Video Games Affect Our Lives

There is a lot of research into what affects gaming has on children's mental health, consequently there is research into both sides of the argument. Gaming has an effect on mental health, but not necessarily in a negative way. I strongly argue that gaming affects mental health in a positive way so accordingly I will set out to prove it. We will be discussing a wide range of sources, showing a variety of views, describing how video games are good for mental health, video games affect mental health in a violent way or whether it affects the player's social ability.

“Video games are bad for you, that’s what they said about rock-n-roll” (Shigeru Miyamoto). Video gaming is regarded as a ubiquitous part of children and adolescents’ life. Children who are daily involved in this activity in the US account for 97% of their total. Additionally, for those at an average of 8-13 years old, approximately, 8.5% of them are addicted to playing video games. Moreover, children at the age of 13-18 spend 16 hours per week playing. Video games are so prominent in this current world that we cannot prevent them from being involved entirely. While others believe that video games should not be made available to

Video games are a enormous part in the world today. “More than 150 million people in the United States play video games regularly or for at least three hours per week. The number of sales has increased and in 2016, 24.5 billion games were sold, up from 23.2 billion in 2015.” “This Type of Video Game May Actually Harm Your Brain.” written by Mahita Gajanan is my positive article and “How Video Games Affect the Brain.” written by Hannah Nichols is my negative article. In this essay I am going to talk about video games and their impact on the brain (Nichols).

The average adolescent spends a major part of the normal week watching or interacting with some form of the media’s products. Video games are one of these media based mediums and have become increasingly popular since the 1980’s. According to a report in Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, "Female gamers spent an average of 44 minutes playing on the weekdays and one hour and four minutes playing on the weekends, and male gamers spent an average of 58 minutes playing on the weekdays and one hour and 37 minutes playing on the weekends" ("Video Game Play Among Adolescents"). What can we understand from this evidence? The fact is that adolescents, male or female, are spending tremendous amounts of time each day sitting in front of

“Electronic games are now an everyday part of childhood and adolescence” (Olsen, 2010). Considering children and adolescence are our future, parents need to consider and monitor how these electronic games are affecting their child. There are more studies afloat that report the negative affects of video games over the positive effects until recently. Children and adolescents become addicted to video games easily so it is important to monitor what they are playing and how it is affecting them and their character. A recent study on many boys and girls reported why they are

Advances in technology have forever changed the way that children play, communicate, and view the world. Have you ever told your child that it was time to turn the video game off, or to put away the cell phone? Of course you have. Did they become upset, aggressive, or even depressed? These are warning signs indicating a potentially dangerous addiction. Addiction is characterized by the intense need for a substance and the experience of withdrawal symptoms when that substance is taken away (Rauh). Video games fill the player with strong feelings of pleasure and fulfillment. When considering the effects that video games have on your social, academic, and financial life; when do these fun technologies morph into a dangerous addiction?

Playing video games is popular among children and adults alike. People play video games in almost every household all over the world. This paper explores the impact of video games on the brain. There are good and bad effects of video games. In a 2011 article Bavelier, Green, Han, Renshaw, Merzenich, & Gentile reported the content of game play may produce different effects. The players control images on television, telephones and computer screens. There are positive and negative effects of video games corrupting the brain, it can be addictive and cause behavioral changes.

An epidemic is beginning to sweep this nation. In this modern society, a majority of children, teens, and some adults are showing signs of what some experts refer to as video game addiction. Many professionals have differing opinions on the addictive nature of video games, but it does not take an expert to see that children are no longer playing outside, toddlers have learned how to operate pieces of technology that are challenging to some adults and cry when they are taken away from them, and some adults jeopardize their health every year by risking malnutrition and heart disease all in the attempts to play video games.

I feel the effect that video games have on children has been a very topical and debatable subject since they were introduced in the 1970’s. I feel it is important because if video games were damaging for children most video game companies would lose their biggest fan base and it would be very damaging for an economy for example in 2012 the entertainment software industry added over 6.2 billion dollars to US GDP. In the US the computer game industry directly and indirectly employees more than 146,000 people. The average salary for direct employees is 94,747 dollars, resulting in a total national compensation of 4 billion dollars also direct employment grew at an annual rate of more than 13 times the growth of the U.S labor market (9% vs. 0.72%) between 2009 and 2012. Many people have researched this economic question and some have been very biased on both sides but this isn’t surprising when you look at the last social phenomenon rock-and-roll or the “devil’s music” to some. Any home that has access to video games (88% of households) I feel the parents will be conscious to how much their children play video games and the effect it has on them. So I have aimed for my research to help parents gain an insight to the effects of video games, signs to look out for and helpful recommendations if they are worried about

Today in the United States video game are played around the world. “There are children that play from 2-17. 91% of the kids in that age group play video games (Granic). Most teenagers play videogames boys playing video games 99% girls who play video games 94% (Granic). Parents always thought video games for kid were bad for them, but are they? Video games can be a good tool in the world instead of being bad. Video games are beneficial because video games provide skill to develop the brain, they have appositive effect on the brain, and can help in the class room.

Gentile, D. (2005). The effects of video games on children: what parents need to know. Pediatrics for Parents (6th ed., Vol. 21, p. 2). Bangor, Maine: Pediatrics for Parents

Video game addition is a serious problem in many parts of the world today and deserves more attention. It is no secret that children and adults in many countries throughout the world play video games. According to Jennifer Seter Wagner, studies show 92 percent of under ages of 18 play video games frequently in the United States. A video game is an electronic game that needs the players to generate visual feedback on a video device such as a TV screen or a computer device. There are two concepts that people have about addiction to video gaming: some people believe video games benefit children mind, but most people consider video games have negative side effects for all ages. I strongly believe that addiction to video gaming has negative side effects for teenagers such as wasting money, disobeying parents, skipping class to play games, and others.

Many video game supporters argue that videogames can be good for a developing child’s brain. The Interesting Neurology Of Gaming states that, “Gameplay involves repeated actions that strengthen the brain cell connections underlying memory and learning.” Kids who play video games regularly have been shown to be better at recalling things from memory and according to Linda Carroll, “Compared to children who didn’t play at all, those who games a few hours a week were better adjusted. They had fewer conduct problems. They were also more likely to care about others.” Many kids could benefit from gaming if it was in small doses and if the games were being monitored by parents to ensure that kids are playing games that are appropriate for their age.

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.

Anxious, worried, and hesitant are what the parents of children who play video games typically feel. Video games are an interesting topic as they have captivated practically every single child as a result of the digital age that we live in. For some time now, the reasons why video games are being played so frequently, are obvious. The big question that parents have surrounding video games, is whether they will help or hinder their children who play them. This a concern, especially for parents whose children have become obsessed with playing video games. Consequently, with the increase in popularity and now normalization of video games, we are now able to distinguish the positive effects of parents allowing their children to play video games.