Dude Where's My Console?

There you are, sitting at your desk. You're busy wiping an invading alien race from the face of the planet, or maybe racing around the city at 200MPH, or solving colourful puzzles. Whatever you're up to, the boss walks in and starts chewing you out for slacking off. What do you do?

Well fret no more! Now you can simply print him a copy of this post and send him on his way. Apparently, a few years ago, some lab coat types from the University of Utrecht decided to study the effects of playing video games on 60 Dutch insurance workers. They quantified job satisfaction and attitudes and found that the game players felt better about their jobs. And to think, most workplaces have a written policy banning the playing of games on the company clock.

Granted they were using the windows native games like minesweeper and solitaire, but that shouldn't stop you from being able to bring in your favourite console. Just recently a pair of researchers from Rochester said that gaming involves constant decision-making, prioritizing and choosing between options that teaches us how to think. Gaming teaches pattern recognition, a way of finding order in a chaotic world.

Trying to keep up with the likes of Burnout 3 has shown me that my brain is getting sluggish in its old age, so I will obviously have to just make a concerted effort to play more. Sorry honey, but I have to exercise my brain. I'll make sure to get a copy of the news article printed and tape it to the back of my head so the wife knows I'm not just goofing off.

Time to go and improve my mind.

Where's my Xbox?