Despite what our mothers have told us since we were kids, it looks as if playing video games in darkened basements might not make us go blind. According to The Tech Herald, a study conducted by the University of Rochester (NY) has shown that playing first-person shooters could improve a player’s ability to discern shades of gray. In the study, a group of gamers played 50 hours of Call of Duty 2 and Unreal Tournament 4, while another group played 50 hours of The Sims. At the end of the test period, the shooter players showed a 43% increase in their ability to recognize different shades of gray, while the group playing The Sims evidenced no change in this ability. Aside from the obvious gaming advantages, possible benefits could also include an improvement in night-driving skills.