Are video games really as bad as some think? Some people find video games to be the cause of violence and delays in learning. Other people think that gaming is actually beneficial to one 's mental health and it can even help those who suffer from depression. Videogames, fun and educational tools of the electronic ages, have been the source of scrutiny for many years. Students who have gone into their schools with intent to or successfully injuring or murdering others, have more often than not, been linked to videogames. Some games can raise the level of aggression during the game play, and can make the player impulsive. Do these effects last past the game playing? There is no conclusive data on that. The thing not many put into perspective …show more content…
Teens that are depressed are actually gaining assistance with the virtual world with a game that helps teens overcome their sadness by teaching them techniques to overcome their battles. Szalavitz, author of “Study: Playing a Video Games Helps Teens Beat Depression” in 2012 reports that, “The game is modeled as an interactive fantasy in which players create an avatar who restores balance in a virtual world by destroying “gloomy negative automatic thoughts” or GNATs. Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, seeks to educate the depressed person that this kind of thinking is not accurate or true”. Along with depression, decision making is really worked out during fast paced games. Teens or other gamers have seconds to decide what to do in situations depicted by the game. One author states that, “Action gamers responded substantially faster than non-gamers to dot arrays at all difficulty levels, especially tough ones, while detecting dots’ motion direction as accurately as peers did” (Bower, 2010). These tests have proven that decisions are quicker to be made with minimal to no loss of precision. In games such as The Sims, individuals have the freedom to explore their identity. They can make their characters look and act any way they want, have any career they want, and be who they want. It is an escape that relaxes people and allows them to be
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.
Children that play violent video games at such a young age will have a bad effect on them. “Not everybody who plays these games will become murderers, just as not everybody who smoke gets cancer” (Quittner, J). Every day people play with these games will have an effect on the way they look at things, they will begin to have aggressive thoughts, and they will begin to have a change in behavior. On average boys spend thirteen hours per week and girls spend five hours on video games. This amount of time a week will have a major effect of these children minds. “Violent video games effect people. They increase aggressive thoughts, angry feelings, and physical arousal symptoms.”(Rollins 1)
Szalavitz, M. (2012, April 20). Study: Playing a video game helps teens beat depression. Time, Retrieved from http://healthland.time.com/2012/04/20/study-playing-a-video-game-helps-teens-beat-depression/
As we evolve into a more advanced species, so does our technology, and along with our overly advanced technology, comes video games. They’ve have certainly come a long way since they were first introduced to the main stream audience and have been slowly creeping its way into many daily lives, making them a lot more entertaining and less dull. Video games’ one and only purpose is to entertain. However, it is indeed true that everything is fun and games until somebody gets hurt, and that is exactly what has happened over the years in video games. With the help of our technology, being more developed than ever, video games have also become increasingly sophisticated and overall more close to reality than
Video games have now become a social event and people are starting to play in groups and pairs. Henry Jenkins stated that “sixty percent of frequent gamers play with friends, thirty five percent play with siblings, and twenty five percent play with spouses and parents “(Jenkins, 451). Video games have become a middle ground for people to come together and enjoy each others company. In our society today, video games have brought people together through the internet. Gaming community has developed on chat sites, YouTube, and even Facebook.
The article that I chose to read and summarize pertained to a study that was conducted to find out whether or not violent video games leads to psychological desensitization to real life violence. According to this article, desensitization is defined as showing less physiological arousal to violence in the real world after exposure to video game violence in the virtual world.
Lately there have been increasing amounts of people that say that violent video games are causing a number violent actions. To some extent this is true, but there are also studies that say games help people release their aggression in an appropriate way. I would tend to agree with the later.
Gallagher, Danny. “7 Health Benefits of Playing Video Games.” The WEEK. The WEEK Publications, Inc. 10 March 2013. Web. 3 May 2014.
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). The 'Path of the 'Path of the 'Path of the 'Path of the 'Path of the 'Path of the 'Path of the 'Path of 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 games, there have been many studies to prove so.... ...
Whether they be first-person shooters like Call of Duty, sports games like Madden or Fifa, racing games like Forza or Mariokart, or even games and apps on your phones, there are quite a bit of gamers in here. According to the Entertainment Software Association, about 59% of American play some sort of video game, so gaming isn’t all that uncommon (Entertainment Software Association, 2014). As such, there must be some sort of effect on the audience of this growing form of entertainment.
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.
Many kids like Tommy, who spend most of their childhood and adolescences emerged in imaginary lands rather than dealing with the real world at hand, become socially anxious and have low self-esteem later in life. Instead of thriving with a career and family, they relapse back to the same virtual interaction they had as a child. They float through life barely able to support themselves or result to living with their parents. Adulthood seems to them a mere task they must complete in order to continue their gaming. Excessive videogame play for children and adolescents cause social anxiety, depression, and aggression because more time is spent alone engrossed in dynamic storylines and complex situations than outside building face-to-face relationships and other healthy social skills that better prepare them for their future.
One of the greatest inventions of all time is video games. Video games have been around for many years, and throughout the years, it has been getting better and better. With technology, video games have been getting better and more. Video games also have become more and more violent, and have bought up much concern. Do video games have an impact on children and young teens? There have been many research that led to controversy. Video games have an impact on children and young teens it causes aggressive behavior. Research states that video games can help with team work and patient. Video games have been around for many years and it has been getting better with technology, but there are concerns if the violent video games have an impact on
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.
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.