Are Video Games Therapy? Essays

Playing certain video games can have cognitive benefits. Specific video games, like Tetris, have been shown to have positive effects on spatial rotation, while games like Grand Theft Auto V have been shown to increase reaction times within gamers. Open-ended games and interactive games improve problem-solving skills by learning to solve things through trial and error. Interactive games are shown to improve creativity as well. People who play shooter video games show faster and more accurate attention allocation, higher spatial resolution in visual processing, and enhanced mental rotation abilities than those who don’t (Granic, Lobel, & Engels, 2014). Other cognitive benefits of playing video games include improved coordination, enhanced memory, enhanced multitasking skills, and improves attention. Even though, most video games show some kind of cognitive effect, most robust effects come from shooter games, rather than puzzle games (Green & Bavelier, 2012).

Video games are generally seen as a waste of time and nothing good can come out of playing them. People usually associate video games with nerds and adults who stay in the basements of their parent’s house. With all these negative associations with video games, it is hard to see that video games can actually be helpful and beneficial to an individual’s mental and physical health.

Thesis Statement: Though video games have a controversial and sometimes negative reputation, when used correctly they can benefit a person’s emotional wellbeing, motor skills, and potentially aid their health through video game exercising.

Researchers at The University of Utah say that when children with illnesses play video games it helps to improve their attitude while they face the challenges of their illnesses. “The games ability to act on neuronal mechanisms that activate positive emotions and the reward system”(Gallagher). Most people wouldn't believe this, but preschoolers actually benefit from just sitting in front of a video game with the controller in their hand. Preschoolers object control motor skills enhance better than others who don't play video games. What a lot of people didn't know is that video games are actually beneficial to your vision.

“A new wave of research has found surprising advantages in an activity that many call a waste of time, if not an outright menace”(Paragraph 5). Some video games can be very helpful like math games and grammar games. Video games are considered a waste of time, but it can be very helpful in education and in many other ways. “Scientists have recently linked gaming with increased brain power, making better moral decisions and even physical fitness”(Paragraph 6) Video games are being proven to help people make better choices. On the other hand, they also have been linked with fitness and strength. This said, video games are improving daily life and

This paper will explore the psychological benefits that video games have on individuals based on research conducted online (Internet) and offline (non-Internet) . The research will focus mainly on cognitive , motivational , emotional and social benefits that individuals gain by playing video games. Furthermore it will compare gamers with those that don 't play video games or normal teaching methods and what helps better retain the skills gained. The research conducted is based on console gaming (xbox, playstation, wii) and pc. The research will focus on first person shooters, role playing, racing games.

Side effects of video games number just about as many types of video games that people play. In Lisa Weber’s article “Positive Effects of Video Games on Children,” she states several benefits that children obtain when they play video games. Some of these advantages include the areas of social development, education, and an emotional outlet. As a result, Lisa clearly displays her stance on the positive side of the opinions of video games. However, electronic gaming contains a voluminous amount of pernicious effects. When young adults and children partake in video games, they come across numerous experiences that could have a negative influence on their lives.

The article gave an array of effects video games have on the brain. There are different behaviors that can be associated with game players. It can range from improving cognitive skills to enhancing disorders. It can also be enrichment in school and with students. This is just an overview of the information

There are also many studies that show how video games increase peripheral perception, processing speed, and memory (Bavelier, Green, Han, Renshaw,  Merzenich, & Gentile, 2011). Also, depending on the type of video game a particular person is playing, it can be used as an effective training scenario(Bavelier, Green, Han, Renshaw,  Merzenich, & Gentile, 2011). The idea here is that video games can be used as a productive tool for people of all ages, professions, and lifestyles, if they are utilized correctly (Bavelier, Green, Han, Renshaw,  Merzenich, & Gentile, 2011). An issue that may come up is trying to find the happy area in the middle of the people who don’t use games at all and the ones that are using them excessively and becoming

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

Have you ever wondered why people enjoy playing video games? Players often find video games to be fun and exciting. But there’s a downside. Many adults assume that video games are harmful to the player, but that’s not necessarily true. Most people don’t understand that playing video games also comes with many benefits. We need to change how the world targets video games as always being “harmful”. Although, many people think video games are harmful, video games have positive effects on people in terms of perceptual tasks, having great educational potential, and improving problem-solving skills.

Another way video games have an effect on our health is by being therapeutic. There are studies also showing that it is used in psychotherapy. There are two different types of gaming therapy. Electronic

Is video gaming a force for psychological good or for psychological harm? This is one of the issues discussed in the last thirty years. A lot of people, especially parents, would say gaming is harmful on a child’s psychology. Those people would say that video games make children aggressive; they are frustrating and highly addictive. The concerns are not only about children, they go for teenagers and young adults as well. Something which just a few years ago was only a way of unwinding and passing a bit of time has now become a much criticized lifestyle, with allegedly disturbing long-turn effects on people’s minds and perception of the world. One thing needs to be made

I truly enjoy playing video games and hope to encourage others whom are not already playing.I narrowed my focus to the possible therapeutic effects of using video games as a treatment for chronic illnesses such as autism. I am personally interested in this topic because for the majority of my life I have been told time and time again video games are horrific for kids. Yes, there have been several outdated studies linking children who played violent video games with more aggressive behavior. But these studies were not very scientific and did not take other factors into account. For example, they compared the violent tendencies of people in combat and contact sports, like football, MMA, etc, with similar problems in video gamers.

Many young children and teenagers have heard their mother’s incessant plead to get away from the screen and to go outside or pick up a book for once instead. The urge to play “just one more level” before starting that homework or doing those chores can be quite distracting. But are video games really as awful as Mom exclaims or as brutal as those TV ads depict? It turns out that video games can have a strong impact on participants’ lives in both positive as well as negative ways.