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Effects of video game play versus meditation/prayer in waking and dreaming experiences
(2016) Gackenbach, Jayne; Swanston, Dan; Stark, Hannah
Gackenbach (2008) hypothesized that video game play (VGP) may offer similar effects on consciousness as the practice of meditation. Based on various attention findings with both practices, VGP and meditation/prayer (M/P) were examined through the context of dream reports, change blindness tasks, and subjective reports of the effects of each practice in waking life. Although the dream content evaluation results were mixed, performance on the waking attention task was superior for gamers while self-reports of activity effects were highest for the M/P group. Experienced gamers reported experiencing higher levels of dream control in comparison to M/P practitioners. There was also a marginal difference found in dream lucidity favoring the M/P group. Gamers still reported more lucidity than controls. These findings imply that the absorbing qualities of VGP and M/P may share a similar role in their effects on consciousness.