Video Games Positive and Negative Effects On December 14, 2014. many Americans were deeply disturbed by the Sandy Hook incident that appeared on the news, where Adam Lanza committed mass murder. As a result, the media has linked this horrendous incident to video games because he was a frequent player of violent first-person shooter video games. It was said his existence largely involved playing violent computer video games in a bedroom. However, many researchers have found many positive effects in games can improve things like logical thinking skills, multitasking, and promotion of social-emotional development, which makes video games worth much more than people give them credit (“Violent Video Games Campagin”). Video games are such a powerful …show more content…
The media needs to understand the negative effects of video games, comprehend potential benefits of video games, and know how to monitor their impact in order to …show more content…
I have experienced some negative effects of games like a decrease in academics, but I still manage to get A’s and B’s in my classes because I learned how to prioritize days for me to study for exams instead of playing games. Academics argue that games can be beneficial in other domains of Personal Well-being besides mere enjoyment. Games should be studied for how and when they provide immediate psychological satisfactions. In addition, only moderate play supports Personal Well-Being. There is a typical example of excessive gaming is when the player claims that certain game has affected him by saying “this game fucked up a year of my life.” (Greet et.al.10). I have felt that I experienced video games addiction because I only played games day in day out during my junior year in high school, which a lot thing falls apart around me like my grades and my social life, but during summer I realized that had to find a balance of what’s important to me. Even though my experience with the negative effects of games I find that the positive effects still outweigh
Adam would rather play violent video games such as “World of Warcraft” than Dance Dance Revolution with the other kids. In the class lecture on crime and video games, the meta-analysis by Anderson and Bushman (2001) violent video games vs. nonviolent resulted that violent video games increases the probability of physiological arousal and aggression-related thoughts and feelings. Playing violent video games also decreases prosocial behavior. Police have speculated that the shooting was caused by the violent video games he played. It was like he wanted to reenact
Dylan Klebold, Eric Harris, Adam Lanza, Steven Phillip Kazmierczak, and Seung-Hui Cho all have a few things in common, they are all school shooters that have killed and injured a combined total of 149 human beings and are or were believed to be avid violent video game players, who also committed suicide immediately after carrying out their attacks. To the public, school shooters seem to share a direct connection to playing violent video games and that playing them leads to violent behavior. Violent videogames have become a highlight in the media and national debate for this very reason but, there is no scientific evidence to support the existence of a causative connection between participants of violent videogames manifesting violent behaviors. The media provides biased information that misleads citizens into believing that said link is well established and accepted. I argue that parents should make responsible and well informed decisions in regards to their child’s videogame activities in spite of the lack of scientific research.
Researchers, however, have found that gaming may not be completely bad for adolescents. A recent study by Paul J.C. Adachi and Teena Willoughby points out that video gaming may satisfy the same criteria for positive youth development as traditional organized activities such as sports, music or clubs. In direct contrast to this analogy, they demonstrate that there may be significant social benefits of gaming, that adolescents are motivated to play video games and that this type of play requires concentration and mental effort (Adachi and
Nowadays video games get nothing but bad reputations from people. You have people in powerful positions saying that video games have nothing but bad effects and that they only promote violence and lead to children acting out on that violence. Who are the people listening to these people in powerful positions? Parents. Some Parents have this misunderstanding that all video games are bad and that all video games have a negative effect on their child and how they develop. Some parents with that understanding are misinformed and need to understand just how beneficial video games can actually be for their children. Although some parents think that video games offer nothing but negative effects, they are actually really beneficial to kids and
The allegation that videogames cause violent behavior in children has been present as long as videogames themselves. Some researchers said that the Sandy Hook shooter, Adam Lanza, was one intense gamer. “Seung-Hui Cho, the Virginia Tech Shooter was seen by his roomates as odd because he never joined them in video games.”(Beresin) This debate will continue to go on in this country as long as there are horrific crimes that occur. There is much written in the research regarding this issue, and many differing views. The research that is presented in the next few paragraphs supports the theory that it is not the graphic video games that produce aggressive behavior, but other factors in a child’s life that create violent actions.
Desensitization from video games creates a biological response that leads to a lack of empathy and more aggressive behaviors. Furthermore, violence in video games is rewarded, making one more likely to repeat the behavior in real life. Finally, video games allow people to take on roles, and along with one’s inability to separate reality from fantasy, people will take on these roles in real life, leading to many of the recent mass shootings. The debate on video games and violence will carry major significance over these coming years. Although violent video games will not necessarily be banned, there might be moves to educate parents about the dangers of violent video games so that their children can be monitored in the games they choose. However, the debate will not be completely solved. Video games are a multimillion dollar industry and the companies may pay psychologists to agree with their sentiments, prolonging the debate. Although video games are some of the most popular items in the world to own, one must take caution in purchasing them, especially violent
Video games have been accused of contributing too many acts of violence or aggression for decades. What the media misses is that video games have many benefits we haven’t found in any other media. Society should stop being afraid of video games and instead start looking forward to how we can best use them to benefit ourselves and our children. Anyone who doesn’t understand why needs only take a quick look at our society. It is commonly known that many children in the United States play video games. Even many heads of households play video games, too. Society is changing and non-gamers are being left behind.
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
They get attached so easily with the video games that they don 't realize their ability to concentrate in the studies is diminishing day by day. According to By Rebecca Hagelin (2013) children who played violent video games are involved in active shootings at school and other public places. "The impact of playing violent video games has drawn heightened scrutiny since the massacre in Newtown, Conn. Shooter Adam Lanza, troubled by mental health issues and his parents ' divorce, reportedly also played violent video games daily, for hours on end" (Rebecca Hagelin, 2013, p. 5). According to Anderson and Bushman (2001) lack of parental oversight has become the primary issue on children grabbing their attention more towards violent video games than studying for their test. As the researchers analyze the statistics most of the parents are irresponsible towards their children who are willing to purchase video games and children being more careless and making a habit of playing violent video
After realizing how addicting games could be, two professors from the University of Utah wanted to know the reason why people get into games. In 2008, these professors examined 152 high school students. When asked for reasons for why they played games, they all differentiated. These reasons consisted of excitement, mastery, having nothing else to do, having friends who play and also just to make them feel better. These reasons to play are relative to all level of
Shooter games are to be seen as a cause and effect for violence today. It doesn’t matter how old the person is, video games can affect people or escalate problems which can cause injury or even death. Too often gamers can become altered by the events that occur within a video game that they or a friend has played before. The perception of life and the game can become twisted and be used to hurt anyone. Children are the main concern; they can spend hours in front of a television and play. Most parents see there is nothing wrong with children enjoying video games in their free time. But do they know how it affects them and how kids perceive videos games? They then try to reenact what they see and play on television. Children and young adults
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.
The inescapable reality of violence, whether attained through the media or from personal experience, affects the everyday life of some. Tragic events such as school shootings and mass murders happen all too often. Society is now constantly wonder why such terrible things happen. There are countless factors some such as bullying and mental handicaps are often considered primary factors in violent crimes. Now a certain types of video games, the ones that portray violence, have caught the attention of the mass media and nowadays every channel considers it their duty to remind people how much damage these games cause to children and adults. As many as 97% of US kids ages 12 - 17 play video games, all contributing to the $21.53 billion domestic
"Video game play may provide learning, health, social benefits." American Psychological Association. February 2014, Vol 45, No. 2
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.