Matt+Melanson

=Effects of Videogames on Reaction Time= toc

Goals
My project was set up to help people understand more about Reaction time and Hand-Eye Coordination. I wanted to find a correlation between the amount of time playing videogames and a quick reaction time. Ultimately, I thought that videogames would improve one's recation time because the basic idea of videogames is all about hand-eye. There was a lot of research that circled around the idea of my topic. Many claimed that a high reaction time can improve one's performance when drivin or doing everyday tasks. Some found that videogames can improve a sergeons job. With all the resounding research, I truly thought videogames would improve Hand-Eye coordination.

Discoveries
I learned many things aside from the result (that videogames do not help one's reaction time). First off, among the 30 people tested there was a clear correlation to the sport one plays and the person's reaction time. Hockey and Lacrosse players scored very well on the online reaction test, while soccer players scored rather poorly. I found that there are many ways to test reaction time and perhaps ways to improve it; however, videogames are not a good way to improve hand-eye coordination.

﻿Challenges
By narrowing the age range to nearly one year, and measuring the data from only one sex can be a vital part to experimenting with things reaction time. Size and strength are not easy to control, but difference in body type could potentially make a difference. Possible errors include not enough or too many trials (three). Time span between red and green zones (once screen turns red to green, it is time to click in order to record the reaction time), it is nearly impossible to regulate the screen because it is online, but it could play a role in differing scores. One controversial question one may ask is whether playing a shooting game or a sports game would make a difference. The games are very similar, but since both require button pressing at certain times and aiming at different targets, the games are more or less the same objective. All these possible errors are challenges that must be thought about before experimenting. Other challenges like catagorizing "gamers" could potentially make a difference in the experiment too.

Solutions
In solving the challenges and problems, there were many things to take away from the data, but how one solves the problem is important. By testing on-line on a specific website, the data stays consistent. HumanBenchmark.com's reaction test is reliable and proved to give great results. The average of three reaction scores gave the final score which was then calculated and examined for analysis.

Looking Back
After experimenting, there were a number of things that could have been done differently. For instance, the number of hours that are required to be a "gamer" could be catagorized differently and possibly cause different results. Also, having two catagories may influence results differntly than three or four catagories would.

5 Things I wish I had Known
1. Set dates for yourself to accomplish certain checkpoints. That way you will have ample time to review and correct your work instead of cramming in the last weekend.

2. Do research before picking your experiment or project. In doing this, you will be able to conduct the experiment that answers the question you want answered.

3. Start Earlier! Close to #1, but make sure the work is done gradually. If you do a page a week, your project will be done before yo know it.

4. Pick something you are truly interested in. I am not a big fan of videogames, reaction time is an interesting topic. If possible, find something that both entertains and interests you.

5. Have fun with the project. If your mentality is that the project is a task, it will feel like a task. If your state of mind is optimistic, you can have fun with the project.