Videogames Don't Have a Negative Effect on Kids
There are many things that today’s society worries about; television, role models, etc. The biggest ones are those that affect the children. One that many people overlook is video games, a national past time in almost every home. It is clear that they can cause changes in children, but are the changes good or bad? Do video games have a negative effect on kids?
Personally, I felt there was nothing wrong with video games. I play them for fourteen hours or more a week, and I’ve been doing “fine” in life. I made it to a fine college, I learned unique words when I was young, and I even won prizes in some video game contests. I still have that Star Fox t-shirt even to today. Still, I
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In “Electronic Gaming Monthly,” there was an article that explained the top five negative aspects of videogames. Isolation: people can become obsessed over a videogame. Shawn Woolley, a young fan of the popular Everquest, committed due to bankruptcy. The game makes you pay-as-you-play, and he played too much. Addiction: people have been known to “forego work, relationships, and even food for the sake of their online play.” Physical problems: many of today’s games have vibrating controllers to give a more interactive feeling. A 15 year-old kid developed “hand-arm vibration syndrome,” burning sensations and inflammation in the hands and arms, due to playing on his Playstation too much. Violence: Senator Joseph Lieberman ran a campaign against Mortal Kombat due to its “spine-ripping gore.” Even Captain Kangaroo was brought in, explaining that videogames teach lessons to kids that would cause a parent to faint. Violence numbing: when a child plays a violent videogame, the terrible news in today’s world barely faze them since they have seen worse in the videogame, even though it wasn’t real.
I was shocked at reading this, and though that this clearly proved that videogames should be taken off the market, but another article changed my mind.
James Paul Gee, a professor of education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, dove into the world of videogames to see
Over the past few decades, video games have been a source of entertainment around the globe. Many people have argued that video games are harmful to children and young adults, while others have argued otherwise. Research has shown that video games has many benefits. These include cognitive, social, and emotional benefits.
Mocgonigals used rhetoric device logos, when referencing’s a study conducted at the University of Pennsylvania. Jane acknowledged another credible source that supports her theory that video games can be beneficial to mankind. The University’s alumni Marcus T Wright wrote in his book “Paradox of the Learning Game” Video games bring about so much imagination, creativity, and problem-solving. Wrights sates video games can be beneficial to education regarding finance and health (qdt. Using video games as tools).
Are video games harmful? Are they poisoning society and corrupting the minds of the youth? The evidence would certainly make it seem that way, but what are the real effects that video games have on people? Video games have been the subject of controversy ever since their creation. Yes that’s right, ever since the creation of Pong, video games have been a concern. In fact C. Everett Koop stated that “There is nothing constructive in the games. Everything is eliminate, kill, destroy and do it fast” (Marcovitz 12). As video games grow more and more like real life concern grows as well. However, as video games grow, they also grow in providing a safe outlet for negative emotions, teaching player’s life lessons, and any research proving otherwise is too flawed to be reliable, the media also twists the subject of video games to fit their viewpoint instead of reporting what video games actually do.
With the video game industry making billions of dollars each year, we see article after article coming out on the news attacking them. They have been said to rot your brain, make you fat, and turn you into serial killer, incapable of feeling emotion or empathy for your fellow man.
“I'm sure you've heard negative things about video games, our various studies show they are false.” This is a claim from the article, “5 Facts Prove That Video Games Are Good For Your Children” written by Stacie Simpson. A lot of people think videogames are bad for you, they say stuff like “video games make you lazy.” or “video games rot your brain.” this is only partially true. Video games are good for you and/or your children because they help with stress, decision making and, hand-eye coordination.
My brother would play in the middle of the night and would always get in trouble. He was obsessed! Jack Flanagan, in his article, “The Psychology of Video Games” reports, “Video games are built to exploit this part [reward system] of our brain. Kill monster, get points. Complete level, get happy music. Win game, feel satisfied. It’s a very simple and primitive part of who we are.” However, I think video games offer much more than addictive downfalls. Daphne Bavelier, scientist at the University of Rochester and the University of Geneva, researched on how video games enhance people’s vision and attention control in which she discusses in her speech, “Your Brain on Video Games.” I believe the benefits of video games outweigh the harmful consequences they cause because video games offers finer motor skills and as the zombies we are, we want bigger and better brains to
The obvious mental problem is aggressive behavior, but others include social phobias, anxiety, and even depression. Physical effects caused by video games include fatigue, migraines due to intense concentration or eye strain, carpal tunnel syndrome caused by the overuse of a controller or computer mouse, and poor personal hygiene. Now one thing, the bad effects are mostly caused by spending too much time on video games. So that means, if you or your child spends less time on video games, there are good effects. Video games increase coordination, improve problem-solving skills, sometimes enhances memory, and improves attention and concentration. It is a great source of learning, as it improves the brain's speed, enhances multitasking skills, and improves social skills. Patricia Greenfield, a psychology professor at UCLA, has studied the relationship between video games and intelligence and finds a positive correlation. Her research attributes an increase in worldwide "nonverbal IQ" (spatial skills, the use of icons for problem-solving and the ability to understand things from multiple viewpoints) to the spread of video games. I was thrilled to hear my prejudice confirmed--until Greenfield noted that this rise in IQ comes at the expense of potentially more important social skills. Which is to say that kids typically don't interact that well when they spend hours sitting in front of the computer or console. "It's
One of the biggest factors that video games have impacted is peoples health. Video games have good and bad factors to peoples health. For example some problems that video games have impacted are obesity, aggressive behavior and cognition, sleep deprivation and many others. They have also impacted the problem of addiction. One would figure out after researching this subject that just being a male gender increases addiction of video games. Video games can also be a healthy and therapeutic. Games also change how people think and how peoples brain works. They have enhanced peoples visual skills and actually make it easier to create new sensorimotor skills. Peoples thought process have also been impacted because of video games. People that play action video games are proven to have faster decision making but as accurate as people that do not play video games. Video game players interpret the world differently than non video game players. Nolan Bushnell once stated, “Video games foster the mindset that allows creativity to grow” (Colzato). This quote is stating that video games promote creativity and help humanity grow and become more creative in our world. We need creative people in our world to build buildings, become art teachers, and many more jobs. One might be surprised to learn that after researching this subject on how dramatically video games impacted the human
Video games are a lighthearted pleasure most of the time. There are plenty of shapes and forms of games to choose from. Video games can be enjoying and a pleasure to play with family, but it can cause serious health problems to the human body. Video games are harmful for health because they cause seizures, obesity in some cases, and an increase in aggression.
Excessive video game playing has been a problem with today’s youth they have had more influences over the youth than ever before. That brings to my attention a question, how do video games affect the youth of our society? Excessive video game playing, especially violent video games, can lead to youth violence, a decrease in academic success and many other negative things. I realize that some parents believe that they can be good for children, I agree but I also disagree in some cases. Some parents allow their children to play video games to keep a social life and to learn how to use strategies. This is true in some cases but not in all cases. For instance, other children that play video games alone and are in their rooms constantly can
The next effect is Social Isolation and Adverse effects of health. The article in momjunction states “ Video games are making teens socially isolated”. “Teenagers who play too much video games are also less likely to indulge in extracurricular activities like reading, writing, and participating in sports” (Arshi). While yes
According to Merriam Webster Dictionary, as defined the word video game is an electronic game in which players control images on a television or computer screen. Playing video games is fun that we make as entertainment to divert all the stress and pressure that we have been experiencing. But, video games can have detrimental effects on children, teenagers, and adults when they spend too much time sitting in front of the computer, as they cannot get enough sleep and often times forget to eat. Video games can destroy people’s lives, as it badly influences the player’s moral values leading to improper decision and prioritization in their lives. In the article “Negative Effects of Video Games,” Raise Smart Kid states, “Studies have shown that the more time a kid spends playing video games, the poorer is his performance in school.” This shows that students who spend too much time in video games loss interest in doing home works and worst going to school, which will result to low grades. That is why video games are detrimental because it can cause addiction, distraction, and aggression.
Video games are very popular with this generation than traditional tabletop games. With the advancement of the different Xboxes and Playstations, kids are never bored. With all of the different videos games to go along with the systems there have been several studies to see how these games are affecting kids. Video games can be both beneficial and harmful to younger people. When it comes to violent games like, Call Of Duty, people tend to believe that there are more negative effects on player than positive ones. In reality violent games like Call of duty are able to help players with thinking, teamwork, and some hand- eye coordination.
Another negative effect of video games is lack of physical activity in children. If a child is inside, sitting in front of a television to play a game all day, they’re less likely to go outside and do more physical activities. This could also lead into social isolation, where the child distances themselves from society and will be less interested in extracurricular activities. Video games make it easier for children to become lazy, being that they’re inside all day with their eyes glued to the television screen. Rather than them outside riding a bike, they’re sitting on the couch with potato chips in
Another negative effect of video game is that teens are spending too much time playing games than playing outdoors. Video games are making teens socially isolated. Teenagers who play too much video games are also less likely to indulge in extracurricular activities like reading, writing and participating in sports.