MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'computer game'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:39:03 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3982123&cid=t_156495_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FRecoveryIsSexycom%2F%7E3%2FqW6E3yNE59w%2F How could a woman abandon her family for a fantasy life online? All too easily, as I discovered Few people would have read the shocking newspaper story thinking it had any bearing on their own lives. A mother neglected her three children, aged 13, ten, and nine, and let her two dogs starve to death because she was so obsessed with playing a computer game. Invited by a Facebook friend, she retreated into the competitive online game after the sudden death of her husband and abandoned all control of daily life. The decomposed dogs lay in the dining room; the children fended for themselves in squalor. Despite predictable online comments of the ‘lock her up and throw away the key’ variety, this woman was obviously mentally ill. Why didn’t somebody (the children’s teach... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3982123 Thu, 16 Sep 2010 15:39:00 +0100 3982123 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3592309&cid=t_156495_122_f&fid=38275&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.drjonathanreed.co.uk%2Fwordpress%2F2010%2F05%2Fcasual-games-that-are-educational%2F I recently wrote that too many educational computer games look too educational and are not fun to play.  I have recently, however, come across a couple of causal games that although they don’t set out to be educational actually are, but are also addictive and fun.   Casual games are simple, cheap games that are easy, yet compelling to play.   The first game Drop 7  by area/code is a game involving numbers but also works a bit like Tetris.  To play you have to drop different balls with numerals inside into rows or columns and try and ensure that the numerals and the number of balls match i.e. every time you line five balls up the ones with the numeral 5 in them disappears.  I think that this game, without intending to, actually reinforces numerosities,  which is the ability to ... Child Neuropsychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3592309 Sun, 23 May 2010 18:23:06 +0100 3592309 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3251296&cid=t_156495_122_f&fid=38275&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.drjonathanreed.co.uk%2Fwordpress%2F2010%2F02%2Fcomputer-games-and-neuropsychology-realizing-the-potential%2F There is increasing evidence that playing video games improves neuropsychological function.  I have just been reading another excellent paper from the people at the University of Rochester called Increasing Speed of Processing with Action Video Games.  The paper written by Mathew Dye, Shawn Green and Daphne Bavelier looks at a range of previous studies on reaction time and video game playing.  The introduction to the paper states: Playing action video games-contemporary examples include God of War, Unreal Tournament, GTA, and call of Duty – requires rapid processing of sensory information and prompt action, forcing players to make decisions and execute responses at a far greater pace than is typical in everyday life. Looking at lots of different studies they conclude that: Video ... Child Neuropsychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3251296 Mon, 08 Feb 2010 16:54:37 +0100 3251296 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2876182&cid=t_156495_122_f&fid=38275&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.drjonathanreed.co.uk%2Fwordpress%2F2009%2F10%2Fcomputer-games-can-improve-reading-and-maths%2F I have just seen the preliminary findings of the first independent research study on Neurogames, the games I have developed to help reading and maths.  The study was undertaken on 20 children aged 4 to 6.   10 children were given the computer games to play for 20 mins twice a week for 13 weeks at school.  10 children were not given the game and received normal teaching in a different class.  Both groups were tested on standardized reading and maths tests (WIAT) before and after the intervention.   The results show that the computer game group had an average maths score of 102 (average) before using the games which rose to 123 (above average) after playing the game for 13 weeks.  The average group reading score before playing the games was 101.7, which increased to 114.9 after the gam... Child Neuropsychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2876182 Thu, 08 Oct 2009 14:48:53 +0100 2876182 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2762009&cid=t_156495_122_f&fid=38275&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.drjonathanreed.co.uk%2Fwordpress%2F2009%2F09%2F5-reasons-to-develop-computer-game-based-learning%2F There is a lot of debate particularly in the media about the pros and cons about computer use with children.  I believe that there are some fantastic potential benefits in developing computer games to teach children.  Here are 5 of them: Dissemination of information- Our knowledge about child neuropsychological development is increasing all the time.  But there is a problem communicating this to teachers and parents and applying this knowledge. Computer game based learning allows this knowledge to be disseminated to a large number of children.  An example is dyslexia (by this I mean difficulties in learning to read). As neuropsychologists we know how reading develops, what part of the brain is involved, how to intervene to improve reading and how this  changes the brain areas involve... Child Neuropsychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2762009 Thu, 03 Sep 2009 16:02:29 +0100 2762009 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1833697&cid=t_156495_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2F403024865%2F Computer game boosts maths scores (BBC): - "It also found improvements in pupils' concentration and behaviour." - "The study involved more than 600 pupils in 32 schools across Scotland using the Brain Training from Dr Kawashima game on the Nintendo DS every day." - "Researchers found that while all groups had improved their scores, the group using the game had improved by a further 50%." - "Less able children were found to be more likely to improve than the highest attainers and almost all pupils had an increased perception of their own ability." Comment:  fascinating results supporting the potential role for "Serious Games" in education. Now, please take the results with a grain of salt, since the study doesn't seem to have been published... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1833697 Thu, 25 Sep 2008 18:20:46 +0100 1833697 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1152545&cid=t_156495_131_f&fid=35008&url=http%3A%2F%2Fscienceroll.com%2F2008%2F01%2F15%2Fvideo-game-surgeons%2F In a small study, they compared surgeons who played video games at least 3 hours a week to those who have never played. In their experiment, video gamers made 37% fewer errors and worked 27% faster. The video was made by Sciencentral. I’ve already subscribed to their Youtube feed. I encourage you to do the same. Anyway, I hope I’ll have time to see some results from similar experiments during the Medicine Meets Virtual Reality conference in the last days of January. Further reading: The International Virtual Association of Surgeons: Conference in Second Life! Virtual Hip Replacement: Be a Surgeon! Simulated Open Heart Surgery: Be a Surgeon! (Source: ScienceRoll) ScienceRoll blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1152545 Tue, 15 Jan 2008 19:28:11 +0100 1152545 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1031329&cid=t_156495_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2F185601919%2F Here you have a collection of recent news coverage on brain heath, fitness and training topics: 1- Great Memory Special in National Geographic, including - Interactive 3D map of the brain - Memory Game 2- Fascinating What the Beatles Gave Science, by Sharon Begley at Newsweek - "Even in novices, meditation leaves its mark. An eight-week course in compassion meditation, in which volunteers focus on the wish that all beings be free from suffering, shifted brain activity from the right prefrontal cortex to the left, a pattern associated with a greater sense of well-being." 3- One of the best editions of Scientific American Mind - Solving the IQ Puzzle "The 20th century saw the Flynn effect: massive gains in IQ from one generation to another. Now Flynn explains why" -... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1031329 Wed, 14 Nov 2007 04:50:24 +0100 1031329