Allow them to play or not to play? That is a question parents of children and adolescents should be considering when their child wants to participate in online or off-line electronic games that are readily available in the marketplace today. Research suggests that excessive on-line gaming may lead to symptoms commonly experienced by substance addicts. Since games are particularly appealing to children and adolescents, these individuals may be more at risk than other groups of developing gaming addiction (Kuss and Griffiths xx). The electronic gaming industry has a large marketing influence in the American culture that can distort children’s perception of reality that leads many into gambling addiction, aggression and violent behaviors, and …show more content…
Whether time spent on electronic devices affects young people 's social development and behavior has been the target of much speculation and research. Some studies have linked excessive game playing to academic problems and aggressive, antisocial behavior, while others have found the experience beneficial to relationship-building, critical thinking and academic success. Common sense parenting and paying attention to kids gaming activities while limiting the time the child spends playing will help with proper child development and maturity. Decide what is acceptable, check the ratings, and pick games that require the player to come up with strategies. According to Los Angeles-based psychotherapist Robert Butterworth, Ph.D., you should “evaluate the shows and games not just in terms of violence or obscenity, but in the terms of the mental engagement that they require. Boys need to slay dragons and play games with action figures of cowboys and Indians”, he says. “They need to be in a fantasy where they are conquering heroes; suppressing this may have long-term effects that may not be good ("Positive and Negative Effects of Video Games").” Video game effects are complex and would be better understood as multiple dimensions rather than a simplistic “good-bad” dichotomy (Prot, McDonald, Anderson, and Gentile
... games do have an important and distinct impact on the psychological development of children. Some of the positive effects of social, educational, cognitive, and physical uptake are substantial and far outweigh the occasional negative showing of aggression and lethargic behavior. As with all things, the situation and content should always be considered, especially in the developing stages of young minds. With the landscape of the video game industry changing year-by-year, there are constantly more dimensions of this puzzle needing to be assessed. However, there has already been a shift in their potential effects even as recently as the past 10 years. With more research in this field, we can start to note trends (relative to sex and age) and begin to create and environment where children enjoy the process of growing up while developing good health and social habits.
As a result, multiple case studies have been developed to understand what video games do to the brain and what it does to individuals. However, that has not changed the fact that video game addiction is not currently listed as a disorder of the mind or body (Wood, 2007, p.169). According to Richard Wood (2007), this concept is supported by the media, parental concerns, and some profile cases of people who obviously play too much video games. Richard Wood (2007) analyzed multiple case studies to find that the criteria used to measure video games and addiction in some of them was pathological gambling screens. For instance, there are huge differences between gambling and video game playing (Wood, 2007, p. 170). Gambling involves wagering a certain amount of money to win more of it. However, when the subject continues to lose, that person bets even more and it begins to lead into debt and stress (Wood, 2007, p.170). On the other hand, video games do not involve money and is different from gambling. Hypothetically, if there were money involved in the game, than it would automatically be deemed gambling. Wood also has a difficult time interpreting how excitement of video games can be increased, like gambling. Another issue arises when using the Addiction-Engagement Questionnaire that concludes an overestimation of prevalence (Wood, 2007, p. 170).
Playing video games is a very popular activity for today 's youth.These games play a huge part in a lot of people 's social lives.Violent video games have a negative effect on children by teaching the kids to associate violence with pleasure,changing their look towards violence as a natural and positive behavior,and increasing the likelihood of participating in aggressive and violent behaviors outside of a virtual environment.Some games, even connect to the internet which allows the children who play them to have discussions with others they don 't even know.While some games do provide a positive impact on children 's lives a majority of them do not and that majority emphasizes negative behavior and promote violence.
"Today, in the United States, 91% of children between the ages of 2 and 17 play videogames, and a nationally representative study of U.S. teenagers found that up to 99% of boys and 94% of girls play these games" (Granic, Label and Engels 1). Video games have become virtually ubiquitous, belonging to almost every single modern day family. The market’s popularity, as well as its disapproval, has increased dramatically ever since they were invented. Many critics have been arguing for the past couple decades or so that these electronic games have destroyed the lives of children by making them sedentary and obese. However, recent studies support that video games are not harming children, but in fact are providing them with several benefits that they can incorporate in their everyday lives. Improvements have been found in cognition, social behaviors, emotional well-being, and many other areas that are necessary for a child’s growth and success. All children should use video games as an essential tool to make their worlds easier and more understandable.
When a parent is asked about video games, the first thing that comes to their mind is that they are bad for everyone, and this has always been the case for several video games. In today 's world, video games are becoming more popular and accessible to everyone. Most of the games that are being played by players involve violence and with its increase in popularity, they are often portrayed as a plague to society by many for years. However, despite these drawbacks, they are still suitable for providing learning, health, and social benefits that can improve a person’s daily life, making them worthwhile.
The least of importance are the studies from Hope M. Cummings from the University of Michigan, and Elizabeth A. Vandewater from the University of Texas, that show video games can make people spend less time doing homework (2007). During the school year 2002-2003 they collected a survey from nearly 1,500 U.S. kids and teens from ages 10 to 19 (Cummings & Vandewater 2007). About 80 percent of the percentage were boys and more than 36 percent of the group reported playing video games (Cummings & Vandewater 2007). Adolescent gamers spent 30 percent less time reading and 34 percent less time doing homework compared to non-gamers (Cummings & Vandewater 2007).
Nowadays, technology gradually improve; humans make friends with video games when they were young.Video games are invented which is suitable for society’s development. Video games are inexpensive pastime which is easy to play. Moreover, videos games are really interesting with catchy images, vivid sounds, and attractive characters which get the youth and children’ attention. Video games are created for main purposes which are entertain and reduce stress in daily life. A lot of people show a question, which is” How do the video games affect humans life?’’. In fact, the video games bring benefits to people which are, release strain, practice mindset, and expand the relationships. On the contrary, when the youth and children spend a lot of their
Video games are almost always present in any house that is home to an adolescent child. While video games are popular among people of all ages, adolescent children are usually the most involved. An article was developed by three members of the Psychopathology department at a university in the Netherlands. While addressing the use of video games the statement was made that “Today, in the United States, 91% of children between the ages of 2 and 17 play video games”(Granic, Lobel, Engels). Children may spend countless hours sitting in from of a television screen, participating in the electronic activities. While there are many different genres of video games, perhaps among the most popular are those that contain a high level of violence and hostility. Along with the violent content and commentary, these videogames create a hostile mindset. Video games have the ability to cause negative effects in the way young people think and act socially.
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...
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. According to a report in Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, "Female gamers spent an average of 44 minutes playing on the weekdays and one hour and four minutes playing on the weekends, and male gamers spent an average of 58 minutes playing on the weekdays and one hour and 37 minutes playing on the weekends" ("Video Game Play Among Adolescents"). What can we understand from this evidence? The fact is that adolescents, male or female, are spending tremendous amounts of time each day sitting in front of a screen with a controller in hand.
Social scientists have been examining the effect that video games have on behavior. From the introduction of video games in the 1980s, there have been numerous research studies to this effect (Andersen & Taylor, 2008). The issue has become even more significant in the modern context because these video games have become bloodier and more realistic than ever before. Even though boys play these games more than girls in America, the consumption of video games has generally been high. Carey (2013) indicates that 32% of these gamers are below the age of 18. Therefore, it would be crucial to evaluate the effects that these video games have on the behavior of such children.
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 are often portrayed in a negative manner because they are seen as having an "addictive" quality. Addiction has been defined as "A primary, chronic disease, characterized by impaired control over the use of a psychoactive substance and/or behavior. Despite the wonderful benefits games offer as diversions, spending too much time, to the neglect of normal life duties, and social development with direct contact with others can and often does happen. Clinically, the manifestations occur along biological, sociological, spiritual and especially psychological. Some psychological effects that affect the behaviors are failure to play outdoor games, difficulties in work or school, telling lies to everyone, decreased attention to personal hygiene, decreased attention to family and friends, and disturbances in the sleep cycle. Many video game addicts have strug...
Playing video games is perceived as associate degree exciting side of the media landscape and has toughened lots of growth in recent years. There has been an increase within the range of kids WHO use video games in several components of the planet, notably within the us (Hagan,et al. 2002). Among youngsters within the us, taking part in hours for video games have increased from four hours each week within the 1980’s, to concerning thirteen hours per week in recent years. Video games have conjointly taken the eye of the general public, notably by the controversies concerning person shooter games (Anderson, Gentile & Buckley, 2007).
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.