Advantages And Disadvantages Of Video Games
The study suggests that video game training can be used to counter known risk factors for a smaller volume of hippocampus and prefrontal cortex, for example, post-traumatic stress disorder, schizophrenia and neurodegenerative diseases. Role-playing games and other strategy games can help build problem-solving skills. There is little research that says that violent video games are bad for your mental health. Almost all games that encourage decision-making and critical thinking are beneficial for your mental health.
Studies have shown that certain games can help young children improve their early reading skills with the support of parents and teachers. Games like “Times Table Rock Stars” used in elementary schools and preschool apps like “Endless Alphabet” can be great tools to help kids learn in a more engaging way. With the growth of connected toys, kids can also play physically while playing on devices. Educational toys like Osmo combine Gaming Giveaways tactile play pieces with a device’s camera to bring in-game action to life. The connection between video games and creative thinking is perhaps not particularly surprising, as most video games require players to develop new solutions to various problems in a short period of time. Overcoming various challenges in the game can promote off-the-beaten-path thinking and help develop more complex problem-solving skills.
The World Health Organization declared gambling addiction a mental disorder in June 2018. A study by the Minneapolis-based National Institute of Media and Family suggests that video games can be addictive for children and that children’s addiction to video games increases their levels of depression and anxiety. Not surprisingly, children addicted to video games see their school performance suffer. Neuroimaging research suggests that heavy use of certain video games can cause brain changes related to addictive behaviors. In addition, MRIs reveal that addictive video games can have a similar effect on children’s brains as drugs and alcohol. A series of studies from California State University found that the impulsive part of the brain, known as the amygdala-striatal system, was more sensitive and smaller in excessive gamblers.
Video games can even teach kids high-level thinking skills they’ll need in the future. Most of the time, playing video games is a social experience for kids. In a 2008 study by the Pew Research Center, 75 percent of children surveyed said they played video games with other people — together in the same room or online — at least part of the time. When these same kids play online with other players, they often play (47% of the time) with people they know in real life.
Too many games can become a problem, but in moderation, they can do great things for your mental health. As we have seen so far, playing video games can help you improve various cognitive skills. Therefore, if you like to play brain training games and feel like they help you improve your cognitive abilities, especially when it comes to tasks beyond those of the game itself, then it is good to play them. You just need to make sure you keep your expectations realistic when it comes to the cognitive benefits these games offer, especially since the companies that promote these games can sometimes exaggerate their product, trying to make them look more effective than they are.
Today’s users enjoy multiplayer interaction with video and voice capabilities with chat features. Studies have shown that prosocial video games make children friendlier and even more physically sensitive to people in difficulty. For example, one study showed that children could regularly play a cognitive training game for a month, resulting in cognitive improvements that were still significant when children were tested 3 months after they stopped playing. In addition, neurological studies show that playing video games consistently can lead to positive long-term changes in terms of information processing by the brain and in terms of factors such as neuronal plasticity. Women are often portrayed as weaker, helpless, or sexually provocative characters. On the other hand, a study from the University at Buffalo suggests that violence and bad behavior in the virtual world may contribute to better behavior in the real world.
Maybe your gamerzoon has skillfully learned some of the above facts to convince you why video games are good for you. Until now, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended no more than two hours of screen time a day, but in the age of mobile media, teens would have to live under a rock to comply. The University of Utah published a study last year that looked at the effects of regular play on children diagnosed with conditions such as autism, depression, and Parkinson’s disease. In addition, in 2010, scientists presented research at the American Pain Society conference, which found evidence that playing video games, especially virtual reality games, is effective in reducing anxiety or pain caused by chronic illness or medical procedures. Early video games – and many today – required hours of practice to move to higher levels or give the privilege of buying loot, titles, or additional strength.
One study found that just 12 hours of video play improved dyslexic children’s scores on reading and phonology tests. In fact, the improvement has been as great or greater than that achieved through training programs explicitly designed to treat dyslexia. Having a 4-year-old sitting in front of a TV with a gamepad may not seem like the most productive use of their time. But researchers at Deakin University in Melbourne, Australia, reportedly disagree. Their study looked at the development of 53 preschoolers and found that those who played “interactive games” had better “object control motor skills” than those who didn’t.