How do fast-paced video games affect the brain? Step into the lab with cognitive researcher Daphne Bavelier to hear surprising news about how video games, even action-packed shooter games, can help us learn, focus and fascinatingly, multi-task. Stereotypically, first person shooters have a poor reputation when it comes to how they affect gamers. Some critics claim they’re pointless and mind-numbing, while others may not approve of the violence. Daphne Bavelier, a brain scientist, crushes many of the negative perceptions surrounding FPS games.

ABOUT TED

TED is a Non Profit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. It started in 1984 as a Conference bringing together people from three worlds: Technology, Entertainment and Design.

ABOUT Daphne Bavelier
Daphne Bavelier is a Professor at the University of Geneva who studies cognitive neuroscience. Prior to this appointment, she was a Professor of Brain and Cognitive Sciences at the University of Rochester. She obtained her PhD in Brain and Cognitive Sciences from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston, MA and trained in human brain plasticity. Her research also showed that action video games can improve visual acuity in the amblyopic eye.

Our BAM! Card Game