Canadian researchers built upon past studies “suggest[ing] that frequent video game players, known as gamers, may possess greater awareness and control in dreams,” and tested whether soldiers who played more “hardcore” games like “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2” and “World of Warcraft” among others had better control over their night-time demons than those who didn’t.
Both groups saw about the same levels of deployment and combat in real life, and experienced about the same level of aggression and threat in their dreams. The big difference was how the soldiers reacted to dream threats.While more research needs to be done to confirm the findings, the US military is already funding further research into using “virtual simulation that could help new recruits mentally prepare for the potential stresses of war.”
"The low-end gamers were sadder, angrier and more fearful [in real life]," Gackenbach told InnovationNewsDaily. "That's concerning, but again I controlled for that because it was the gaming I was interested in."
Full story at Live Science.