May 09, 2004

Improve your self-esteem Play games!

Researchers at Montreal's McGill University claim that playing a computer game for five minutes each morning would help you feel more secure and confident in yourself. Not any computer game of course, but they designed some remarkably simple Flash games that apparently have this effect. I haven't played them for extended amounts of time, but I must say that my mood went up when I saw all those happy faces in 'EyeZoom'. Dunno if it works for you. [via Dutch science log 'Noorderlog']

posted by mare 20 years ago
  • The Eyespy game is pretty cool... had no idea that I might have to work so hard to find a smile in a group of 16 people.
  • No kidding, rolypolyman. I had trouble telling happy from sad. What a self esteem killer!
  • I might suck less at the Chi game if it would let me actually type my name in. I was forced to score points by clicking on an empty, nameless cloud and associating it with myself. Now I'm even less confident.
  • The sheep looks like it was goosed during the chi power up. Why a sheep? Wouldn't a goat or something be more confident?
  • I'll commit suicide before finishing that insuferable smile game
  • You'd think it would work both ways; wouldn't the (fabulously titled) "Wham!" game generate a strange distaste for anyone named Clifford and Margaret?
  • Should be an "or," though I suppose someone could be named both.
  • I think they should allow alternate (the undesirable ones) names to be created by the player in "Wham!". It really cheesed me off to see my dad's name pop up, and then this distasteful look appear.
  • I think it's bullshit. It looks like someone's working on their psych thesis...and we're the unwitting guinea pigs.
  • Games should be played for fun. I found none of these games are fun.
  • I think bees brings up a good point. These are cheesy applications of theory. The challenge would be to create a game that people actually wanted to play on a regular basis, rather than a simplistic click fest that even children could see right through. However, I think this is a good start. Especially after listening to a 12 year old nephew play Halo in a ecstatic frenzy of lust for killing.