Technology nowadays has become a tremendous part of children’s everyday life. The biggest part of technology that children are mostly consumed by is video games. Video games were introduced back in the 1970s, which consisted of games such as Pong, that didn’t contain much graphics. Then starting in the late 1980s, video games started to become more developed in ways such as the graphic was in much better quality than before because of the advancement in technology. With increasing development in graphics, it made the video games much more realistic than ever before, and made video games as popular as they are now. Today approximately 90% of children spend about one-third of their day with some form of electronic device (Agarwal 38). Since video games play such a major role in children’s everyday lives, researchers have begun to question the influence these games have on the young people who are playing them. Both positive and negative influences have been identified leading to some controversy as to the wisdom of young people spending so much time playing these games. People usually think that video games can hurt children’s social skills majorly, but some video games actually help strengthen them. With video games that are popular it helps children to be able to start a conversation with each other because they at least know they have a common interest. Nowadays most video games are able to play as multiplayer, which means that children usually spend their time with their friends and play games together. This can create better social skills because playing with friends make it easy to talk and not worry about if you say something wrong. It also creates a little friendly competition and winning can help self-confiden... ... middle of paper ... ... Benefits of Videogames.” Education & Health 20.3 (2002): 47-51. CINAHL. Print. 4 Nov. 2013. Lee, Joanne E., and Judith A. Vessey. “Violent Video Games Affecting our Children.” Pediatric Nursing. Nov. 2000: 607. Academic OneFile. Print. 26 Nov. 2013. Mansbacher, Jordana. “Can Playing Video Games Be Harmful To Your Kids.?” Pediatrics For Parents 27. 11/12 (2011): 27. MasterFILE Main Edition. Print. 26 Nov. 2013. “Study says TV, video games hurt school performance.” Jet 23 Oct. 2006: 25. Gale Power Search. Print. 4 Nov. 2013. “Tetris ‘could help lazy eye’.” Optometry Today. 3 May 2012: 8. Academic One File. Print. 4 Nov. 2013 Zubrzycki, Jackie. “Video Game Effects; ‘Video Game Playing, Attention Problems, and Impulsiveness: Evidence of Bidirectional Causality’.” Education Week 7 Mar. 2012: 5. Gale Power Search. Print. 4 Nov. 2013.
They help children find their identity. Michael Evan claims that “A range of issues covered in the research on video games and experience include the development of identity in children and learning; models and model-based thinking in science learning and the control of avatars for interacting with complex systems; the presence of distributed intelligence and cross-functional teams for learning in massive multiplayer online role-playing games; and situated meaning, that is, the ways in which games represent verbal meaning through images, actions, and dialog, not just other words and definitions” (“Youth And Video Games: Exploring Effects On Learning And Engagement,” 2013). Many video games require the player to work in a group and according to Evans, children form their sense of identity when they are placed in a multiplayer game and are required to use their thinking to come up with plans and not only that but they create their own avatar and choose who they want to be which is like a real life situation. You choose who you are going to be in life and video games set them up in that situation early on and helps form a child’s
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.
Video games are electronic sports which involves user interface and user interactivity. They generate a visual response which helps to provide excitement and entertainment. Video games are played on computers, televisions, or any kind of device with a display screen. People play video games for fun and also because some games are more productive and useful. With growth in technology video games have become very popular in children. Those games can be informative and a brain-builder for children but at the same time it may be so violent that they not only become the reason for the children to be destructive but also vigorously increase anti-social behavior.
First video games are not harmful to the public quite the contrary actually. Many video games encourage social behavior and team work whether that is the two player cooperative shooter game that two brothers play together working as a team inspiring positive feelings overriding the negative ones as stated in the study coauthored by David Ewoldsen. Or a family on game night all playing a game together and having a great time and bonding together because of the experience. And many games today don’t stop there at just play together and have fun. Many games promote teamwork skills through puzzles which can be solved together, or enemies that the players must work together to defeat. These positive social effects are not limited to one’s family but extend into online play, where one can converse and enjoy his time with others, creating entire
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.
Since the Early 70’s video games have been giving a bad name. Parents state that video games rot the minds of children and are influencing them do be violent. These accusations are far from the truth. In my research I found that there are many positive effects of gaming. Some of these effects are increased skills, creativity, general knowledge, and also help those in need. Parents can also take proper precautions and look into a game before buying it to see if it meets the criteria discussed in this paper.
Video games first appeared in the early 1970's. It all started with a simple white ball bouncing back and fourth on the screen. In 1986, Nintendo introduced its first line of home video game consoles. With the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) on the market, the home video gaming industry surged and immediately became popular among children. Since then, not only have video games increased in popularity, but there have been vast improvements in graphics, game play, and forms of gaming. Today, video games have become the preferred choice of entertainment among children and teenagers. Research done in 1998 has shown that kids who own video games spend an average of 90 minutes a day playing them. Clearly the video gaming industry is a profitable one. With the increasing competition between gaming companies, the advancement of technology and content of games began to change. One of the most significant and concerning changes in gaming is graphics. With the improvements in graphics the content of the game became more and more detailed and realistic. Visually violent actions can now be displayed on the screen. Images of blood, flying body parts, and gore have been integrated into every aspect of today's video games. Violence has always been a common factor in many games, but with the improvements in graphics and capabilities of gaming consoles, a growing number of people are becoming concerned about the effects on our children and society.
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.
Video games are no longer the uprising form of media that ill informed parents and scientists used to fear; video games are now an established form of entertainment that is just as universally accepted as film or literature. The difference between videogames and mediums like film and literature is that they do not have the higher value that books have in exercising the mind and communicating information, nor do they have the value that films have to intellectually challenge an audience and to make people think. This is the general argument that can be heard voiced by leading intellectuals in various field as well as parents who are rising young children; both claim that videogames
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.
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”).
When playing video games, the coordination and concentration can physically, socially, and mentally benefit the user. Research today shows that certain video games can reduce fat and therefore promote weight loss. Other sources state that doctors have instructed parents to let their children play video games to help control focus. It is found that video games can improve hand eye coordination and have been used for rehabilitation of wounded soldiers. Gamming has developed in technology, and created many new positive effects. Over the years video games has become popular, the history of gamming continues all the way back to board games, new equipment has created constructive and entertaining learning experiences.
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.
Yet many people are concerned how this impacts there social skills the everyday face to face contact. When playing video games people limit their self’s to social interaction unless it has to do with the game, a lot of people play online and talk to their friends through a headset. When people have face to face contact they develop skills in learning how to communicate with people and eye to eye contact you don’t get that through a video game. Being in a social environment promotes social skills. A social environment can provide opportunities for one to learn how to behave properly in different situations. When playing video games most of the time the person is alone and confined in room. Meaning there is very little social interaction between the person and the game. When people play video games they play in sessions and they can last a long time even all night. People get so wrapped up in playing these games they blow off their friends and family meaning it’s hard to maintain social relationships.
The advantage of playing online games is that it allows people to communicate with numerous numbers of others from different cultural backgrounds and countries. In the game, a gamer may want to exchange his item with someone else. Therefore, he/she has to negotiate with others. Repetition of this negotiation can develop a gamer’s social skills. The disadvantage of online gaming is that spending most of your free time in front of a monitor will remove teenagers from their friends and society.