Video games could change the way we dream, says psychologist

Yes, hardcore gamers: your intense habit does affect the way you dream, a psychologist at a Canadian university said.

Jayne Gackenbach became fascinated with how video games can affect dreaming after her son Teace got hooked on Nintendo in the early 90s, tech site The Verge reported.

"The major parallel between gaming and dreaming is that, in both instances, you're in an alternate reality, whether a biological construct or a technological one. It's interesting to think about how these alternate realities translate to waking consciousness, when you are actually reacting to inputs from the real world," she said.

Hardcore gameplay involved regular playing with each session lasting more than two hours, several times a week.

Gackenbach reached that conclusion first in 2006, when she noted gamers and lucid dreamers displayed traits like intense focus and superior spatial awareness when awake.

"Indeed, when she surveyed 125 gamers and non-gamers on the frequency with which they experienced lucid dreams, Gackenbach found a strong association between the two," The Verge said.

The Verge also noted Gackenbach and colleagues had authored a recent paper that affirmed "hardcore" gamers were more likely to experience lucid dreams.

Gackenbach's subsequent studies also found that during lucid dreams, gamers had control only over themselves as a character, but could toggle between first and third-person point-of-view.

"Gamers already know what it's like to be in control in an alternate reality. So it makes sense that a gamer would notice, ‘hey, I'm in a dream,' and know how to manipulate that situation," she said.

Nightmares

The Verge said Gackenbach's other studies showed some heavy gamers "seem non-plussed by dreams that would qualify as nightmares," or those that present threatening situations.

Instead, the studies showed gamers could take control over such "unpleasant" dreams.

Male gamers

However, The Verge noted the findings largely applied solely to male gamers.

"At least for male gamers, gaming seems to be sort of protective against nightmares, and that can largely be seen as a good thing, the threat is less upsetting, and doesn't wake you up," Gackenbach said.

Threats in waking life

The Verge said such an effect on gamers can help them navigate threats when awake.

It cited one theory first postulated by psychologist Antti Revonsuo that suggested nightmares are an evolutionary mechanism meant to "train" us to deal with threats in a safe environment.

Gackenbach said this could have "significant benefits" if it applied to military personnel.

"Maybe games can actually remove the ‘need' for nightmares and the threatening feelings that come with them," she said.

More bizarre dreams

Meanwhile, Gackenbach noted gamers may tend to have more "bizarre" dreams, including those with far-fetched scenarios such as imaginary characters or space travel.

But such bizarre dreams could lead to enhanced creative output in day-to-day life, suggesting gaming might make people more creative.

Still, research is limited as researchers still cannot observe an actual dream, and rely on participants' narration. — VC, GMA News