How Do Video Games Affect The Brain

Have you ever played the Game of Life before? The game that’s similar to Monopoly but it's about a (pretend) life you play and what would happen to it as you continue and make choices in the game. Emotional Intelligence gives you choices for your everyday scenario, where you can choose to calm down or impulsively react to the situation. However, those who lack emotional intelligence don't have a choice. In the article, “Video Games Affect the Brain – for Better and Worse” by Douglas A. Gentile from the DANA Foundation states that video games may affect the brain in five unnoticeable ways. Gentile mentioned that what players learn from video games can be transferred over to the real world. He later says that video games desensitize

This paper will review studies that show that video games increase the functions of grey matter in certain parts of the brain, and how video games can help the elderly improve their cognition. This paper will also talk about extra effects video games might have on the brain.

Bowen, Lisa. Video game play may provide learning, health, social benefits, review finds. American Psychological Association. February 2014. Vol 45, No. 2. Print version: page 10.

Researchers found that 85% of gamers rely on their caudate nucleus more than their hippocampus increasing the amount of grey matter in their caudate nucleus and reducing it in their hippocampus. The people who played 3D Super Mario games for 90 hours resulted in increased grey matter in the hippocampus (Gajanan). Video games have positive impacts like attention, and visual and motor skills. They can also have negative impacts like risk of addiction (Nichols).

Playing video games will affect your decisions in one way or another. Will your perceptions change due to the type of game you are playing? There are two answers to this question, yes and no. Researching the effect of video games on the brain provides detail results that show my thoughts.

Understanding and action go together. We think more fluidly when an action is associated with a concept. Video games contain, joined together, both action and thought. This leads to a much better internalization and understanding of the game's subject matter. In a study done in Germany in 2008, participants were given a simple task to learn, such as Juggling. After about 12 weeks, these people showed a marked increase in the amount of grey matter in their brains. Further examination of these results revealed that it was, in fact, the act of learning coupled with the action that caused this increase, not simply the performance of the action itself. This suggests that games not only are excellent ways of teaching, they can have lasting beneficial effects on the health of the brain itself.

The impact video games have on the brain can differ by the opinions of others. Some may argue that it is a disadvantage and others may say it is the total opposite, an advantage. I will be exploring the viewpoints on both ends of the spectrum. Looking into documented research on the topic, I will be discussing the benefits of gaming, why people correlate excessive playing time to negative behaviors, and the long term effects that video games cause to the brain.

“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

Gamboa, Camille. "What Types Of Video Games Improve Brain Function?". EurekAlert!. N.p., 2015. Web. 12 Feb.

North America has spiraled into an unhealthy obsession with video games. The value of the video game industry in 2015 was over seventy-one billion dollars in the United States alone, and its worth has only increased. Polls show that 63% of American households have persons who play video games for a minimum of three hours a day. But do exposure to those games affect the brain in a negative way? Video games are shown to be more influential to the brain than television and movies, and research shows that video games shrink essential parts of the brain, such as the hippocampus. This diminution influences cognitive functions, whose effects will carry on into later life.

Video games impact the brain in a wide variety of ways. Some people could, and have, made the argument that video games are destructive for children and that they become a distraction from actual educational work (Bavelier, Green, Han, Renshaw,  Merzenich, & Gentile, 2011). On the other hand, one could certainly argue that video games could be a valuable tool in the learning environment (Bavelier, Green, Han, Renshaw,  Merzenich, & Gentile, 2011). At any rate, there are several different, and accurate views on the subject.

Video games can improve visual skills and brain function. Video games increase spatial awareness. When playing different video games eyes are focused on a video game a person are more likely to gain different eye strengths after training the brain. Action video games train the brain to better process certain visual information. When people play action video games, they’re changing the brain’s pathway responsible for visual processing (Masnick 1). Video games change brain functions. Researchers today are reporting that first-person-shooter

In today’s society, the concerns for the effects of video games have acquired quite a terrible reputation. Worried parents around the world assume video games make their children do poorly in school, and create violent, desensitized, antisocial children. The increase in violent games, usually get the blame for aggressive behavior, shootings and violence in schools and young individuals. Most beliefs about video games effect on the brain and emotions are very common misconceptions. I strongly believe that video games are an essential tool to learning and gaining much-needed skills. When people look at the studies that have been done on video games and the brain, it will be apparent that some myths about video games have been blown out of proportion. It has come to my attention that there are studies that prove the negative effects of video games may only last the duration of game play. Kids can improve in general knowledge with educational video games like Leap Frog. Video games can train specific areas of the brain as well as increase brain flexibility and memory. Gaming actually has more beneficial effects than negative effects. Video games are excellent educational implement used in elementary schools. It is extremely helpful in brain development and helping kids with trouble reading improve. Memory retention can be improved and increased with the use of strategic, thinking games. Video games, as funny as it might sound, even promote

According to a review of research on the positive effects of video game,published by the American Psychological

Playing video games is among one of the favorite pastimes of many people around the world. Some play games to kill time with simple tasks found most commonly on the phone, while others play them to challenge their mind in the form of complex puzzles or to practice management skills, some play them to experience a sense of adventure that they just can’t find anywhere else, and many use them as a way to communicate or have fun with friends both near and far. Whatever the reason someone may have for playing video games, they may not think that games can have an effect on their brains. Some would say that playing video games can lead to negative effects such as harming the player’s cognitive skills or causing them to become much more violent than normal. Others would argue that playing video games quickens the minds of their players, leading to higher mental performance or an increased attention to detail. Thanks to this hotly debated controversy many studies have been conducted over the past years in order to settle the debate once and for all. So what effect can playing video games have on the cognitive skills of their players, and are these effects positive, negative, or somewhere in the middle?