Sports Video Games and Their Impact on Athletic Performance
Sports video games, video games that replicate a real life sport, have been around ever since the first video game console was released . Magnovox Odyssey, one of the first video game consoles, consisted of a table tennis game. Atari’s Pong, another sports video game, one of the very first video games was also a replica of table tennis (Suellentrop 7). As the video games have become more realistic and more popular amongst sports fans, they have created a vast impact on the video gaming industry. FIFA, a soccer video game by EA sports, captured 10% of the 351 million video game playing soccer fans around the world (Consalvo vii). Today, sports are a popular hobby for many people, but
…show more content…
One of the biggest downfalls of video games is the distraction they create. Video games can distract players from actually playing the sport they play. John Hart, an advisor for the Texas Rangers, warns of this, sharing that athletes should not play video games before games, but instead be watching film and mentally preparing for the game, activities video games cannot replace (Brescia 25). Video games can distract athletes from not only pregame preparations, but from sleep, which is a vital part of an athletes health and performance capabilities. Playing video games late into the night can be very harmful to an athlete’s health. Video games, no matter what the game, can often raise the blood pressure and pulse of the player, causing the body to take a longer time to fall asleep and cuts the most restorative parts of sleep short. Without vital restorative sleep, a persons ability to focus and memory declines, along with the ability to learn and the person becomes more irritable (Dunckley 10). Video games can harm how much energy and focus a player has in a game and the impact is mostly negative. Video games have also been reported as causing injuries to players. Long video gaming sessions can often leave a player sitting in the same position for long periods of time, causing strain on joints and bones. Joel Zumaya, a pitcher for the Detroit Tigers, was …show more content…
Video games can give players experience and knowledge, but they can also, at the same time, drain energy from a player by taking away vital sleep the night before a game . Video games can be a great source of basic athletic skills, improving hand eye coordination and visual search skills. Young athletes, who have been playing and practicing with sports video games have a greater understanding than older sports stars did when they first began playing a sport, but video games cannot create an athlete. Video games help athletes become better at their sport, but the video games cannot help a person become an athlete. "A better analogy for virtual training [sports video games] could be weight lifting: It’s an activity that won’t turn you into a professional athlete, but if you are one, it will make you better at your sport" (Suellentrop 20). Sports video games impact sports performance positively, but a balance must be found between video games and real life practicing, as video games can cause harm just as much as improvement for and athletes sports performance
“Most reported effects of videogames – particularly in the popular press – appear to centre upon the alleged negative consequences… Research has consistently shown that playing computer games (irrespective of genre) produces reductions in reaction times, improved hand-eye co-ordination and raises players’ self-esteem,” (Griffiths p. 47), states Mark Griffiths in his article, “The educational benefits of videogames”. When people think of video games, they often tend to think about the negative side effects that video games can have on a person. Will Wright in his article, “Dream Machines” also defends video games by providing positive effects that video games have on those who play them. Wright presents
Throughout the course of history, individuals have enjoyed playing sports. Whether it would be throwing a football, sprinting around the track, or kicking a soccer ball; sports have been a popular activity worldwide. The determination and expertise needed to play sports at the highest level has made it a challenging yet enjoyable activity. However in the recent years, sports have slowly drifted off from it’s traditional roots of physical prowess and into competitions of mental proficiencies. With the exponential growth of technology worldwide, it is not uncommon for the average household to have a computer, PS4, Xbox One, or even a Nintendo 3DS. In fact, the introduction of new technological entertainment has served as a gateway for the new generation of athlete culture; video games. As a result of the growth of video games, Esports (short for ‘Electronic Sports’) is slowly being integrated into athlete culture worldwide through its spectacular foundations, overwhelming popularity, vast prize pools, and recognition by official authorities.
A common denominator that successful people share is the involvement of playing a varsity sport in high school. Every high school in the United States is different, however all encourage students to get involved. Most commonly, students decide to join sports. High school sports can cause profitable effects because students live healthier lives, achieve higher grades and learn life lessons.
The first point that needs to be addressed is how video games are used for training purposes. Video games are used by the United States Army to train soldiers (Suellentrop). America’s Army helps the soldiers develop their fighting skills (Suellentrop). This video game also helps to teach soldiers how to learn to function as a team (Suellentrop). Along with the Army, video games train individuals how to respond in emergency situations (Issitt). Video games train people in many ways, even if it is unknown to many people how important they can be to society.
...ing Health Benefits of Playing Video Games.” Youtube. 14 November 2012. Web. 1 May 2014.
Sports can help many at- risk youths. In order to participate in sports you need to be committed and willing to work hard. You also have to learn to respect others and accept that winning isn’t the only measure of success. Losing can build character as well. When youth participate in a sports they enjoy, they are less likely to engage in behaviors that are harmful or dangerous to themselves and others. It is for these reasons schools should strive to maintain athletic programs for their students.
Studies have shown that there is a wide variety of physical and behavioral effects that video games can have on their players.
Video games are electronic sports which involves user interface and user interactivity. They generate a visual response which helps to provide excitement and entertainment. Video games are played on computers, televisions, or any kind of device with a display screen. People play video games for fun and also because some games are more productive and useful. With growth in technology video games have become very popular in children. Those games can be informative and a brain-builder for children but at the same time it may be so violent that they not only become the reason for the children to be destructive but also vigorously increase anti-social behavior.
It 's been outrageous , how many kids get injured per year playing youth sports for school and organizations. The youth who play sports receive plenty medical attention throughout the year due to injuries cause from actions made occuring in games. Health plays a big part in sports because if your are are not healthy many things can go wrong with the body including dehydration, heart problems , and muscle spasm. Playing a sport can be very hard to juggle with school and also getting talked down by coaches and parents. Dehydration is a high possibility because of outside sports that happen in the spring/summer and playing and practicing in humid conditions that you are not well prepared for can be bad and there will be consequences. Parents and
Many people believe that Video-games are a sport, but the few oddballs are disagreeing. According to debate.org it’s 66% to 34%. That’s more than half the people. There is not enough people that disagree to stop video-gaming being a sport. For those that stick with
During these past few decades, technology has advanced drastically, especially in the aspects of gaming. At one point in history video games could only be playable at home, but now with all these improvements in technology, games can be easily played on our mobile devices. Likewise, these advancements in gaming have created endless possibilities for people of all ages to participate in this activity. Consequently, video games have influenced society and have impacted us in various ways.
There are several negative stereotypes associated with video games and those who play them; some of these may often hold true. However, there are plenty of learning opportunities in video games. While the direct purpose of some games is to educate or train, other games that do not directly have this purpose can still become a learning experience for the player. As Ntiedo Etuk, president of the educational video game company Tabula Digital said, “The traditional view of video games has been that they are distractions from the task of learning” (Electronic Education Report 1). Video games are an effective tool for learning and retaining skills both inside and outside the classroom environment. The basic cycle of game play--the introduction to the game, game play, collaboration, improvement of these between each round, and evaluation at the end of the game (Klievink and Janssen 159)--are nearly parallel to the traditional classroom learning cycle of reading a textbook or listening to a lecture, taking a quiz, studying, focusing on items missed on the quiz, and taking a test or exam. Within this cycle, there are many opportunities to develop and perfect both educational, life, and occupational skills.
Nowadays, video games are frequently accused of having detrimental effects on children and adolescents. The main arguments against video games are that they lead to addiction, that they provoke violence, and that they impair social development. Whether or not such claims are true has not been determined with certainty as scientific studies have produced contradictory results. Nevertheless, video games also have beneficial effects, which tend to be underrated, as they do not receive the same level of media coverage that adverse ones do, and are thus unknown to the general public. Some of the positive effects of playing video games on mental development include: stimulating analytical thinking, improving concentration, and encouraging planning and anticipation (“Video game controversies”).
Video games are used to improve physical health. Playing video games does not mean being inactive. New and improved video games involve and incorporate different types of movement in the actual game. Certain video games can reduce fat causing global weight loss (Recio 143). By turning game systems into exercise, new generation games draw people into activities and get heart rates pumping. Schools have incorporated video games into part of their physical education program. Children’s waists lines have gone down by inches due to playing video games in gym class. In gym, the machines teach things like balance, timing, and coordina...
Video game have been claimed as addictive, a waste of time, and a distraction. While this does apply to some people, others have found the benefits to playing video games. These benefits include simulating working environments, helping people escape working environments, and giving great experiences. Although these benefits seems to be beneficial, it still stands that video games are a waste of time in which other things can be more productive.