Today, I’ll
dive back into concerning video games because there’s a subject that caught my
attention. Part of the debate concerning video games is how it affects our
eyes. I don’t have any studies to back up my theories, only experience and what
I have heard or read over the years as well as trying to recall biology from a
long time ago. It’s an interesting area because studies support both arguments
that they are good or bad. So this is an attempt to try and decipher how that
can be (and maybe how we can make it only benefits).
The first thing to address is
how it could possibly be bad for your eyesight. The reasons would be the same
for TV, computer usage, and even book reading in general. If we use them late
at night or in not properly lighted spaces, we could be hurting our eyesight.
My theory for this is that we are confusing our rods and cones (the receptors
in our eyes). If the rest of the room is dark, then we are probably going to be
overloading the ones that are used in the dark.
Another problem would be forgetting
to blink. This would cause some strain on the eye. One thing to realize is that
we are looking straight at a light source, so not only would this confuse our
eyes, we also dry them out. Another theory I have is that we don’t really
change focus and since we might forget to blink, our muscles tighten up.
Now in relation with the focus,
I have already mentioned. This is the same as with book reading when we don’t
shift focus, but only concentrate on the 2D plane. As said before, the problem
would be the improper exercise of our eye muscles. Though, if something is not
in proper focus or good quality, we might also overwork our muscles.
One section to consider is why
we think it’s bad for our eyesight. I think part of the idea came with the
association of games (and computers back in the day) with nerds and geeks who, stereotypically,
wore glasses. There’s also the connection that the kids who had these would play
for far too long. I think these images got so ingrained within our minds, that
the effects of such associations still lingers with us, even as these things
become common for everyone.
Now to address the benefits for
eyesight. I recall reading a long time ago how people who played first person
shooters like Call of Duty had better vision and were able to perceive small
details and movements easily. I think the nature of those games make sense how
they would train these aspects of vision.
Another benefit I think games
like Call of Duty have is the 3D world. Games that allow you to be able to
shift focus, by simulating depth, help you properly exercise your eyes. By
changing focus, we naturally blink more too, so this addresses dryness as well.
I also heard that these kind of
games helped people to distinguish colors more. I think the reason would be is
that the environments created in video games tend not to be bland and stable.
Something is generally happening all the time, especially in the more recent
games. So players learn to become more aware of the details in what they can
see. This probably also helps with peripheral vision too.
There is one other thing I was
thinking about. I think 3D world games help with hand-eye coordination when it
comes to depth. For a long time, I heard the idea that you lose depth perception
if you only have one eye, but I didn’t seem to have a problem when I tested
that theory. I could play tennis just as well as when both eyes are open. I
think it’s because 3D game worlds simulate depth, but unable to make it actual.
I know that may not make sense, so I’ll try a different explanation.
In a game set in a 3D
environment, especially First Person games, you see the world, but the true
depth perception granted by having two eyes, cannot be replicated unless you
get a good and recently made Nintendo 3DS game, or play on a 3D TV. So this
actually trained us to be able to act without proper depth perception.
No comments:
Post a Comment