Can video games affect lucid dreaming frequency? This correlation was first discovered by researcher Jayne Gackenbach in 2006. When she interviewed university students who were more likely to have lucid dreams, she found that there were many experienced gamers among them.
Indeed, playing video games on a regular basis can have an effect on our brains and promote skills useful for lucid dreaming. For example, experienced gamers have improved visual attention, reaction speed, and spatial orientation. They are also better at solving intellectual tasks and coping with problems because they often encounter them in game scenarios.
A 2019 study published in the Dreaming journal found that lucid dream frequency is associated with specific video game genre. Marc Sestir, an assistant professor at the University of Central Arkansas, came to this conclusion thanks to a tip from a gamer student who took part in the work. Based on the survey responses of 297 students, the researchers found that those who play physically interactive video games have better control over their dreams and more lucid dreams. The technologies of such games allow players to synchronize their movements with those of characters.
Special sensors in devices such as the Microsoft Kinetic or Nintendo Wii detect the player’s movements, facial expressions, and voices, allowing full control of the character. In fact, such games condition players to consider their every movement or action in advance, which, of course, is helpful in developing dream control. In the future, this discovery may help people not only have more lucid dreams, but also learn to control nightmares. However, more research is still needed to assess this effect.
