Lumosity: Have Fun, Get Cerebral

"Researchers at the University of Rochester found that young adults who regularly played action-based video games showed better visual skills than those who didn't" (USA Today). Researchers have also found that the subjects who played video games "were better able to keep track of objects appearing simultaneously and processed fast-changing visual information more efficiently" (USA Today). Video games have made it a long way from when they first started. Some games actually teach children how to read, write, and even count. Teenagers also state that a little gaming after school actually helps take some stress off from classes and the overload of homework.

“Be a Gamer, Save the World,” written by Jane McGonigal, is an article found in the Norton Reader 14th Edition. Video game critics are often quick to dismiss playing video games as brain numbing and a waste of time. McGonigal challenges critics of video games by discussing the benefits of playing video games. She makes a valid point by stating that video games make players more optimistic and help create better social bonds. These emotions can encourage people to desire working for the betterment of the world. McGonigal believes we can solve some of the world’s most difficult issues with the use of video games. The author makes a valid point, especially considering the advancements in technology and the

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.

Though gaming has its drawbacks, it also has many benefits to cover them. If controlled, gaming is extremely useful and with the amount of gamers in the world today, it proves that it is not just for children or for teenagers. There are millions of adult gamers that understand the importance of gaming in the under the existing circumstances of the world. Individuals that have studied gamers believe that gaming in today’s

Video games are “a waste of time” they don 't actually improve anything, they are just entertainment. However there is drastic evidence to show that couldn’t be further from the truth. They actually have a huge mental benefit that can enhance memory, better hand to eye coordination and enhanced reflexes along with other things aswell. Showing that they are indeed not just a time killer and waster but are hugely benefiting the minds of the people that play them. The first point I would like to bring up is enhanced memory, a study suggests that young children can benefit from the memory aspects of video games. Several children had multiple sessions of several video games with increases challenge and it had been noted that they did show signs of progress in the difficulty but more importantly an increase in a strong memory showing that the two indeed have a connection. Secondly hand to eye coordination, another study was conducted and yet again the gamer who repeatedly played games was faster, sharper and overall better than the non-gamer. The other main point is reflexes which sort of ties in with the other points but deserves another mention, research indicates that fast-paced gameplay along the lines of Call of Duty and other various games, does in fact increase reflexes.

From the past till now, video game never loses its popularity, from Gameboy to Wii, and from NDS to LOL, millions and billions of people are obsessed with this imaginary world. Some of the video games are created for educational purpose, however, most are created for the people who wants to escape from reality. “In a national Harris Poll survey of 1,178 American youths (ages 8-18), ISU Assistant Professor of Psychology Douglas Gentile found nearly one in 10 of the gamers (8.5 percent) to be pathological players.” ("Figure 2f from: Irimia R, Gottschling M (2016) ") Not only the statistic shows the high rate of addiction towards video games, terrible consequences of the addictions are more than enough to be served. For example, an extreme case of an Chinese kid called Xioyi suicide because he lose in one of his game on December 27, 2004; where he left a note that said he wanted “to join the heroes of the game he worshiped.” Video game has the potential to ruin a person’s life, as well as their family, or even the

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.

Many people have differing views on the topic of video games. While some individuals view gaming as positive, others view it in a negative light. Electronic games should not control a person’s life. Instead, individuals should prioritize and focus on objectives that matter in life. Spending time with family, friends, and studying, have countless benefits that gaming cannot provide in a person’s

Gaming has been a controversial topic with a line drawn between it. One side believing that video games ruin culture. On the other side of the line people believe gaming has cultural benefits. Will Wright writer of “Dream Machines,” writes how evolution of gaming has changed over the decades and how it benefits today's youth. No longer can we say they will rot your brains, when todays studies show how we benefit from them. As a gamer myself I would like to prove to the doubters how beneficial gaming is.

Information technology develops with rapid speed every year. This leads to the innovation in video games technology in many aspects such as: graphic, gameplay, sound, the story of the game, etc. Therefore, video games become a very popular way to entertain for many people, from children to adults, especially well-developed games with stunning graphics and vivid sound. We are living in a society where even a baby can play games on an iPad. Furthermore, video game influences on human behavior is a very controversial topic which has been abundantly studied and researched. Every student of University of Houston-Clear Lake (UHCL) may have played video games one time in their life. Some students played video games on computers, other students play them on smartphones or tablets, and the others played on consoles. However, some UHCL students gave up on playing video games because they think video games have no benefit and are waste of time. Moreover, some of them also think that playing video games might have negative influences on their behaviors. This might be because of many blockbuster video games in recent years, for example, Grand Theft Auto V, Fallout 4, or The Witcher 3 contain a lot of violent materials. Contrary to common thinking, video games actually have many benefits instead of being harmful to players. With the booming of the video game industries and video games become more popular in our society, understanding the advantages of video games

Thesis Statement: Through the media, video games are portrayed as malicious and corrupting to the player's mind, however, there are various benefits when it comes to gaming.

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.

Computer games can offer us some assistance with succeeding at life. It's an uncommon assessment to have. As one who grew up swamp in gaming society, I can verify that a few aspects of my life were negatively impacted by my gaming habits. I can likewise bear witness to that games have molded me into a more productive individual from society.

A report published by the Entertainment Software Association revealed that in 2015, 155 million Americans play video games with an average of two gamers in each game-playing household (Entertainment Software Association, “Essential Facts about the Computer and Video Game Industry”). With this massive popularity that has come alongside video games in mind, the question is raised: how are video games affecting today's people? With the current way video games are structured, the game rewards players for achieving certain accomplishments e.g. competitive video games reward players who achieve victories with a higher ranking. With this in mind, some gamers may place more emphasis on their gaming achievements rather than their happiness or success in the real life. This in turn might cause a gamer to become addicted; however, a distinction must be set between video game addiction and operant conditioning. Operant conditioning towards a gamer can be one of the factors contributing towards video game addiction; they are not the same thing.

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.