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Health benefits of playing video games essay
Do violent video games cultivate violence
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The Effects of Video Games on the Body In households with children, sixty seven percent of them own a video game system. The game industry’s worldwide video game annual sales reached over 25 billion at the end of 2004. So the concern for the health of video game players is increasing. Video games have many different effects on the health of people. Some experiments have found video games to have a dramatic effect, while other experiments have found them to have little or no effect at all. While some video games have even been found to help people take their minds off their problems and deal with their stress, other people have had the opposite reactions to the games. In a study done by Craig A. Anderson and Karen E. Dill, it was found that violent video games increased aggressive behavior and delinquency. They also found that violent video games were more against women than men. The women in games were degraded and exploited, while the men were the superiors and had the control over the women (Anderson 771). Another effect video games had on people was the shooting at Columbine. The gunmen, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, played video games called Doom, in which they killed people who had no defense (Anderson 772). Eighth graders who played video games and watched television the most did the worst at school (Beckham 1). “Playing a video game significantly increased heart rate, blood pressure and oxygen consumption in a group of people ages 16 to 25” (Segal, 4). Subjects who played aggressive video games were more excited than those who didn’t. After playing the video games, the subject would act out with more aggression towards others (Anderson 5). College students that played video games, compared to those who did not, showed signs of changes on class attendance and on their grades. Some of these changes included a drop in grade average and attendance (Kardaras 1). In a group of eight graders, frequent television viewers and video game players preformed the poorest at school. The flashing lights, quick scene changing, and special figure patterns in video games lead to epilepsy seizures. When three video games were played under three levels of stress, a progressively higher value of blood pressure and heart rate was found. People aged 16 to 25 played a video game and s... ... middle of paper ... ...ws people how to use violence to better themselves (Video Game Effects np). In a study by Paul Lynch on the long-term effects of video game playing, it was found that violent games raised blood pressure, which can cause lesions on the artery wall. This put the user at a greater risk of getting heart disease. The study found that girls were not as affected by the violent games as the boys, but were still negatively affected (Effect of Video Game np). Through all the studies done by many different researchers, there have been many different results. Some results have shown an increase in heart rate, while others have shown video games help people deal with stress. While most of the studies had negative effects, there were very few studies that had shown no effect at all, and depended on the type of person tested. The majority of the video games made are violent and have nothing in them to benefit the player. Almost every videogame is made strictly for entertainment and does just that by appealing to the majority. The games are made so that that you will buy them, therefore violence, sex, and drugs are put into many of the videogames children play today.
The allegation that videogames cause violent behavior in children has been present as long as videogames themselves. Some researchers said that the Sandy Hook shooter, Adam Lanza, was one intense gamer. “Seung-Hui Cho, the Virginia Tech Shooter was seen by his roomates as odd because he never joined them in video games.”(Beresin) This debate will continue to go on in this country as long as there are horrific crimes that occur. There is much written in the research regarding this issue, and many differing views. The research that is presented in the next few paragraphs supports the theory that it is not the graphic video games that produce aggressive behavior, but other factors in a child’s life that create violent actions.
...ing Health Benefits of Playing Video Games.” Youtube. 14 November 2012. Web. 1 May 2014.
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.
The second reason video games are an issue is that videogames have been linked to a variety of mental and physical ailments. The most common physical health problems tend to be arthritis from barely moving the fingers while using a keyboard or game controller, and a variety of eye problems due to constantly staring at the game screen. The most frequently occurring mental problems range from delusions to schizophrenia and becoming desensitized to violence. Keegan says that "repeated exposure to violent images can make people less sensitive to the effects of violence" (1). All of these ailments, both mental and physical, can and will occur in many people, but this statement only holds true if the player spends much of his or her free time playing video games. The essay “Violence and the Media: A Psychological Analysis,” shows how the number of hours spent watching a television program may be more influential than the nature of the program itself (Javier 4). While this statement refers ...
Studies have shown that there is a wide variety of physical and behavioral effects that video games can have on their players.
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...
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”).
Ihori, N., Sakamoto, A., Shibuya, A. & Yukawa, S. (2007). Effect of video games on children’s aggressive behavior and pro-social behavior: A panel study with elementary school students. Retrieved 26 March 2014 from http://www.digra.org/wp-content/uploads/digital-library/07312.31554.pdF
Video games are not considered as a serious addiction amongst teenagers and adults, often being compared to severe cases of addiction, such as drug abuse or alcohol abuse that may result in the appearance of a decrease in the severity of the addiction. However, video game addiction is a serious matter and has unhealthy consequences for an individual 's life and their health; spending too much time playing video games can take a great toll on one 's physical and mental well-being. Continuing unhealthy patterns of video game activity for prolonged periods of time can result in mental health issues, physical health problems, and a decline in a social life.
Many people believe that video games change people and mislead them to do bad things, such as drugs and alcohol, but it is the opposite. Gaming prevents people from such acts and actually helps to keep them away from the substances. Lots of people, mainly parents, believe that video games harm people so they try to keep their children away from them. In reality, video games make your life better. Video games can provide many benefits to your lifestyle as “numerous academic studies indicate that playing video games has many psychological and even physical benefits” (Guarini). Gaming helps stimulate the brain and advances your problem solving abilities. There are disadvantages to gaming, which is true, but the amount of benefits outweigh them by far.
Children that Play violent video games are most likely to cause violence to others. “Video games cause children to be more aggressive towards others. Exposing children and adolescents (or “youth”) to violent visual media increases the likelihood that they will engage in physical aggression against another person” (Anderson). The children who play the violent video games are like to have short tempers and get mad easily. The kids will most likely want to start fights in school. Kids will probably be rude to their teachers, other classmates, and also their parents. The kids probably learned ways to fight from the video games. Kids will want to try fighting with the moves they learn from video games.
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...
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.
Video games not only affect your social skills but can deteriorate a person’s health. When you confine to yourself playing v...