According to the Entertainment Software Association, a US association whose purpose is to serve the business and public affairs of companies that make computer and video games , about 185 million Americans play video games (2014 Essential Facts 2). This not only includes children, but adults and seniors as well. Even though this is over half of the country, many people assume those who play video games are lazy, aggressive, and anti-social. Many games are violent and can be very addictive for some so it’s understandable that people would believe this. But even if these are true, there is a lot of evidence that shows the good things video games can do for players. Many studies have shown that playing video games has positive effects that benefit physical and mental health, improve a variety of skills, and boost motivation.
Video games improve physical and mental health in many different ways. They can encourage fitness and have been used in the medical field. One example would be with the Nintendo Wii, which is a gaming console that uses motion controls to play the games. The motion detection system allows players to see their actions on a television screen with nearly real time sensory feedback (Wii Video Games par. 12). Wii Sports, a game that comes with each Wii console, requires the players to stand up and perform various movements, such as swinging one’s arms to mimic playing tennis or boxing. In a study by the American Stroke Association on twenty stroke survivors around the age of sixty, researchers found significant motor improvement in speed and extent of recovery with the Wii technology (Wii Video Games par. 8). Wii Fit is another game whose main goal is exercise and fitness. Players can do yoga, physical training, aerob...
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Vedantam, Shankar. "Researchers Explore Mental Health Benefits of Video Games." Washington Post. The Washington Post, 18 Aug. 2009. Web. 07 Apr. 2014.
Wilson, Lee. "Getting It Wrong: Slaying Myths about Video Games." Technology and Learning 15 Sept. 2007: n. pag. Rpt. in Media Violence. Ed. David M. Haugen and Susan Musser. Detroit: Greenhaven, 2009. Opposing Viewpoints. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 13 Mar. 2014. .
There are many people who say that videogames and TV will rot your brain and cause brain damage. Plenty of research and articles are against children playing video games, but there are some that are in favor of video games, and that number is growing every day. Video games can have some medicinal uses from helping patients in physical therapy to improving ones vison. Many people do not see these uses and for every one for video games there are five who are against it, however as that number is slowly growing.
A contraction of “exercise” and “videogame”, exergames are games that require physical movement from the player (Hernandez et al.). These games may be more common than some realize, having been around since the 1980’s. One of the world’s most popular exergames is the “Dance Dance Revolution” series by Konami. Mixing timing and fancy footwork with catchy music made this series a household name since it’s release in 1998. More recent examples include the Nintendo Wii and the Xbox Kinect, which are two of the most commonly studied exergame systems in the field of movement rehabilitation. The increased popularity and public access to these systems have caught the eye of many researches and how they can be integrated to treat conditions such as Acquired Brain Injuries and Cerebral
“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 do a very effective job of bringing people together that have the same interest and giving them a sense of community Video games help young adults improve their overall confidence in solving everyday problems. Video games are built on the concept that there is a problem and that the gamer has to find out the solution. This leads to gamers thinking about different possibilities that will solve the problem at hand.
...ing Health Benefits of Playing Video Games.” Youtube. 14 November 2012. Web. 1 May 2014.
With the high rise in violent video games in the last few years, adults see certain acts of violence portrayed in some video games to be a cause of violent acts committed by kids. This is such an easy decision to make, lay blame on something that is new, something radical like violent video games. People don’t even take a look back and remember “Novels, films, radio, and television have all been accused of leading young people astray and inducing violent or antisocial behavior. The fuss about video games may be just another case of curmudgeons complaining” (Walling 1436). If they saw these then they would see a pattern and might not think of pop-culture as harshly. Unfortunately many people do not, and then they blame it on everything but themselves. These arguments are fueled b...
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.
I have been playing video games for as long as I remember. I started by playing the original Super Mario Bros. on the Nintendo Entertainment System with my older brother and sister. I’ve stayed up way past my bedtime in elementary school playing Pokemon on my Gameboy. I continue to play video games even today, from the Wii to the Xbox and even on my computer. Being this avid and long-time gamer, I became curious about the effects that video games have on people like me. And so, I did some research
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 ...
The children roaming in our present society have gotten more violent, their minds are slowly corrupting as the generations pass by, and all for what? This dramatic change in society is being brought by present day video games, which ultimately contribute to youth violence, for they alter behavior and can be seen in the daily, natural lives of the kids in today’s environment.
There is no doubt that the media can spin a story into a shocking and scary account produced solely with the intent to sell. This information, force-fed to the public, can cause fear and hatred to develop within our country and result in gun violence and bloodshed. One reason for the amount of youth violence in America is the violent content in many video games. The average adolescent spends a major part of the normal week watching or interacting with some form of the media’s products. Video games are one of these media-based mediums and have become increasingly popular since the 1980’s.
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
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.
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”).
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.