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More handpicked essays just for you.
How are video games affecting children's school performance
Educational benefits of video games
Influence of video games among children
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Some problems are solved over a cup of coffee and some go on for decades without any sign of resolution. The reason may be that a solution can not be found or possibly that too many solutions are established. The ongoing argument of whether video games are good or bad for society is a clear example. Opponents believe they are a bad contribution to society while proponents believe they are a necessary and supportive addition to society. "William Higinbotham, who in 1958 created a game called Tennis for Two " (The Beginning), is the one credited for the invention of the video game. At this stage in time, this new innovation did not spark much interest with the public. "Computer and video games themselves did not become part of the popular culture until the late 1970's" (The Beginning). Death Race, which came out in 1976, " became one of the first controversial video games" (Controversy) to come out to the public. The purpose of the game was to run down gremlins while driving a vehicle. This type of entertainment was new and "uncomfortable"; it displayed awkward situations and was too violent for a lot of the critics. At this point it was obvious that there were two very differing outlooks on the latest technology to strike the market. But since most of the critics were against it and very few for it, including the creators and gamers, more complaints were made and the "violent" game of Death Race was eventually removed from the market. This was definitely not the end of gaming but it also was not the end criticism. The gaming industry obeyed the critic's requests and opened into 80's with "less representational, more kid-friendly games, such as Pac-Man and Donkey-Kong" (Controversy). As video games bec... ... middle of paper ... ... video games showed better visual skills than those who didn't" (USA Today). Researchers have also found that the subjects who played video games "were better able to keep track of objects appearing simultaneously and processed fast-changing visual information more efficiently" (USA Today). Video games have made it a long way from when they first started. Some games actually teach children how to read, write, and even count. Teenagers also state that a little gaming after school actually helps take some stress off from classes and the overload of homework. Video games are a fast growing form of technology. This issue has to be discussed because of the two confronting sides that embark it. Because of the issue video games have to either continue growing as they are or they have to be stopped completely or a settlement between the two parties has to be reached.
Video games do not make us more intelligent. They may however, make us more prone to violence and sex. Video games are preventing us from screening out distractions and making thinking deeply a difficult task. Our brains become overwhelmed when multitasking. Moreover, Johnson states “... a modern video game can take forty hours to complete”. Forty hours keep kids from homework and as Rachael Rettner states in livescience, “The results show that boys given a PlayStation II are slower to progress in their reading and writing skills and have more learning problems reported by their teachers than those not given a system”. The sole reason studies come back positive for video games being productive is due to the fact that they test a regular video gamer with a non-gamer. Regular video gamers will do better in the study because the more they play, the better they get. Not many realize the effect of these “fully realized imaginary worlds”, it is making it harder for people to differentiate their virtual life with their real
Kids that watch more educational and informative shows such as PBS are - less aggressive, usually have higher grades, and are more ambitious in their studies once they get to high school. Continuing on, video games result in people interacting with each other and are more inclined in making new friends. Games help teenagers follow instructions, problem-solving, logic, and hand-eye coordination. While music can act as a coping mechanism and help in improving one's
An examination of videogames in popular culture is a complicated one. There is a large debate as to what is the very first video game. The supposed earliest known video game was created by Thomas T. Goldsmith Jr. and Estle Ray Mann on a cathode ray tube in 1947. The game was a missile simulator similar to radar displays from World War II, and overlaid sheets of paper were used for targets since graphics were unknown at this time. On May 5, 1951, the NIMROD computer was presented in Britain. It used a panel of lights for its display and was used to play a game called “NIM”. Later, in 1952, Alexander S. Douglas made the first compu...
When computer games first came out they weren’t all like “Pong”, one of the first game to appear. Most of the original games had violent intention, like “Invaders” where you weren’t welcoming the aliens with open arms. Another games that I consider somewhat violent and was also a big favorite, “Pac-man.” The fact that Pac-man went around eating ghosts and any thing else on the screen shows violence at some level. The whole idea that new games are more violent than old is absurd.
Video games can be seen in both a positive and negative light. Video gaming has become a popular activity for people of all ages, yet many fear the aftermath they can ensue. Many children and adolescents expend large amounts of time playing them. Video gaming is a multibillion-dollar industry – bringing in more money than movies and DVDs. In fact, the PlayStation 2 was the first video game system to integrate DVD mechanics. It was originally intended to exist as a CD add-on to complement the Super Nintendo, but due to licensing difficulties Sony chose to develop the PlayStation as its own distinctive system. Video games have become very sophisticated. Some games connect to the internet, which can allow children and adolescents to play online with unknown adults and peers. The
3. “Video Games” by Chris Jozefowics. Published by Gareth Stevens Publishing 2010. Pleasantville, NY 10570-70000 USA. Produced by Editorials Directions Inc.
William Higinbotham, a nuclear physicist lobbied for nuclear nonproliferation as the first chair of the Federation of American Scientists, created the first video game Tennis for Two. At Brookhaven's lab's annual visitors' day on October 18, 1958 Tennis for Two was first introduced to the public. Tennis for Two, a two player game that consisted of "separate controllers that were connected to an analog computer" and the use of an "oscilloscope for a screen" ("The First Video Game?"). Nine years later, Ralph Baer, a German-born television engineer, and his coworkers designed the first video game console the Brown Box that worked on a standard television ("A History of Video Game Consoles"). In the past the purpose of video games was not to make a profit, but to offer people a way to have fun in a new way.
In society’s current era of technological advancement, video games have gone a long way since they were first created. Video games in the twenty-first century are no longer just toys or junk in the lifestyles of the youth. They have become innovative inventions that not only entertain its users, but also help aid the people in both the academic field and in jobs. The influences that video games bring about in the culture of the youth today are, in fact, not the negative influences that most people think. Video games are actually this generation’s new medium for educating the youth. The information they learn are also mostly positive and useful things that they may apply in their future lives (Prensky 4). In a generation that revolves around technology and connectivity, developers and educators have already been able to produce fun and interesting games that can teach and train people. Video game developers and educators should continue to collaborate in order to create more positive, educational, and appealing games.
Studies have shown that educational games can help children’s visual intelligence skills (Subrahmanyam, Kaveri, et al. 128). The. Similarly, some research has found that computer use helps kids with alphabet recognition, language, early mathematical knowledge and learning (Bremer 412).
Since the industry of video games has been around, people have been skeptical about video games and their effects to our society. People are so used criticizing video games, claiming that they only corrupt our families, ruin our social lives, and make us and our children more violent. People that are against video games also claim that spending your time reading books is a better and more beneficial alternative. But to blindly claim these things while there are so many benefits for playing video games is really absurd. In the essay “Games” written by Steven Johnson he talks about multiple advantages that there are to playing video games over reading books. Shigeru Miyamoto, a renowned video game designer, once said in response to critics “Video games are bad for you? That’s what they said about rock-n-roll.” Video games are an important developmental tool for young people because they enhance hand-eye coordination, teach problem-solving skills and strategy, relieve stress, and build team work, things which you would usually not find in reading books. Video games can be proved just as useful as reading books by statistics and studies, as well personal experiences from people who read, or play video games, or both. One doesn’t simply restrict themselves to one or the other and receive the qualities of both.
How often do we hear video games are bad for our kids? If you simply google “video games controversy” the results are absolutely polarized articles by major news sources. They are, according to many opponents, at fault for violence and the waning attention span and intelligence of our country 's children. However, there is no real scientific evidence of this. Actually the contrary is true according to Daphne Bavelier of the Bavelier lab of University of Geneva and a cognitive neuroscientist. Bavelier addresses this topic in a positive and scientific light. Her research is posed as how can video games benefit us; rather than how they hurt us. Bavelier uses a variety of methods to appeal to her audience in her engaging speech on video games
Many people believe that too much time spent watching television or playing computer or video games can be detrimental to children’s development. However, video games can also be beneficial. Gaming, in moderation, helps improve cognitive skills, such as attention, vision, and multitasking.
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.
I have been playing video games since I was in kindergarten and I believe that they have been invaluable to my intellectual development. I owe about one third of my English vocabulary to video games. Strategy games such as Age of Empires and Age of Mythology have taught me planning and resource management, as well as a great deal about the history and culture of human civilizations. Shooters such as Counter-Strike and Unreal Tournament have taught me how to quickly make decisions while under stress, and have enhanced my hand-eye coordination and spatial orientation. Adventure and puzzle games such as Darksiders and Minesweeper have taught me problem solving and logical reasoning, in addition to improving my ability to concentrate and greatly increasing my perseverance.
...e dealing with technology everywhere and their whole lives. Video games help make kids feel comfortable with technology. Video games now provide a fun and social form of entertainment and are used all over the world for positive effects. Gaming has had positive effects on aiding weight loss, improving the efficiency of visual skills, controlling anger, creating fun interactive learning environments, and has become a new way of therapy to help rehabilitate patients. The new Wii programs will certainly develop and continue to perform more incredible effects on different people.