Toss out the carrots and contact lenses; video games are the real key to improving eyesight.

A recent study published by Nature Neuroscience showed that contrast sensitivity increased more in video game players than in non-video game players. Contrast sensitivity is the ability to detect shades of grey on a uniform background.

Although this seems like an innocuous study, it’s part of an idea that the time-wasting activity of playing video games can actually be useful.

That is the thinking behind the Serious Gamers Initiative. According to their Web site, their goal is “to help usher in a new series of policy education, exploration, and management tools utilizing state of the art computer game designs, technologies and development skills.”

The Serious Gamers Initiative holds several conferences around the world to discuss the utility of video games, including their Games for Change conference in May and the Games for Health conference in June.

Sessions in the Games for Health conference include “Games for Psychology sessions” and “Using Wii Games to Help Parkinson’s Patients.”

If a useless activity like video games can have utility, why not apply this kind of thinking to other wastes of time?

Times like the long drive. Often drivers put in their iPods and listen to their favorite songs. But instead of listening to songs you’ve heard before, try listening to new music on the radio.

You may not like it. But it’ll expand your cultural horizons, and that’s something everyone could use.

The waiting room at the doctor’s office is just a time to flip through a 5-month-old issue of “Good Housekeeping” and wonder what’s wrong with the other patients. But why not bring in a current publication (hint, hint) to start reading there?

You may find that you like it, and even if you don’t continue to read it consistently, whatever you read will be more useful than an article on how to cook a turducken.

One of the most detrimental inactive activities is sitting down. Many studies have shown that sitting down is bad for backs; also, long periods of the inactive activity can attribute to weight gain.

Sitting down causes the body to slow many of its metabolism functions. Important fat-burning enzymes like lipoprotein lipase stop working.
A lot of time is spent sitting in front of computers could be spent standing in front of them. You don’t have to build a treadputer (treadmill in front of computer), but simply standing keeps metabolism at higher levels than sitting down.

Advocate for a walking meeting instead of having a sit-down meeting with your co-workers. Save money by parking in a farther lot and walking to class.

To alleviate time spent sitting in front of computers and televisions: Sell or donate your chairs. If you need to sit, sit on the floor.

You’ll certainly have more room for Wii games.

Chris is going to stand at work all day. Make him bend down to look at his computer by e-mailing him at cogino@asu.edu.