Don't worry readers, Editorial cartoonist Michael Layman is fine. He has however been holed up for a few weeks now playing "Skyrim," like many other college-aged videogame fans. If you see him, could you tell him to get back to work?

 

By Josh Williams–

Once upon a time (Nov. 11, to be precise) a videogame was released. This was no ordinary game as it caused students to miss class, seclude themselves in their rooms for long periods of time, and even start threatening friends and family with “dragon shouts.” With the quickly approaching conclusion of the semester, many began to worry. How would their grades stay passing when they could not attend class, but instead, were forced to play this game?

I speak, of course, of the recent release of Bethesda’s Skyrim which has drawn the attention of a large population, including college students. With the release of this, and Infinity Ward’s Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3, many students have spent hours playing video games often forsaking studying, or eating in rare cases, of any sort. With all of this time spent in front of a television with minimal movement, one may wonder how this will affect a person’s health and grades.

Many are familiar with the popular belief told by parents that playing video games will rot your brains; however, with recent research, video games are gaining appeal among parents. According to pri.org, playing video games might have positive effects on a person’s health- an argument made by gamers for years.

But what positive effects could sitting in front of a TV possibly have? For starters, hand-eye coordination has been shown to dramatically heighten; People who utilize a controller while watching a screen have better hand eye correlative skills, a trait that sports teams try to perfect. Furthermore, research has shown that those who play video games develop a higher amount of plasticity in the visual cortex, a component essential to seeing and recognizing the objects in vision (abc.net.au.). This is helpful when spotting the enemy trying to flank in Call of Duty or when a driver of a semi-truck on the interstate drives a little too close.

Along with visual plusses, gaming also provides a possible mental stimulus. Games, such as Tetris, utilize puzzle techniques that require the gamer to think and problem-solve in order. So, when your level 12 mage in Skyrim has to solve a puzzle involving runes being in the right location in order to enter the ancient tomb (as exciting as that sounds), your cognitive ability to create solutions is being honed.

Despite this research, many still believe that video games are a source for numerous issues such as social interaction. However, with semi-recent technological advances, gaming is a modern way of interacting with friends. Together, you interact with friends, cooperatively work together to overcome obstacles, and have fun.

With all of these benefits, maybe missing class isn’t so bad. They’re learning crucial skills by having fun at the same time- an achievement class lectures have yet to accomplish.

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Photo courtesy Bethesda Softworks