Video Games: A Rising Problem
Since the first appearance of video games in the early 1960s, video games have become a common pastime for people worldwide. Beginning as simple games used to pass time for fun, the purpose and complexity of video games has altered throughout recent decades (BE#10). Today video games are offered on a large-scale variety of types and genres with many even having life-like graphics. With time-consuming objectives, a once simple game may encourage someone to invest several hours daily to feel accomplished (BE#11). The completion of a typical video game, assuming it is not educational, fails to offer any beneficial reward relating to reality (SC#11). In fact, addictive gaming can lead to physical, mental, and social
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Time is a universal trade for all the desires a person seeks for in his or her lifetime. While most time spent working or spent socializing has positive results in life, playing video games simply has no realistic benefits but instead dissipates time. As I played video games frequently as a child I can never say I left a gaming session feeling accomplished. In fact, I found myself wondering why I was wasting my time staring emotionlessly at a screen, and I quit playing video games. A study conducted in 2013 concluded that people who play video games age thirteen and older spend up to six hours per week on some gaming device (Snider). Although this equates to roughly only an hour each day of gaming, overtime this adds up to thousands of hours of valuable time lost. A common argument would be that some people get a feeling of accomplishment from video games and feel no remorse wasting time on them. However, many people who enjoy gaming often become attached and are unable to see the single realistic result of the game- nothing (SC#8). The result of eliminating video games from my life has allowed me to redirect my spare time towards realistic …show more content…
Playing video games for two hours or more a day can lead to problems falling asleep at night (The Negative…). The increased emotional and physiological arousal and light exposure from video games are what cause difficulty falling asleep (Video Games and Sleep Loss). With sleep deprivation, a person will become fatigued and fail to function at full potential. Since playing video games lacks physical activity and requires a person to maintain a stationary position for a long period of time, body aches and obesity are associated with gaming. According to the University of Dallas Texas video game addiction causes backaches, headaches, eyestrain, and carpal tunnel syndrome. And children who play video games for more than two hours a day have an increased risk at becoming obese (The Negative…). Are there any physical health benefits that occur from playing video games? Yes, there are two minor physical health benefits than can occur from gaming: improved eyesight and temporary pain relief. (7 Health Benefits of Playing Video Games). However, these being minor benefits that are not life changing, the negative affects greatly outweigh the
According to Aviv Weinstein (2010), from the American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, “Computer game addiction is excessive or compulsive use of computer and video games that may interfere with daily life” (p. 1). A survey done to measure the negative relationship between video games and addiction involved kids from the age of 13 to 17 (Brunborg, G. S., Mentzoni, R. A., & Frøyland, L. R., 2014). To no surprise, there was a relationship between depression, low academic achievement, conduct problems
Despite 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)
Back in the day, gamers would use dials and keyboards to move simple two-dimensional shapes across a tiny pixelated screen. Since then, forty years later, friends and family are able to play together in ultra realistic virtual realities. Games are no longer only played by geeky teenage boys spending the day at an arcade. Video games are now for men, women, boys, and girls of all ages. According to a survey taken by 23 participants at McHenry County College on April 22 2014, 96% of them have played video games before, 61% play video games weekly, and 9 of the 16 women surveyed currently play video games. These results show that not only are video games extremely prevalent in modern day life, contrary to popular belief, a good portion of women play them as well. Many different types of personalities play video games as well. Video games are no longer an activity only desired by introverts. Not since the internet has allowe...
“The objective of video games are to entertain people by surprising them with new experience” (Shigeru Miyamoto).Video games have been a leisure activity for many people around the world but for some people it has become a way of life. Video games help us escape everyday life and bring us to a land of imagination. That is why many people play video games because it is a great way to relieve stress. Video games have many benefits than just being fun. Not only are video games shown to have positive effects on the individual if used in the right manner, but it also helps to connect people with common interest; bring a sense of community. It is also a resourceful way to find a career path. The components
Video games primarily are used for a time burner, something that will allow you to forget reality or let you relax as a reward. Many of the time people use video games to forget the real world and adventure on quest of amazing tales, or allow you to relax to a soothing game of 2Civilization Revolution as a reward of a hard day’s
Video games have become a hot topic recently. There have been a lot of controversy over whether to play or not to play. The controversy is due to them being arguably more captivating than all other forms of entertainment. Video games narrate an epic tale like no other form of entertainment can. You can become immersed in video games, because of this they are both a highly entertaining escape from the real world and a complete waste of time.
Through all the studies done by many different researchers, there have been many different results. Some results have shown an increase in heart rate, while others have shown video games help people deal with stress. While most of the studies had negative effects, there were very few studies that had shown no effect at all, and depended on the type of person tested. The majority of the video games made are violent and have nothing in them to benefit the player. Almost every videogame is made strictly for entertainment and does just that by appealing to the majority. The games are made so that that you will buy them, therefore violence, sex, and drugs are put into many of the videogames children play today.
Videogames are amazing they promote creativity, team-work and social interaction. Video games actually work to increase how good your eyesight is. One study done by scientist’s Daphne Bavelier and her team found that playing five to fifteen hours of action games (e.g., Call of Duty) a week increased how good the participants vision was in two ways "The first way is that they 're actually able to resolve small detail in the context of clutter… The other way that they are better is actually being able to resolve different levels of grey”. Sure games have violence in them but honestly what doesn’t, films and TV are chock full of it, heck even Tom and Jerry promote violence and animal abuse plus there is a reason that those big shiny red “18” stickers are put on games so that it is clearly shown that children aren 't supposed to be given access to these specific types of game. As for the “waste of time” nothing is really a waste of time if you gain something from it such as
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.
Studies have shown that there is a wide variety of physical and behavioral effects that video games can have on their players.
Video games have been around about 50 years and they contribute a big part of the U.S. economy. People interact with video games every day throughout different ways, such as cell phone devices, computers, consoles or whatever which has a screen on it. In fact, it has always affected people’s lives. However, not so many people understand the benefits of video games. With video games, people can not only relieve themselves from stress and suffering, but it also improves people’s social experiences while they are exchanging and absorbing knowledge with other people; more than that, people can learn many other things from video games which can help them to achieve great things in lives.
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...
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.
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.