Real scientists use Duke Nukem
by Conrad Quilty-Harper 
{ Apr 18th 2006 at 6:55AM }
According to a study by a group of
Belgian scientists, having a good night's sleep could improve your chances of finding your way around a foreign city or
a map from a first person shooter. After being trained up in a custom version of Duke Nukem, volunteers were
asked to find landmarks around a virtual city while their brains were being scanned with MRI. They were then split into
two groups: one group was allowed a good night's sleep and the other was not.When the volunteers were asked to play the game again, the scientists found that the group that were allowed to sleep used a different region of their brain to find their way around the map which allowed them to make almost automatic decisions about where to go. However, the sleep-deprived players used the same region of the brain as they used when they were being trained which required more thinking. What the study suggests is that sleep accelerates the normal process of memory retrieval -- a well rested individual will "somehow know that [he/she has] to turn left, or right or carry straight on."
A great example of the usefulness of games in scientific research, but what we want to know is: did anyone take any pictures of the massive scientists-only LAN party at the end?!
[Thanks, Nik G]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Jeffler @ Apr 18th 2006 7:14AM
No, because they were actually using Duke Nukem Forever, lol.
Milton Bradley @ Apr 18th 2006 7:20AM
It took a group of people and scientists to figure it out? What?! Everyone knows your brain needs a good night sleep in order to perform well at school, work or playing video games if that.
Regardless if you're gonna use a map or not, get those 8 hours of sleep. I know I didn't. I stayed up last night watching Futurama :/
Insomnia Bob @ Apr 18th 2006 7:29AM
Somehow, I just can't see any experiment using Duke Nukem as being "Good Science".
But, now at least we know why Forever is taking so long. It is being developed not only as a first person shooter, but a next generation VR lab simulator!
That's why the ten year dev cycle! They had to include every physical and psychological principal KNOWN TO MAN in the engine!
Nik G @ Apr 18th 2006 8:58AM
Remember to take a good night's rest at your next LAN party (if that's even possible)!
Deuce @ Apr 18th 2006 11:10AM
News Flash! Scientists discover that sleep deprivation hinders clear thinking!
Jose @ Apr 18th 2006 11:21AM
Okay, so it is, indeed, very obvious that good sleep helps one retain information better than without, that's a given. But what these scientists were doing is trying to figure out why, and how: That's science Milton, not just saying "That's how it is because that's just how it is."
Also, only us dorks would want to see pictures of scientists working in tandem at their computers. I don't think they thought there would be an audience for photos.
Insomnia Bob @ Apr 18th 2006 11:35AM
It depends, Jose. Are they hot chick scientists? Like in those movies I used to see on Cinemax late at night?
Lothar of the Hill People @ Apr 18th 2006 12:28PM
Read all about it in the this week's issue of the medical journal "Duh" Magazine.
Babu @ Apr 18th 2006 2:53PM
I really hope these so-called scientists arent getting paid more than me, because they are stating what is already so obvious it makes me want to have unprotected sex with an hiv positive prostitute and claim to have discovered how one would contract hiv.
Wether or not they want to discover why a full-nights rest allows one to perform better is trivial. There has already been tons of research on this subject and these people do not deserve to get money for researching the effects of sleep deprivation on their duke nukem playing subjects.