Action-Video-Game Experience Alters the Spatial Resolution of Vision

TLDR

Playing action video games enhances several aspects of visual processing, but the mechanisms remain unclear. The study investigates whether action video game play can alter fundamental visual system characteristics, specifically spatial resolution across the visual field. Spatial resolution was assessed by measuring the minimal target–distractor distance that still allows target identification, exploiting crowding effects. Action‑video‑game players tolerated smaller target–distractor distances than nonplayers, and training nonplayers on the game produced similar improvements, confirming a causal link between game play and enhanced spatial resolution.

Abstract

Playing action video games enhances several different aspects of visual processing; however, the mechanisms underlying this improvement remain unclear. Here we show that playing action video games can alter fundamental characteristics of the visual system, such as the spatial resolution of visual processing across the visual field. To determine the spatial resolution of visual processing, we measured the smallest distance a distractor could be from a target without compromising target identification. This approach exploits the fact that visual processing is hindered as distractors are brought close to the target, a phenomenon known as crowding. Compared with nonplayers, action-video-game players could tolerate smaller target-distractor distances. Thus, the spatial resolution of visual processing is enhanced in this population. Critically, similar effects were observed in non-video-game players who were trained on an action video game; this result verifies a causative relationship between video-game play and augmented spatial resolution.