New study finds games altering perceptions of reality

University research carried out in the UK and Sweden describes gaming's intrusion into real life as a psychological condition known as Game Transfer Phenomena.

A new study conducted by Nottingham Trent University and Stockholm University has shed light on a new psychological phenomenon that sees some gamers involuntarily integrating elements of video game playing into real life.

One interviewee in the study reportedly began to see health bars appear above other people's heads; other interviewees reported seeing in-game menus, altered real-life scenarios, and dissociative experiences, like instinctively pressing a controller button even when not playing games.

Researchers from Nottingham Trent University and Stockholm University interviewed a total of 42 frequent video game players aged 15-21 for the study, which aims to demonstrate the long-term effects of video games through the analysis of Game Transfer Phenomena (GTP), a psychological state that occurs when players integrate elements of video game playing into real life by way of thoughts, sensations, and actions.

The study found that GTP can occur both intentionally and involuntarily, when players experience intrusive thoughts, sensations, impulses, reflexes, and optical illusions. It can also result in automatic behaviors that do with interaction and imitation (that is, imitating things from a game).

Players reported that the phenomenon tends to disappear when they game less often, and many reported to be well aware of the difference between the real world and the world of games, but their automatic associations often caused them to experience bizarre things. Half of the study subjects said that they often use elements of game playing to help them solve real-life problems.

"The GTP study, while based on a small number of video game players, demonstrated that playing video games intensely can be associated with the elicitation of automatic thoughts," Angelica Ortiz de Gortari, one of the study's authors, said about the study on her research blog.

The study will be published in the July-September 2011 issue of the International Journal of Cyber Behaviour, Psychology and Learning.

Source: http://uk.gamespot.com/news/6335875/new-study-finds-games-altering-perceptions-of-reality?tag=updates%3Beditor%3Ball%3Btitle%3B10

This study is bogus. Both I and my fairy Tin Tin find it bogus. Now I gotta go pick up my Snivy from the vet. Better remember to bring some med kits with me just in case those nasty zombies decide to attack.

One thing and i am not joking about it but a few years ago when i was addicted to call of duty online, being australian the games would always lag pretty bad, so after hours of constantly enduring the effects of lag, when i stop playing it takes a good few minutes to De Lag my brain from lagging the real world.

So what would happen is that my brain got used to processing each moment with a delay which was caused by lag so when i stopped playing i was still processing in a lag type state. Its hard to explain but the feeling is like a skipping effect that acts like when running on a treadmill for a while and hoping straight off you would still feel liek your moving forward but you weren't moving at all. So basically it was like that but it was like lag so skipping around a bit.

Now right there is gaming being merged in real life but this occur with movies i guess as well. But yea this stuff isn't so far fetched as it seems, because when you think about how dreams are made in that its a collection of images and events pasted into recordings of your daily life. So the brain is powerfull that if you are that mentally unstable that it can start pasting non reality images onto what you are viewing in your eyes.

Tho the people could be bullshitting for attention and hallucination could all be bogus as well.

O_O

Are you saying that this thing is legit?! Did you also just call yourself mentally unstable?

I've played games since I was old enough to hold a controller, and I never experienced anything even remotely close to what they said these people reported.

They should use normal healthy people in their study.

Well, I assume using mental institution patients may somehow skew the results...

Meh, this happens with everything, nothing new.

If you use escalators often, when you get on an escalator that's not moving, you have a weird feeling because your brain expects it to move and the body acts accordingly.

If you get on the transiberian train for two weeks, when you get off you need time to adjust to the floor not moving.

This most likely happens less often with games, only someone who plays very intensely would experience this for short periods of time. But it's not something specific of videogames.

what does this study have anything to do with bringing save/load function to real life? if it can't make me re-load my life to 5th grade then it is bogus.

"One interviewee in the study reportedly began to see health bars appear above other people's heads; other interviewees reported seeing in-game menus, altered real-life scenarios, and dissociative experiences, like instinctively pressing a controller button even when not playing games."

I found this paragraph hilarious

This paragraph reminds me of an episode of Misfits, where a guy thought he was in a GTA-style video game. Creepy stuff.