Imagine you are a child. You walk into P.E. and line up for DDR, just like every day. You don't even feel excited like you used to. There are many kids and teens today that are obese and play video games. Schools are having a controversy on whether video games should be brought into schools as a replacement for regular physical education activities. Video games should not replace regular physical education activities in schools because they would become uninteresting/repetitive and they would not meet the minimum standards for the recommended daily exercise. Firstly, video games should not be in P.E. because they would get boring and repetitive. There are only so many games the …show more content…
There is normally 20-40 kids in a class. No school is going to buy that many game systems. That means that each student is going to have to wait in a very long line. Waiting in a line is neither exercise nor excitement. In the article "Schools may need to rethink physical education" Rick Emanuel states that "Children and adolescents should get 60 minutes or more of physical activity daily." Most P.E. classes are not even an hour. With limited time and limited video game machines, nobody would get the 60 minutes of exercise that they are supposed to get. Even if they did get in 60 minutes of active video games, the video games do not provide a muscle or bone strengthening workout. Since someone will most likely only be on the video game for a few minutes, they will not get a moderate to vigorous workout either. Rick Emanuel states in his article that along with the minimum of 60 minutes of exercises, the work out needs to strengthen muscles and bones, and needs to be a moderate/vigorous exercise. These examples alone prove that video games are not meant for P.E. and should not be excepted as good physical activity.
On the other hand, some might say that video games being brought into P.E. would be a great idea. They would say that video games as physical fitness interests more students, and helps motivate them more to exercise. This is not a valid point. Not everybody is enjoys doing sports and other normal physical activities; this is true. But on
"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.
Some of the first video games ever made like Pac Man, Mario Bros.,Sonic the Hedgehog and Street Fighter never helped someone learn their ABC’s and 123’s which caused video games to develop a bad name like it’s “rotting kids’ brains” or distract them from more important studies but over time things change and become better and based off this website it says that “A number of recent studies have indicated that video games, even violent ones, can help kids develop essential emotional and intellectual skills that support academic achievement. These findings led many innovative teachers around the globe to recognize the benefits of gaming and include game-based learning in their curricula. However, it’s not just in-school gaming that reaps benefits. New research shows that all gaming can be positive.”
Everyone enjoys the sweet taste of victory and the feeling of accomplishing a goal, especially in a video game. However, video games are not just about winning. Video games are a good method to enhance our educational experience and create a career pathway for us to take. By creating a video game course within schools around the world, we are able to create a whole new generation and future that incorporates the advanced technology that is constantly improving.
Addiction is another highly debated issue. Several studies have proved that video games contribute to unhealthy activities. According to Buckley, obesity among the children had increased tremendously over the years (19). They argue that there exists a connection in extended video play and the development of physical pain. There is a belief that there will be decreased effect in education, termed “displacement effect.” As such, it shows more time is spent on playing games rather than studying or doing course work. Additionally, playing video games may result in attention deficits, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. As highlighted by Brook, a greater percentage of individuals suffering from obesity are highly involved in video games (22). Most children do not engage in healthy and physically demanding activities. It is evident that children involved in sports tend to meet new people and make new friends.
James Paul Gee, a professor of education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, dove into the world of videogames to see
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.
With such a huge amount of America's youth playing video games, a lot of people are starting to blame these games for the laziness in today's youth. They say that kids are beoming "couch potatoes" and are less motivated towards physical activity. This may be true for some cases but for most, video games are not to blame.
Video games are not a sport because they can be harmful to one’s health. Video games are usually played for hours on end in the comfort of a game chair, using hand-held controllers. For example, even in many gaming competitions, the competitors sit down while they play. An article written by Terence J. Munoz states that, “According to the Oxford Dictionary, a sport is an activity involving physical exertion.” For example, many famous gaming consoles, such as X-box, use hand-held controllers as the primary source of interaction for the game. The same article from Terence states that “Unless you count moving fingers as physical exertion, games don’t fall under this definition of a sport. If left unmonitored, excessive gaming could lead to serious
It is recommended by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, that children receive at a minimum of 60-minutes of cumulative physical activity per day. Many children do not get the recommended 60 minutes of physical activity per day. Regular physical activity during adolescence has many beneficial factors including, healthy bones, weight control, and prevention of many chronic diseases (CDC, 2013). Physical activity can be playing a simple game of tag, or advanced as an organized sport, as long as it gets the child up, off the couch, and active. Despite this recommendation, many children fail to receive adequate physical activity. In 2006, only 27.1% of students in the United States had fulfilled the recommended amount of physical activity (CDC, 2013). In 2012, 56.3% of eighth grade students in Multnomah County “watched TV, or played video games, or used the Internet for 3 or more hours daily”(OHA, 2012). With an eight hour school day, three hours of video games, and at least an hour of homework adds up to 12 hours of the day, that with family time, meals, and “leisure” time, doesn’t allocate much time for physical activity. The lack of physical activity, combined with extremely long periods of sedentary behavior, coupled with junk food and sugary
Video games can be very helpful in school. Although they have a reputation for being “brainwashing” and distracting, they actually teach the players more than you think. Contrary to popular belief, video games are educational and should be included in schools and other forms of education.
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
Video games have been argued about for decades. Some people have argued that video games are linked to violence. However, new research shows that video games can be used for therapeutic purposes, exercise, stress relievers, positive interactive learning, hand eye coordination, and different types of patient treatment for people all around the world.
Even if the games are not violent, another side effect that video games have on the health of children is with exercising. In a
Central idea: Video games are beneficial for students in the classroom and home. Using video games in schools or higher institutions can help build teamwork, foster decisions, critical and strategic skills useful in schools, work and life.
The repetition of the statement claiming that video games do not help children in their educational enterprises is unfair. There have been numerous studies conducted providing evidence that children gain structural knowledge while engaging in video game play (Pillay 2002).