The Impact of Video Games
Video games are a popular form of entertainment in today’s society. People of every age play video games during their spare time, whether it is on console or computer. Video games now come in the form of millions of different categories and titles. Video game companies will do anything possible so that each game appeals to its audience. This makes a strong connection between people and video games. Video games are known to be time consuming and addicting. Games are also designed to be enjoyable for hours and have some sort of replay value. It causes people to excessively play video games and result in negative side effects. Excessively playing video games cause people to be socially inept, have aggressive behavior, and develop personality issues.
Video games are harmfully time consuming for the people who play them. People become dedicated to video games and spend hours on end just to become better or complete it. From personal experience, gaming can make a person lose track of time. I play one of the most popular games today which is League of Legends. It is a very time consuming game and requires plenty of focus and concentration. On average, a game of League can last about twenty minutes to a whole hour. This causes me to ignore whoever is around me. Playing multiple games of League can take up the whole day and be repeated the next. This amount of time consumption can lead to other problems of the individual.
One of the first noticeable negative effects of video games is that it promotes social ineptitude. A socially inept/awkward person are often shy, lack common verbal and nonverbal skills, and are very anti-social. Meanwhile, a social person includes interacting with other people physically in a...
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...s felt urge to assist the terrorist group in that level, even if they were aware that it was just a video game. This displays the impact a violent video game can have on an individual.
Overall, video games can greatly affect a person. The effects of video games include social ineptitude, aggression, and personality issues. Video games ruin relationships between family and friends. People waste hours excessively playing video games because of addiction and its appeal. Video game categories such as MMORPGs promote social ineptitude and even violence. Video games are the primary reason for a persons aggressive behavior and change in personality. Increased graphics and levels make it hard for players to distinguish the difference between reality and fantasy in violent video games. It is obvious that the negative effects of video games greatly outweigh the positives.
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Show MoreDespite criticisms of video games in the media and among much of the general population, video games have many positive aspects. Walton points out that much of mainstream press tries to put forth the opinion that video games are a plague upon young people (and sometimes even adults) today—blaming such diseases as diabetes and mental issues like sociopathic behavior on video games. Rarely are the positive aspects of games shown—increased hand-eye coordination, development of social problem solving skills, increased attention levels, better collaboration with other students and better grades. (2012)
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.
Gaming supporters have made claims about the benefits of video games. It has been said that video games are used for therapeutic and educational purposes (Nakaya). It has been suggested that video games require discipline, problem solving and decision making skills (Sullenthrop). These things can be achieved, yet when people play videogames they use it therapeutically to relieve stress in their lives and learn to apply violence on things that give them stress, thus, solving their problems. When a person plays a violent video game, they continue to repeat acts of violence in order to reach the goal of the game. According to psychiatrist Adolph Casal, “gamers are not only releasing aggression while playing the game, they are practicing aggression and when we practice something, we become skilled at it" (Nakaya). Gaming supporters perhaps do not realize the dangers of violent video games shown from studies by relating violent video games to aggressiveness and shootings.
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 ...
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.
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...
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.
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...
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.
From my survey results, it is clear that players are wasting time and money more than enough on video games, and after playing for a long time they find themselves can not afford to pass a day without playing. As I watch my brother ( an addicted player) plays video games more than 7 hours a day without going out with friends or doing any of his hobbies, I expect that this problem is getting worse with newer generation. If I have the opportunity to do a research in the future I would like to search about the benefits of playing video games. Although they are few and rare, I believe that they are precious benefits.
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.
Several years ago, technology and child’s play were not such as extremely developed as today. Thousands of teenagers have video game as their primary form of entertainment at home. The disagreement about violent video games is because they focus on several subjects such as violence scenes, pornographic content, racism and other resources. For many years, researchers have been debating if video games can cause dependence or not. However, an expert, Jack Flanagan believes video games have a really negative effect on a person’s life and even for children. Jack states that video game addiction exists, and can have the same effects as drugs and alcohol (Netzley 36-37). This shows that video game addiction can be like other addictions
Most people think that video games are harmful and waste of time. As a result, the main question of the research is how video games can influence on children and many minor questions come to mind about video games: Do video games influence a child’s psychological development and make them more aggressive and violent? Do video games affect a child’s grades? What are the influences of video games on children? Many people don’t have much information about video games and how video games may effect on people’s behavior, health and mind.
Over the years gaming has become a widely popular aspect of our culture. Kids and teenagers have replaced riding there bike or playing with dolls for video games that connect people together all over the globe .We have all been there at one point and time, there are games for just about anybody. Video games are for all age’s yes us adults love to play them to. Playing video games are fun but not a lot of people realize the impact video games can have on the body physically and mentally. Excessive playing of video games can cause decreased social skills, deterioration in health and increased aggressive behavior.