In a story related to yesterday's post about whether or not video games are good for kids, CBC News is reporting that special computer games could be beneficial in developing what is referred to as executive attention in children aged 3-7. This is the ability to tune out distractions and become aware of only information that is useful to the task at hand. As refreshing as it is to see such a rare display of positive support for our industry, the results from this study are somewhat suspect. The researchers offer no clear definition as to what constitutes "useful information" in the video game used, although they do point out that while successfully performing tasks in the game at graduated difficulty levels, the young test subjects were exposed to deliberate distractions. We're guessing mom was brought in for that part of the study. Distraction 1: "Sweetie, please go clean up your room." Distraction 2: "Looks like someone needs to take a time out." Distraction 3: "Do you want me to bring your father in here?"
