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Video game effects on the human psyche
Effects of video games
Effects of video games
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In today’s society, most video games are frowned upon. They are labeled as violent and are said to promote laziness among the large amount of people that play them. Video games affect people in many ways, but not all in bad ways. Most games contain several common properties: unpredictability, intense speed, high perceptual, cognitive and motor load, the selection between multiple action plans and an emphasis on peripheral processing. All of these properties lead to better memory, and motor skills., and problem solving. The focus of this paper is to collect research information to prove that video games have a positive affect on your brain.
Memory is one of the most important skills a person can have. And unfortunately, it is common for it to fade. Video games have a way of helping people maintain and even improve your overall memory. A study by Kara Blacker and Kim Curby looked at the memory of college gamers. They used 120 students, both male and female, as their participants. Some students were avid video game users and others never play. They tested their memory skills and found a direct, positive relationship between the amounts of video games a student played and their memory skills. Students that played more games had better spacial memory, short-term memory, and visual perception. Some of the more complex action games are even better for your memory. These games ask you to remember where enemies and resources are located and to remember the complex sequence of events required to attain multiple simultaneous goals. Sports games like FIFA 14 and NBA 14 call for long button sequences that make your character do specific moves. While playing, you have to recall these sequences and press these buttons rapidly and according...
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...es from white noise. This showed that gamers were also faster at making decisions about auditory input. This type of decision-making can be used in real-life situations like driving. If a child were to run in front of a car, the driver with better decision-making would recognize this faster.
Although there is research done that shows video games have some negative impacts on people, the positive impacts outweigh the negatives. Playing video games help you with memory, concentration, problem solving, decision-making, motor skills, teamwork, and even real life skills. The list can go on. If a person is playing video games for long, extended periods of time, it can be harmful. But with moderation and appropriate game choices, video games can be really beneficial. The video game industry is growing and expanding itself, giving the world more ways to use it for good.
“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
Video games are bad. Because when somebody plays and gets off it makes them in a bad mood. But video games are good to kill time. And video games are getting more better and they are getting better graphics. And it looks better like if you were there.
...ple, how addicting they can be, but overall they have more positives than negatives. Video games train people, control violence and anger, and improve brain functioning ability, which by far outweighs any negative arguments against video games.
AsapSCIENCE. “Can Video Games Make You Smarter?” Youtube. 10 January 2014. Web. 1 May 2014.
In support of the belief that video games benefit people intellectually, there is a claim that game play provides cognitive, motivational, emotional, and social benefits (Granic, Lobel, Engels). In partial response, video games cannot offer cognitive benefits because they do not offer real life lessons. Yes, game play may allow someone to gain knowledge that will later be applied to the video game, but there are no positive real world techniques to be obtained. Playing video games will not increase and individuals motivational skills. The defense is made that failure within video games is intended to serve as motivational tools, providing multiple chances to reach success (Granic, Lobel, and Engels). While the feeling of success may be prevalent when an objective is completed, this fe...
Did you know playing video games helps children with their education? A good video game will teach problem solving, math, history, or anything else a parent wants their children to learn. Children that play video games are more educational than those that do not play video games. In this paper you will experience the positive and negative impact video games have on children and teens.
Videogames are amazing they promote creativity, team-work and social interaction. Video games actually work to increase how good your eyesight is. One study done by scientist’s Daphne Bavelier and her team found that playing five to fifteen hours of action games (e.g., Call of Duty) a week increased how good the participants vision was in two ways "The first way is that they 're actually able to resolve small detail in the context of clutter… The other way that they are better is actually being able to resolve different levels of grey”. Sure games have violence in them but honestly what doesn’t, films and TV are chock full of it, heck even Tom and Jerry promote violence and animal abuse plus there is a reason that those big shiny red “18” stickers are put on games so that it is clearly shown that children aren 't supposed to be given access to these specific types of game. As for the “waste of time” nothing is really a waste of time if you gain something from it such as
“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.
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”).
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.
Video games have been argued about for decades. Some people have argued that video games are linked to violence. However, new research shows that video games can be used for therapeutic purposes, exercise, stress relievers, positive interactive learning, hand eye coordination, and different types of patient treatment for people all around the world.
Video game play can have both positive and negative effects on children and adolescents, and adults should seek to minimize the negative effects while maximizing the positive effects by staying informed about games and establishing rules about the amount and type of video game play.
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.
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.