Does Extensive World of Warcraft Make You dUmBer?

[Callace]

What does everyone think? If you play this game beyond a reasonable amount (a few hours a night or more) will your mental faculties diminish whatsoever?

[DrFeelGood]

your eyesight will, im living proof

[grandpab]

I read something about how people that play these games have a better memory, since there's so many things that you end up memorizing.

[Velyndina]

Does Extensive World of Warcraft Make You dUmBer??

Mmmm...no.

[Guthix]

my eyesight is terrible now.

[Trollsbane]

What does everyone thing? If you play this game beyond a reasonable amount (a few hours a night or more) will your mental faculties diminish whatsoever?

People are dumb or smart before they play, be it an hour a week or 10 hours a day. Don't put relevance where it doesn't belong.

[Rockmanzero]

Still if you feel dumb and actually are smart but never use the smart side of yourself you are gonna get a bit dumb sounds stupid but is true.

[Jademist]

I think, if you're playing well/are a good player, you can actually improve your mental agility and dexterity.
Being able to react to changing situations rapidly (which is largely found in PvP but can be in PvP as well) exercises the brain.

I for one do a lot of math in the game as well. And everyone knows...doing math everyday exercises your brain...or so I was told by my psychology professor.

Anyways, the point is, video games can actually be mentally stimulating given the right circumstances.
Even shooter games. They increase your hand-finger-eye coordination and reaction times, which are mentally stimulating as well.

But this, won't always be the case...

And really if you are dumb to begin with, then you are dumb. If you are smart to begin with, you can either get dumber, stay the same, or get smarter.

[Bloodax]

Kind of a loaded question, excessive anything is bad.

But in decent amounts I believe WoW makes you smarter (reading trade chat being the exception) PvE or PvP you learn to think quickly, work with other people as a team, make informed judgments (Crit vs Mastery, use Bloodlust now or save it to burn down the boss, go for their healer or try to take out the DPS) how to lead a team if that's your inclination and overall social skills within guild and Pugs, granted pugs could be less of a learning experience and more of an effective frustation vent but whatever.

[Callace]

The first option is a play on words, by the way...

[rektbrah]

It depends. Intellectually speaking, no; but your general knowledge arguably wont be as good as someone who reads the paper everyday instead of playing WoW - if you catch my drift.

Pretty much it makes you 'dumber' because you could be doing something which makes you 'smarter' such as reading a book (which adds words to your vocabulary mind you).

[Scifix]

Playing with little to no longer breaks for 5 years, havent really seen any change in my grades nor my eyesight, so i`d say no :P

[Callace]

It depends. Intellectually speaking, no; but your general knowledge arguably wont be as good as someone who reads the paper everyday instead of playing WoW - if you catch my drift.

Pretty much it makes you 'dumber' because you could be doing something which makes you 'smarter' such as reading a book (which adds words to your vocabulary mind you).

So insofar as it's a time-sink, in other words.

[Velyndina]

It depends. Intellectually speaking, no; but your general knowledge arguably wont be as good as someone who reads the paper everyday instead of playing WoW - if you catch my drift.

Pretty much it makes you 'dumber' because you could be doing something which makes you 'smarter' such as reading a book (which adds words to your vocabulary mind you).

WoW has added plenty of words to my vocabulary. Whether it be in-game, from Tseric or from players.

[Guthix]

you read all the time in WoW. I read the quests.

[donwayne]

all of you are wrong. being fat makes you dumb

[Callace]

WoW has added plenty of words to my vocabulary. Whether it be in-game, from Tseric or from players.

The writers have pretty good-sized vocabularies. More archaic than modern, but nonetheless.

[mordale]

no, but it does make you slightly anal.

[Deleted]

Yes slowly!
I have been playing it for years and still have not noticed anything!!

[Anakso]

I don't think WoW actively makes you dumber, and it all depends on what you would be doing otherwise. If instead of wow you would only be watching tv then WoWs probably going to be making you smarter. However on the other hand if instead of wow you'd be reading, or studying then obviously its doing the opposite, and I think the more you play wow the more likely it is that if you didn't play wow you'd be doing other things like reading etc