By: Celine Chin
Healing players, building houses, stealing cars… anything is possible in video games. With technology advancing so quickly, the amount of people that are exposed to video games is increasing. But have you ever wondered what happens when you play them? There are a lot of negative beliefs about video games: they increase aggressive behaviors, desensitize players to violence, and cause players to become socially isolated. While this may sometimes be the case, there may be some positive aspects to playing video games as well. For example, video games may improve hand-eye coordination, often require teamwork, and can be a very social activity as many people play with their friends and siblings.
Research has shown that playing video games may actually play a part in changing the brain; for instance, video games can have a positive effect on the brain areas related to attention and visuospatial skills. Gamers often have improved sustained or selective attention, with the responsible brain areas being more efficient and needing less activation when it comes to doing demanding tasks. Additionally, the brain areas involved in processes relating to visuospatial skills can become bigger and increasingly efficient when we play video games. For example, it was found in a study that the right hippocampus became larger in size after gamers went through a video game training program.
Socially, many games include elements of collaboration, whether that be playing with friends, family, or people online. This can increase a player’s ability to socialize effectively, work with others, and solve problems with a team. These are vital skills to have outside of video games, so in that sense it’s beneficial for video games to be encouraging the growth of those abilities.
On the other hand, video games can also end up being addictive, with this addiction being termed “internet gaming disorder.” There have been changes found in the function and structure of the brain’s reward system in those who are addicted to games, with these changes leading to a gamer becoming highly impulsive and unable to delay gratification. Because of this impulsivity and inability to delay gratification, an addict can become so preoccupied with games that their life outside of games is negatively impacted. For example, they may have trouble in their job or relationships because of their excessive gameplay. Another study discovered that the rostral anterior cingulate cortex and amygdala—brain areas involved in settling emotional conflict—have less activity during instances where weapons are fired. This decreased activity may imply that an emotional response to seeing violence may be suppressed. There is also evidence that suggests that gamers who routinely play violent games don’t lack emotional reaction to the in-game violence, but rather actively suppress it and seem to be desensitized to it. In contrast to these gamers, people who aren’t used to witnessing this in-game violence show increased activity in the rostral anterior cingulate cortex, which may mean that they have stronger emotional reactions. Video games are relatively new, so the effects that they have on the brain are not completely known; however, researchers are continuing to look into what specific characteristics of games impact different regions of the brain and how.
On the positive side, video games can allow us to learn by providing different reinforcements and punishments immediately, as well as give opportunities for us to practice our skills to the point where we can master them and automatically perform. Games also often include a lot of repetition, which is needed for long-term potentiation, in which the connections between brain cells are strengthened over time. Long-term potentiation is believed to be connected to the storage of memory as well as learning. Another benefit is that games can improve one’s contrast sensitivity, or ability to distinguish among multiple shades of gray; having this ability can be useful for activities like driving when it is dark at night. In addition, games that include content where players help each other with nonviolent methods also increase prosocial behavior outside of games. However, violent games can also have a similar effect; the same study shows that those who played games that included violence were more hurtful towards other students when given the option of whether to help or hurt someone. This is evidenced by studies that have found that playing violent games may end up increasing aggressive behaviors as well as thoughts.
Touching more on the negative aspects of video games, some studies have found a connection between video games and problems such as obesity, doing poorly in school, and video game addiction. These connections may be because gamers already have had these problems; poor-performing students may spend their time playing games because it gives them a sense of accomplishment that they do not feel at school, and excessive gaming may take away time from getting exercise.
Gaming’s many positive and negative aspects make it complex. It can be used as a source of entertainment, a method to interact with others and make friends, and can have some positive effects on the brain, such as increasing one’s ability to keep their attention. But certain games can also desensitize us to socially unacceptable concepts like violence, and can put us at risk for health problems and poor academic performance. Ultimately, video games are fundamentally meant for entertainment, and at the end of the day, players should be having fun when they game.
Questions
Q: What are some positive effects of gaming?
A: Gaming can improve a person’s attention and allow the brain areas involved in attention to become more efficient and less activated when it comes to doing demanding tasks. Brain areas involved in visuospatial processes can also become bigger and more efficient. Video games can also teach us things such as strategy by providing reinforcements and punishments that will lead us to success in the game; they also provide opportunities for us to practice our skills so we can master them. The repetition that results from practice can also lead to long-term potentiation, which is connected to the storage of memory and learning. Playing video games can also improve one’s ability to distinguish among different gray shades, which may be especially crucial for activities like driving during the nighttime. If games also include prosocial content, this may also lead to gamers applying that prosocial behavior in real life as well. Some other benefits include improvement of hand-eye coordination and an increased ability to work together with others.
Q: What are some negative effects of gaming?
A: Gaming may increase the likelihood of a person becoming obese or doing poorly in school, and may be addicting. These negative outcomes may also be the result of gamers’ pre-existing concerns; for instance, students who don’t do well in school may play games because it makes them feel a sense of accomplishment that they aren’t able to feel in school, and excessive gaming might take time away from getting physical activity. Becoming addicted may lead to a gamer becoming impulsive and unable to delay gratification, which may cause their life outside of gaming to suffer. For example, the relationships they have with others or their job may be negatively interfered with because of their excessive gaming. Playing violent games often may also lead to the desensitization to violence, as well as increased aggressive behaviors and thoughts.
Sources
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Wikimedia Commons @ Gan Khoon Lay
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