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Video Games and Their Psychological Effect on the Brain Videogames are looked down upon by parents who see them as a waste of time and experts on education who believe that games corrupt the brain. Many say violent video games are to blame for young people being so violent. Psychologists and scientists believe that videogames have a lot of benefits. One benefit being that it make kids smart and cause them to use high-level thinking skills. Video games requires many skills that aren’t taught in school but, also enhance skills that the gamer already has. Skills that are enhanced by video games include following instructions, problem solving and logic with games like angry birds and cut the rope. Hand eye coordination, fine motor skills and spatial skills used in shooting games. Research has shown enhanced skills in surgeons and fighter pilots. Planning resources management and logistics encouraged by the game SimCity. …show more content…
Multitasking, simultaneous tracking of many shifting variables and managing multiple objectives.
Which are skills used in strategical games. Psychologist C. Shawn Green says “video game change the brain” (The Positive and Negative Effects of Video Games). Cognitive researcher Daphne Bavalier, “Action game players make more correct decisions per unit time. If you are a surgeon or you are in the middle of a battlefield, that can make all the difference.’’ The University of Rochester did a study that shows action games train the brain to make faster and more accurate decisions. A number of studies support the idea that violent video games increases
aggression. Anderson and Bushman (2001) developed the General Aggression Model (GAM) based on a number of previous research models, stating that “The enactment of aggression is largely based on the learning, activation,and application of aggression-related knowledge structures stored in memory (e.g., scripts, schemas)” (p.355). They performed a meta-analysis of research at the time using the GAM and concluded the exposure to violent video games was “positively associated with increased aggression in youth, adults and children.They also found that aggressive cognition, which is an underlying factor in the development of aggressive personality, is also related to video game exposure along with aggressive affect and physiological arousal. Anderson and Bushman (2001) did note, however, that the research about video games was lacking information. 91% of children ages 2 to 17 in the U.S play video games(NPD Group,2011). 94% teen girls and 99% teen boys also play video games (lenhart et.al.,2008). Psychological research of the effects of video games relating to aggression, addiction and depression(e.d., Anderson et al 2010; Ferguson,2013; :Lemola et al.,2011). In the aftermath of the Sandy Hook shooting the gunman was said to have played shooting games so president obama funded 10 million dollars in the research on effects of violent media and violent games.(Obama & Biden, 2013). (Isabela Granic,.2014) " studies show that young men who are aggressive may be especially vulnerable to the enhanced agression due to repeated exposure to violent games," said psychologists Craig A. Anderson, Ph.D., and Karen E. Dill, Ph.D. “ other studies show that even a brief exposure to violent video games can increase aggressive behavior in all types of participants." In order to investigate how video games affect the brain, scientists in Berlin had adults play “Super Mario 64” over a period of two months for 30 minutes a day. They had a control group who didn't play the game. The measured brain activity with a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The group playing the game showed increases of grey matter, in which the cell bodies of the nerve cells of the brain are situated. These plasticity effects were observed in the right hippocampus, right prefrontal cortex and the cerebellum. These brain regions are involved in functions such as spatial navigation, memory formation, strategic planning and fine motor skills of the hands. Most interestingly, these changes were more pronounced the more desire the participants reported to play the video game.Kühn, S., Gleich, T., Lorenz, R. C., Lindenberger, U., Gallinat, J. (2013). A scientific journal Nature in 1998 showed that playing video games releases the feel-good neurotransmitter dopamine. The amount of dopamine released while playing video games was similar to what is seen after intravenous injection of the stimulant drugs amphetamine or methylphenidate. In 2012, researchers in New Zealand treated teens who had depression with “SPARX,” a video game designed to give therapy to kids that was fun and active. ‘’SPARX’’ stands for “smart, positive, active, realistic and x-factor thoughts,”. The study used 168 teens that were 15 years old and looking for help or struggled with depression. Half of the group was randomly assigned to “treatment as usual,” which was usually one-on-one counseling over five sessions. The other half played SPARX, a fantasy game where the subjects created avatars in order to squash “gloomy negative automatic thoughts,” and restore order in the virtual world. Each level taught players basic facts about depression, strategies for dealing with intense negative emotions and relaxation techniques. The results for the SPARX group were extremely encouraging. About 44 percent of SPARX players recovered completely from depression while only 26 percent of the control group were no longer depressed. There are various types of video games available in today’s industry. Video games are intended to target different aspects of a child’s life. These video games are comprised of a variety of educational, serious, and casual games, but in reality, what child is going to choose a game about learning versus a game where they can kill zombies or drive cars at unruly amounts of speed? A study from Buchman and Funk found that “violent games became consistently popular across grades for both boys and girls” (Cesarone, 1998). Educational games were more popular for some of the girls being asked, but throughout all the age groups, violent video games never lost their superior power in the gaming industry
Video games do not make us more intelligent. They may however, make us more prone to violence and sex. Video games are preventing us from screening out distractions and making thinking deeply a difficult task. Our brains become overwhelmed when multitasking. Moreover, Johnson states “... a modern video game can take forty hours to complete”. Forty hours keep kids from homework and as Rachael Rettner states in livescience, “The results show that boys given a PlayStation II are slower to progress in their reading and writing skills and have more learning problems reported by their teachers than those not given a system”. The sole reason studies come back positive for video games being productive is due to the fact that they test a regular video gamer with a non-gamer. Regular video gamers will do better in the study because the more they play, the better they get. Not many realize the effect of these “fully realized imaginary worlds”, it is making it harder for people to differentiate their virtual life with their real
At this day in age we bask in the luxury of having easy access to advanced technology at our disposal. From the World Wide Web, to cell phones, music, movies and video games the human race has thought of any and everything to keep us entertained. Over the years studies have shown reasonable concerns regarding the long-term effects of video games. These games can desensitize gamers to real life violence, which is usually seen in the younger crowd. The studies especially hit on the games containing player-on-player violence. Though these games are extremely entertaining and can get kids to settle down for a while, if not properly supervised, they can produce adverse effects. Other studies have shown that video games can be used as way to yield positive outcomes such as, good problem solving skills, cooperation in a group and the ability to flow. Although there has been psychological research on children learning through the actions of others some believe that children are automatically able to distinguish between what is just a game and what is reality. The longer they are allowed on their game system the more they become convinced that their games are real. Some researchers believe violent video games can channel the aggression of the child but the parents are to blame for what happens to the child after playing an excessive amount over a period of time. Children can become preoccupied with these violent video games which have been proven to be the cause of poor social skills, uncontrollable aggression and a false reality.
This essay will attempt to prove, that statements made regarding the inappropriateness of video games are untrue. The advantage of playing video games can be proven in their ability to enhance learning, hand-eye coordination, and this in turn can enable children and teenagers to do better in school. Violent video games can help overcome anxiety by providing entertainment without leaving the house, taking everyday stresses out on the characters in the game instead of real life, takes the adolescent’s minds off worries and stress of the outside world, and encourages children to stay out of trouble. Video games c...
Tommy scuffles through the front door, drops his book bag on the floor and plops down on the couch with a scowl across his face. As his PlayStation fires to life, he replays scenes from the day in his head of being shoved into the lockers by Billy, unable to form the words to impress Sussie, and sitting alone at lunch listening to the popular kids laugh and joke, ignoring him as if he did not exist. No one understands him. No one cares about him, because he is not strong, charming, or popular. All that is soon avoided as Tommy dives into a world where he controls everything and everyone either fears or loves him. If he fails, all he must do is reset. Here he can be anything he wants, and he can do and have it all.
“As video games have become more violent and more sophisticated and the sales of video games has skyrocketed in the last few decades, youth violence has plummeted,” Ferguson says, citing evidence compiled by various federal agencies (Adams 3). Violence in video games is not a new issue. It has been debated and argued since the release of the first violent video game. As time has progressed, so has the evolution of violence and strong language within video games. Ratings have become more relaxed, and the lines between T (Teen) and M (Mature) rated games has gotten closer together. Violent games are becoming the normal and accepted of all games, and are being demanded by the gaming industry more heavily. Parents have always shied away from these games for their children, regardless of age. However, kids are getting these games whether they are the correct age (17+) or not. Young kids, less than ten years of age are playing horribly violent games and parents are fearing the repercussions. But video games are not to be blamed for child violence. Violence in video games does not cause children to become violent people later on in life.
Video Games have been accused of making youth violent and aggressive, making people isolate themselves from society, and for lowering the attention span and the ability to concentrate in youth. These claims have yet to be supported by several well organized studies and have never been more than a correlation to any of these claims, and in fact have been disproven on several occasions. Adam Eichenbaum (2014), author contributing to the American Journal of Play, concluded a discussion on the research on video games say that “Today’s video games are much more than entertainment. They are also weapons in the fight against declining mental capacities in old age. They promote job-related skills. And they are a model of how to teach children complex and difficult tasks and abilities. As with any technology, video games are neither intrinsically good nor intrinsically bad.” (pg. 67) Video games are not the waste of time that they are accused of being, nor are they damping the development of today’s youth. If anything is to be said about video games is that in them lays a great potential for good; that video games serve as tools for people who want to make a change in society, whether the changes are positive or negative lie in the hands of those that choose to use video games as tools. These are not unrealistic or histrionic claims; video games, after all, are more than just
By far the largest concern of technology today is video games. There have been so many experiments and studies to try and figure out if video games have a negative or positive effect on our children. A growing body of research is linking violent video game play to aggressive cognitive, attitudes and behaviors (D.A. Gentile, 2004). Video games can obviously be dangerous for our children causing aggression, bad performances in school and obesity. Although we cant blame all of these problems on the use of video game...
Do video games cause behavior problems? Yes, video games do affect the way children behave. Video games are extremely popular all around the world, and have been taking up children 's time since they first came out. “The first video games such as ‘Space Invaders’ and ‘Pacman’ emerged in the late 1970s with simplistic graphics and a resultant low level of depicted violence” (Porter and Starcevic 422). But over time technology has advanced and so has the graphics and violence. It has advanced so much that the images on the video games have become very realistic and gruesome. Which some might say is not appropriate for a child to see, because, children are affected by the disturbing images. Children who play violent video games tend to be aggressive
Since the Early 70’s video games have been giving a bad name. Parents state that video games rot the minds of children and are influencing them do be violent. These accusations are far from the truth. In my research I found that there are many positive effects of gaming. Some of these effects are increased skills, creativity, general knowledge, and also help those in need. Parents can also take proper precautions and look into a game before buying it to see if it meets the criteria discussed in this paper.
Most people think that video games are harmful and waste of time. As a result, the main question of the research is how video games can influence on children and many minor questions come to mind about video games: Do video games influence a child’s psychological development and make them more aggressive and violent? Do video games affect a child’s grades? What are the influences of video games on children? Many people don’t have much information about video games and how video games may effect on people’s behavior, health and mind.
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”).
Saleem, M., Anderson, C. A. & Gentile, G. A. (2012). Effects of prosocial, neutral, and violent video games on children’s helpful and hurtful behaviors. Aggressive Behavior, 38, 281 – 287. doi: 10.1002/ab.21428
Violent video games help the players in their way of thinking. In many researches these games can be used to train soldiers and surgeons because they train the brain to make quick decisions, also they help with managing resources that are limited and deciding the best use of these resources, like in shooting games the player must coordinate brain’s interpretation and reaction with the movement in his hands and fingertips, which requires a great deal of eye-hand coordination. However, violent video games change brain function in young men whereas there is plenty of evidence to prove that these games have a prolonged negative neurological effects, which may translate into behavioral changes over long periods of game play. For example, if a person listens to classical music all day, at some point, he will start to sing the melodies, the same way as if a person plays violent video game all day, he will start to believe that violence is normal. In addition, according to many researches those who play the violent video games h...
Why Video Games Are Beneficial For Children Nowadays as many as 97% of all US kids aged 12 to 17 are playing video games, and contributing to the $21.53 billion domestic video game industry (1). It is even almost certain that whoever is reading this, has played a video game sometime in their life. This is causing some parents and doctors to worry about the health of young kids because the general stigma is that the violence in video games is bad for kids and detrimental to your health . However video games are actually beneficial for children because of their social, mental and physical benefits.
In recent years, technology has developed very rapidly. This has led to many arguably both positive and negative changes in our everyday lives. One such change was the increased accessibility of personal computers and gaming consoles as well as the introduction of numerous video games. Due to their entertainment value, these games gained popularity among children and teenagers. Although many concerns have been voiced related to playing video games, especially those that are violent, [e.g., increases in aggressive behavior in children (Anderson & Bushman, 2001)], this paper will argue that certain video games also have beneficial effects. They should thus be played by children, teenagers and adults alike albeit with caution.