How often do we hear video games are bad for our kids? If you simply google “video games controversy” the results are absolutely polarized articles by major news sources. They are, according to many opponents, at fault for violence and the waning attention span and intelligence of our country 's children. However, there is no real scientific evidence of this. Actually the contrary is true according to Daphne Bavelier of the Bavelier lab of University of Geneva and a cognitive neuroscientist. Bavelier addresses this topic in a positive and scientific light. Her research is posed as how can video games benefit us; rather than how they hurt us. Bavelier uses a variety of methods to appeal to her audience in her engaging speech on video games …show more content…
This is probably the most engaging thing that can be done in a spoken presentation. Showing picture, encouraging audience participation for understanding of the topic and draw attention to the subject at hand is an excellent idea. She shows on a screen the same research method she used on the gamers and control group. Words in color opposite of what they are such as: blue, yellow, red. . The correct answer is the color of the ink rather than the word itself. Her research has shown that those who play a lot of action games are better at doing this task faster showing increased attention span. She also uses a game of rotation of shapes to show overall effect of video games on training the mind “After two weeks of training on action video games, they actually perform better” at the task “and the improvement is still there five months after having done the training”. She again after explaining the benefits qualifies her statements. Clearly, one who plays video games all day every day may have a limit to these benefits that can be received. She explains this well once again appealing to …show more content…
We should develop games that people want to spend time on that are also educational, increasing the attention span of people, visual acuity, and multitasking abilities of all generations. The author very effectively portrays her message of by connecting with her audience charismatically, visually, personally, and logically. In the age of technology we must come to terms with the changing hobbies and daily activities around us. Rather than passing them off as bad campaigning for them to be cut back, censored, we should be focusing on the good that is already done by video games and how we could continue to improve
While video games can have a negative impact on those who use them what is often overlooked as Wright points out is their ability to help those who play them in ways that nothing else can. His comparisons and the way he relates video games to people will certainly make people reconsider their thoughts and feelings about video games. Wright wants his audience to consider the fact that video games are not completely bad and to not look down on those who play
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
It is often believed that children are better off spending more time reading books and less time zoning out in front of their video games. People claim that video games sanction and promote aggression and violent responses to conflict; and that most games are an immense waste of time. Steven Johnson, the author of “Why Games Are Good for You,” appreciates the virtues of reading books, but argues that playing video games may not be a complete waste of time. His purpose for writing this essay is to explain the impact of cybertechnology on human perception and communication, in which he defends the value of computer games. In his essay, Johnson fluctuates between the pros and cons of reading versus gaming to appeal to skeptics who believe video
Video games have become a hot topic recently. There have been a lot of controversy over whether to play or not to play. The controversy is due to them being arguably more captivating than all other forms of entertainment. Video games narrate an epic tale like no other form of entertainment can. You can become immersed in video games, because of this they are both a highly entertaining escape from the real world and a complete waste of time.
Video games have gotten a lot of negative attention in the media as a scapegoat for what is wrong with children. Are video games really as bad as they are made out to be? Alice Park, writer of “Little By Little, Violent Video Games Make Us More Aggressive” published on time.com, believes that video games are making people more aggressive. But within her article there are many flaws with her arguments; it makes a poor attempt to blame video games for events like the columbine shooting, racism, and hostile behavior. Park makes poor unsupported claims about the quantity and quality of games being played by children and the effects these games are having on them.
Nowadays video games get nothing but bad reputations from people. There are people in powerful positions who are saying that video games have nothing but bad effects and they only promote violence which leads to children acting out in violent ways. Who are the ones listening to the people in these powerful positions; Parents. Some Parents have this misunderstanding that video games are bad and that they have a negative effects on their child’s minds and how they develop after playing them. The parents with that understanding are misinformed and need to understand just how beneficial video games can actually be for their children. Although, some parents think that video games offer nothing but
“On Tuesday, November 2, while the rest of the country was voting, the Supreme Court of the United States heard oral arguments in Schwarzenegger v. EMA, the landmark case in which the state of California is petitioning for the re-instatement of a California law banning the sale of deviant or morbid violent video games to minors” (Macris). This case is a current example of the opponents of video games trying to prove video games are a bad influence on children and teenagers. Violent video game opponents have always tried to disprove the positive effects of video games. They also have been known to make up and mislead with tales of terrible side effects. This essay will prove to the reader that many of these various statements against video games and their creators are false. Contrary to opposition arguments, video games actually present benefits to gamers by reducing stress, providing entertainment, and helping to develop motivation that could not otherwise be achieved through conventional means.
Topic: Supporting that violence in video games is does not cause violence in real life.
Video games. They provide an escape from reality to explore worlds and realms beyond our own. However there is a lot of controversy surrounding wether or not video games are good for you, many people are under the impression that video games turn kids and adults alike into mindless zombies hellbent on violence but in this essay I aim to convince you that not only is this untrue but that video games are actually beneficial. I’d also like to mention that too much of anything is bad for your health,for example extremely high quantities of broccoli can be toxic.
Over the past 30 years, playing video games has become one of the most popular hobbies worldwide. Not only has the video game industry become a multi-billion dollar industry, but it has attracted people from all age types. While video games today are played by both kids and adults, there are many issues being raised regarding the effects of video games. More particular, is the effect that violent video games may be having on children. Some critics argue that video games are direct indicators of child aggression while video game supporters argue that there is no direct link between child aggression and violent video games. While many people have their own personal stances, this issue is unique because it is unfolding everyday. Scientists and researchers all over the world are continuously doing research regarding the effects of video games on children. Even though this remains a field of uncertainty for researchers, parents should definitely be involved in being aware of what it is that they’re children are playing when they play video games.
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...
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”).
In society’s current era of technological advancement, video games have gone a long way since they were first created. Video games in the twenty-first century are no longer just toys or junk in the lifestyles of the youth. They have become innovative inventions that not only entertain its users, but also help aid the people in both the academic field and in jobs. The influences that video games bring about in the culture of the youth today are, in fact, not the negative influences that most people think. Video games are actually this generation’s new medium for educating the youth. The information they learn are also mostly positive and useful things that they may apply in their future lives (Prensky 4). In a generation that revolves around technology and connectivity, developers and educators have already been able to produce fun and interesting games that can teach and train people. Video game developers and educators should continue to collaborate in order to create more positive, educational, and appealing games.