The Positive and Negative Effects of Video Games

Introduction

This is positive and negative effects of video games essay which aims to familiarize readers with the positive and negative effects of video games. This will be achieved by presenting the information in a clear and concise form in the form of points under the headings “positive effects of video games” and “negative effects of video games”. The report will examine the impact on people from children to the elderly. The questions covered are age-independent. Used research will be included in the links. The report will not include political and religious influences.

Video consoles such as Xbox, PlayStation and even video games on my Smartphone are huge benefits of nowadays world. Playing video games can be fun, challenging, and an easy way to spend some spare time. Nevertheless video games could also be very dangerous to some, so it is needed to discuss both positive and negative outcomes of playing video games. 

Positive Effects of Video Games

Improves Mental Ability

According to studies published by the American Psychological Association, video games can improve various cognitive skills, such as the better distribution of attention, visual processing, memory, thinking, and perception. Researchers studying video games have concluded that the positive effects of violent games include improving the player’s ability to think in different dimensions, as some academic courses do. It can also be associated with quick and creative thinking outside the box.

Hand-Eye Coordination

Scientists, have shown through studies that video games impact heavily on improving hand-eye coordination. Some games require a large number of these skills to be successful. For example, players must track positions, speed, goal, directions, and more. The brain processes all this data and coordinates with your hands since all actions are performed from the keyboard or game controller.

Problem-Solving Skills

Researchers suggest that video games can help develop problem-solving skills because by playing strategic video games, people become better at solving problems.

Impact on Mood and Mental Health

Games like Angry Birds and Bejewelled II are simple and bring instant gratification or relaxation and enhance your mood. Games can also teach people how to cope with failures and teach perseverance.

Teamwork

Most games today are played online, and players from all over the world often participate in them, which encourages people to work with others. This will help the person to acquire the skills necessary for teamwork and joint problem-solving. It is also relevant for the development of tolerance and acceptance of other people, regardless of who they are or what they do. This is relevant in today's workplace, as group projects are becoming more common, and customer support skills are invaluable. 

Better Decision-Making Skills

Games function in real-time, and most games develop rapidly and require quick decisions from a player in a short period. This helps in developing decision-making skills that are valuable in real-life areas, such as sports or medicine, where decisions often need to be made in fractions of a second under pressure.

Maintaining Accuracy in Quick-Witted Decisions

Video games can help a person maintain a good level of accuracy by learning to quickly calculate all the information. This is an extremely useful skill, so even soldiers and doctors are encouraged to play video games to hone their decision-making skills.

Better Cognitive Functioning

When a certain skill is repeated several times, the brain begins to develop a structure and creates new neural pathways and transmitters to optimize its functioning. This is observed by musicians and artists, as well as during video games. At a time when intense concentration is used, the brain shapes itself to be able to solve problems faster, which ultimately can also help in solving problems in real life. This is true in the modern world because employees specialize in the eternal fulfilment of the same repetitive task.

Negative Effects of Video Games

A study shows that Video Games can easily lead to addiction, aggression, failure in academic performance, and even bad health. Though video games can be fun, many people would consider it a waste of time. There aren’t many positive effects of playing video games, and many people would rather spend their time on more important things in their priorities.

Anger Management Issues

One of the most harmful effects of playing violent video games is increased aggression in people. A comprehensive analysis involving more than one hundred research papers has shown that the impact of violent video games is a risk factor that causes increased aggressive behaviour. Some researchers argue that violent video games can reduce people's sensitivity to violence and reduce the likelihood of prosocial behaviour. For some, this may result in a lack of willingness to collaborate.

Addiction to Video Gaming/Escapism

Addicted gamers may develop anxiety, insomnia, social exclusion, and depression. Moreover, these factors are terrible in the sense that they can influence each other. Therefore, a pathological game can lead to depression, anxiety or social phobia, and the last three can make a person more inclined and keener on the game. This is especially true if a person uses games to escape from their real problems and difficulties, raising an inability to cope with anything. Children and adolescents who grow up using video games as a form of escapism may not be able to cope with their adult problems and therefore may run away from them.

Suffering Academic Achievement

This is one of the side effects of video games for teens. Playing video games for long hours can affect their performance at school. Studies have shown that more time spent playing games on the screen may be associated with lower academic performance. This also applies to work, as people also miss work and are not inclined to perform their duties in the workplace to play more games. Some may even show apathy or indifference to work or school responsibilities.

Potential Lack of Physical Exercise

Too many games can harm a person’s health, as they spends more time playing virtual games than physical exercises. Sometimes people can skip meals and sleep to play the games they are used to. Permanent glare from the screen can also harm the eyesight of a person in the long run. Constant sitting in one place and playing video games for a long time can increase the likelihood of obesity, weaken muscles and joints, and make your hands and fingers numb due to overstrain. Joints and ligaments can also become very rigid and tight, leading to pain.

Create Social Isolation and Lack of Developed Social Skills

Although multiplayer games exist, most people play in their rooms. This severely limits their interpersonal skills in real life, and they may prefer to be themselves and interact digitally. Such people do not start conversations and do not feel bored and inappropriate at social events. This is especially true for those who are socially anxious and use video games in order not to deal with it. However, this can create social inability at later stages of life, especially in the workplace, as people become unable to communicate their needs and ideas to others.

Game-Related Expenses

People who are subject to addictive behaviour have been shown to spend excessive amounts of money on games due to addiction. This is dangerous as companies intentionally design in-game monetization systems to exploit these individuals they call “whales”. Just like any other addiction, this can quickly wreak havoc on their financial life and mental health.

These monetary practices are predatory and currently under investigation by governments, to be labelled as “gambling” due to their likeness to existing gambling systems. This is especially relevant as children play video games, and appropriate labelling should be applied, i.e. FIFA games should not be labelled as three and up when they involve slot machines.

Conclusion

This report was supposed to shed light on the negative and positive impact of video games. The report was to show the positive and negative value of video games in the modern workplace and at school. The report was supposed to show an understanding of the psychology of some of these influences. The report was to show the countless benefits of video games for a developing mind, as well as some shadow from overexposure and dependence, like; increasing cognitive abilities, increasing the ability to work in a team, more opportunities for creative and original problem solving, etc. Some shadow aspects include dependence, emotional problems, inability to cope and dependence. The report did not include political and religious influences.