - the WoW player.

For me, I just wanted a fun game to play during my downtime each day and was getting tired of playing Warcraft 3 (did I mention I love the Warcraft mythology :P). So I picked up all of the games on a discount over Thanksgiving and started playing. I have a level 14 Drawf Priest and enjoy just logging when my girlfriend is busy on something and I'm not busy, completing a few quests, joining a quick group if needed to help with a quest, and then log off after an hour or two or when my girlfriend is ready to hang out or if I have real work to do. It is a great game to play casually, and in fact caters itself toward the casual player with increased experience for those who have been offline for a period of time.

The cool thing about the game is that it has TONS of ever growing content and probably will not get old for a while with me. But all in all, I just think it is downright fun and enjoy the time I do spend playing it.

Time to Erase the Stigma on Playing Video Games?

It still does not fail that when I mention I play video games in my spare time as way of relaxing and using my brain to be active in doing fun thing I get odd looks from my significant other, family members, and friends.

Perhaps it is time I show them this research from the Pew Internet & American Life Project.

The major stats:
60 percent of adults ages 30 to 49 are gamers
50 percent of women are gamers
23 percent of adults age 65 report playing video games

That is astonishing and also validates that video games are becoming just as much of a way for people to have fun than the more commonly accepted sports watching or dinner/movie crowd.

Eliot Spitzer: Break up the Banks

Eliot Spitzer, the former governor of New York who resigned after engaging in less than honorable activities, is apparently now writing for Slate. The first article I read of his really resonated me - read it here. It basically discusses his opinion on our bailout of the banks. What is his thesis? We ought to make them smaller and keep them smaller so that the failure of one or a few huge monotholic entities does not put us into crisis mode much like we are now and also encourages them to be competetive.

I could not agree more with his assessment.

Jaguars Fail

I am now a Jaguars fan this year. I liked the team very much last year - they were a huge, imposing ball control team that played hard and gritty and smacked you in the teeth.

I became an official fan now after moving to Jacksonville and attending three games. However, this is an unfortunate fact now as the Jags really do not look like the gritty team they were last year, winning only one game against the Lions since my move. They seem to be anything but gritty, actually. I will forgo badmouthing them too much - the media and other local fans do enough of that already. I know what it feels like to bust your ass for a not-so-good team and still hear fans still jeer your team and newspaper columns talk about your lack of effort and skill as if the welfare of millions of people depended on it. It is hardly deserved, but it is what it is.

You see, the Jaguars still look like they play hard, but they look entirely dysfunctional doing it... and they aren't imposing at all despite the nice physical stats on their roster. It is as if almost anyone who had confidence on that team has lost it by this point.

Personally, I just hope they keep the next two home games entertaining and we see reduced ticket prices next year :P I will still remain a fan.