Games, Electric Shocks Show How Brain Handles Fear

A paper published in Science says videogames were used in a study determining the means with which the brain deals with imminent danger. The study used a “Pac-Man-like” game, where players moved a triangle through a maze, all the while avoiding a “predator”. If the predator caught the player, they’d receive an electric shock. What did this teach scientists? It helped show them which areas of the brain react, and how much they react, when someone’s confronted with fear. And this helped…how? No idea. Think it was just so the scientists could contribute to the greater body of knowledge by blowing their grant on a Pac-Man clone and frying a few hapless uni students.
Video game sheds light on fear [BBC, thanks A Hewlett!]