Positive And Negative Effects Of Video Games
Video games have become more common in todays culture, acquiring both negative and positive on motor skills including non-cognitive. Playing video games directly affects regions of the brain. While some studies have shown video games can improve areas of the body and mind, long periods playing video games is not good for your overall physical health.
Positive and Negative Aspects of Video Games
While the negative aspects of video games are most popularly highlighted, there is a broad range of positive video games to improve the basic mental process. Video games are highly –stimulating. This type of stimulation reaches nearly all parts of the human brain, which lead to thigh-level thinking, along with development of fine motor skills.
Accompanied by intensity and complexity of each game the user has to make quick analysis, thinking, strategizing, and also coping to deal with stress. In other words, playing video games stimulates particular areas of the brain.
In addition, video games can benefit people that suffer with mental disorders such as depression, anxiety, antisocial personality disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, post-traumatic stress disorders in addition with alzheimer’s disease. Video games help boost morale affecting behavioral moods.
Video games help improve making split-second decisions, more efficiently. While improving hand-eye coordination, and boosting hearing reception. Video games can help ease anxiety and depression, some studies show they may create or agitate circumstances instead.
Some Physical Problems Using Video Games
For example, there are numerous users who spend way too much time on their video games. They find very little to attract them to be a part of the outside world. They simply do not feel the urgency to go out with others when their online lives are more appealing than activity found away from the game.
Video games are addictive enough to keep the user glued to the screen for hours on end. Naturally, people who play too many video games tend to become obese due to sheer lack of exercise. Not only that, too much rapid hand movement may also lead to tears in the tendons causing long-term injury.
The users eyes are also affected from staring at a screen for long periods of time. While playing video games, the gamer has to make split second decisions because delay by a blink of an eye means the loss of a life, or losing the game altogether.
Research suggests that as a result of years of practice at playing games and making decisions in high-pressure situations, the video gamer becomes better at making quick and efficient decisions. The gamer is able to think of a hundred situations and possible outcomes of the decision made in that very split second, which makes them very quick thinkers. (1)(Green CS, Bavelier D (2007)” Action-video-game experience alters the spatial resolution of vision”. Psychol Sci 18: 88–94. Pmid: 17362383
Mobile games can help people with physical and mental problems. Video and mobile games have been used in various rehabilitation centers in order to rehabilitate addiction from drugs.
Mobile games become handy for relieving stress. However, if the person does not have any control on their gaming habit, it can affect their mental health in a negative way. By changing moods, that does not promote mental wellness, including physical complications.
With little achievement virtually, gaming can provide a sense of euphoria to help make the day more tolerable. This being said mobile gaming could have serious effects on health. Also casing irritation to the eyes because of continuously watching multiple screens at the same time. This can cause neck strain issues and be harmful to physical health, if not played in moderation.
Mental Health Aspects of Video Games
Mentally video games are a great distraction. Video games can be both good and bad for the users mental health. While distraction is sometimes necessary, being engrossed in the game can make you obsess, harming mental health.
Games with difficulties can promote different experiences. For an example, challenging games with patient thinking can be easier when games can be played for enjoyment with in a calm atmosphere with a positive nature.
Video games can help with patience and thinking. Games including difficulties can invoke different experiences, such as difficult games with patient cognition where easier games can be enjoyed helping to improve patience.
Video games also provide interpretation of certain social issues that require thinking and planning. Social issues can be demonstrated when thinking is required in situation with consequence helping to provide a solution.
Games are enchanting by the visual aspect with variations of scenery, characters, colors etc. For instance, because of the enticing screen the user may want to play until they win or at least have a lead in the game. . For instance, playing excessively can lead to a unhealthy obsession affecting both mental and physical health.
This can cause an obsessive mental strain on the user. Creativity and consistency in video games enhance the cognitive state of gamers because most games feature delicate challenges and difficult stages to complete.
In many instances gamers do not exercise and eat unhealthy foods that eventually lead to health problems like damage eyesight, insomnia, headaches and muscle strain. Not only that, excessive playing of video games produces negative effect about mental health.
According to the World Health Organization definition, a person who has gaming disorder will show the following characteristics for at least 12 months: Lacking control over their gaming habits, prioritizing gaming over other interests and activities (2) (Continuing gaming despite its negative consequences Leonard, Jayne. Medical Review. (2018.) “ What is Gaming Disorder. ”)
Video games may be useful for both physical and mental problems. As an example, for people who have presented problems of mobility in their arms, or that have found it difficult to be related in everyday life tasks.
Games have also been used in a rehabilitative care with people who present problems of attention among others. The use of video games also creates feelings of self-esteem along with competition in player’s game after game. As they overcome the different challenges and levels, they feel better about themselves and are able to meet their everyday goals.
There are a considerable amount of games that help in brain development by relaying critical thinking skills. However, it has been found the same amount of time playing video games hours every day can create slowed down brain development.
For an individual who plays video games for an extensive period, the complete mental focus becomes necessary to achieve outcomes. This results in discomfort for the gamer. It doesn’t matter if the video game they choose to play is violent or non-violent.
Young adults who struggle with their dyslexia can experience advancements in learning conditions by playing video games. Reading can be improved which results in better word recognition, and improved mobile mental response.
The advantages and disadvantages of video games must legitimately be applied to each gamer for an accurate result. The World Health Organization defines a gaming disorder as “a pattern of gaming behavior characterized by impaired control over gaming, increasing priority given over other activities to the extent that gaming takes over other interests and daily activities, and continuation or increased gaming despite the occurrence of negative consequences. (3) (Rettner, Rachel. LiveScience. (2019). (“Video Game Addiction Becomes Official Mental Disorder in Controversial Decision by WHO.”)
The Positive Effects of playing Video Games on the User.
Videos games can relieve stress by calming mental and physical health. In addition, playing video games can help to keep anxiety levels down. Within minutes, you can find and download a myriad of apps that incorporate proven techniques such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT), (4) and address everything from depression to eating disorder recovery, anxiety, PTSD, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and more. https://www.psycom.net/25-best-mental-health-apps Gray, Peter PHD. Psychology Today (2015). “Cognitive Benefits of Playing Video Games.”)
Benefits of Playing Video Games
Video games help the user escape stress by allowing and enabling the user to engage in a sense of escapism, since these games require full engagement and deep concentration.
An online gamer sample of 4887 gamers (age range 14–64 years, mean age 22.2 years [SD = 6.4], 92.5% male) was collected through Facebook and a gaming-related website with the cooperation of a popular Hungarian gaming magazine. A shopping voucher of approx. 300 Euros was drawn between participants to boost participation (i.e., lottery incentive).
Confirmatory factor analysis and a structural regression model were used to test the psychometric properties of the IGDT-10 and IRT analysis was conducted to test the measurement performance of the nine IGD criteria. Finally, Latent Class Analysis along with sensitivity and specificity analysis were used to investigate the cut-off threshold proposed in the DSM-5. (5)
(Orsolya, Koroly et al. Addictive Behaviors. (2017). Volume 64, pp. 253-260.” Validation of the Ten-Item Internet Gaming Disorder Test (IGDT-10) and evaluation of the nine DSM-5 Internet Gaming Disorder criteria.”)
The following are some of the cognitive benefits of playing video games.
1. Boost problem-solving proficiency
2. Elevates memorization
3. Increases consciousness and focus
4. It is a proficient source of learning
5. Improves the brain's momentum
6. Enhances multitasking know-how
7. Promotes communicative skills
8. Sharpens coordination
The Negative effects of playing Video Games on the Mind and Body of the User
Video games can affect the mind as well as the body in a negative way. Video games can cause anxiety, stress, and isolation, along with disrupting sleep. For example, video game use is known to influence attention span. The studies included in the review show video game players display improvements in varied types of attention, including lengthened attention and selective attention.
In addition, the areas of the brain that play a role in attention are more effective in gamers compared with non-gamers, and they call for less operative to stay focused on demanding tasks.
Evidence also demonstrates that playing video games increases the size and competence of parts of the brain responsible for visuospatial skills - a person's ability to identify visual and spatial relationships among objects. In long-term gamers and individuals who had volunteered to follow a video game training plan, the right hippocampus was enlarged. (6) (Palaus M, Marron EM, Viejo-Sobera R and Redolar-Ripoll D (2017) Neural Basis of Video Gaming: A Systematic Review. Front. Hum. Neurosci. 11:248. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2017.00248
Video games can recondition your brain. Investigative studies demonstrate how playing video games can affect the brain have shown that they can cause changes in many brain regions.
Research has been conducted for decades on the negative effects of gaming. Some of these do include aggression and depression. Video games can also be habit- forming; this kind of addiction is called 'Internet gaming disorder.' Researchers have found functional and structural changes in the neural reward system in gaming addicts, in part by exposing them to gaming cues that cause cravings and monitoring their neural responses.
These neural changes are basically the same as those seen in other addictive disorders. (6) (Spada, Marconio M. Addictive Behaviors. (2017). Volume 64, pp. 275-280. “The Metacognitions about Online Gaming Scale: Development and Psychometric Properties)
Video games are a figure attributed to correspondence, which is often associated with unfavorable health consequences. However, when games are played in moderation and with precaution, they are a comfortable method of stress relief as well as an incentive for mental health improvement and development of social skills. Video games are engaging and captivating on a level different from that of alternative games and other forms of entertainment.
With achieving the level of satisfaction secured from the video game and is more invested and excited to engage. The majority of pleasure is also important with the effects of gaming. Despite the fact limitless playtime can have negative consequences, gaming in moderation can be enjoyable.
