Life is Not a Video Game

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Recommended: Influence of violent video games on children

Video games are probably the most asked for present when a child sits on Santa Claus’ lap at Christmas time. They are, in all probability, what kids ask for when they make a wish while blowing out the candles on their birthday cake. The latest installment in the Call of Duty video game franchise, Modern Warfare 3, reached record sales of $775,000,000 in five days (Tito). At sixty dollars each, that means that this game is present in approximately 12,750,000 homes worldwide. Although the gaming industry is a lucrative one, it can also have adverse effects on children and adolescents. Scientific studies, done by researchers and psychologists around the world, show that violent video games can be detrimental in both children and adolescents, modifying brain function, causing overly aggressive behavior, feelings of hostility, paranoia, violence, and childhood obesity. Youth education also suffers because of video game addiction and lack of sleep. Some solutions need to be thought out and enacted for the physical and mental health of children and adolescents worldwide. Patrice Wendling, author of “Violent Videos Alter Brain Functioning, Study Shows”, states, “Adolescents who play violent video games demonstrate distinct alterations in brain activation on functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI); investigators have shown for the first time” (Wendling 1). In these studies, it was proven that video games which are violent in nature activate a different part of the brain than other types. This part of the brain, the amygdale, controls emotional arousal. The teenagers had less activity in the frontal lobe, which controls inhibition, self control, and concentration. Therefore, these types of video games can cause behaviors in children an... ... middle of paper ... ...dentary Behaviors Associated with Less Physical Activity; a Cross National Investigation.” The International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity 7 (2010): 46. Academic One File. Web. 14 Nov. 2011. Kim, Yoon Myung, and SoJung Lee. “Physical Activity and Abdominal Obesity in Youth.” Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism 34.4 (2009): 571+. Academic One File. Web. 14 Nov. 2011. Lorentzen, Amy. “Video Violence—Psychologist Advises Parents to be Aware of What Their Kids Are Playing.” Commercial Appeal [Memphis] 24 Aug. 2006. NewsBank. Web. 14 Nov. 2011 Tito, Greg. “Modern Warfare 3 Breaks Every Sales Record Known to Man.” The Escapist. The Escapist. 17 Nov. 2011. Web. 30 Nov. 2011. Wendling, Patrice. “Violent Videos Alter Brain Functioning, Study Shows.” Internal Medicine News 40.3 (2007): 20. Academic One File. Web. 14 Nov. 2011

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