How video games affect the brain
Most people when they think
about the effects video games have on you think negative thoughts. They think of
things such as lack of motivation, how you interact with others and how you
develop relationships with others. However, the effects it has on your brain
scientists have shown are very significant and can are healthy and positive
impacts on people of all ages. One example that was shown is the improvements
in attention such as sustained attention and selective attention. Studies have
shown that the regions of the brain that play a role in attention are more efficient
in gamers compared to those that don’t play games the study says, “require less
activation to stay focused on demanding task”. Another part of the brain that
demonstrates a positive effect is that video games increase the size and competence
of parts of the brain responsible for the visuospatial skills which help with
the ability to identify visual and spatial relationships among objects. When scientists
looked at this as a long-term effect the right hippocampus which helps with (process
and retrieve different types of memory) was enlarged. Another positive that
comes from playing video games is the functional and structural alterations in
the neural reward system. This is a group of structures associated with feelings
such as pleasure, learning, and motivation. In conclusion, video games have a
lot of positive effects on the brain and can help develop areas to become even stronger
in the long run.
I think it's ironic that people tend to align playing video games with being unmotivated or lazy when I think the exact opposite. Video games can be extremely complex and I think the fact that people can play them all day is amazing. That speaks volumes to their work ethic and how smart they are. Especially for games to get more complex with the advancement of each level. There seem to be just as many positives of playing video games as there are negatives.
ReplyDeleteThere is a false narrative about video games. "Video games are rotting brains" or "video games are violent". This may be true but there is substantial evidence that they are beneficial in various ways. The topic for my paper is about video games in education. I found multiple scholarly articles about how video games are positively affecting kids in their performance in their education. Video games have recently been even used to keep many people sane during quarantine, stapling the fact that their are many benefits that almost outweigh all the negative.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with this. I think video games are a good thing for people to do as a break from reality. Even thought most people see them as a burden or a distraction, I think in a way they are therapeutic for people. I also think they are great experiments for children to play with. A lot of people keep their children from certain games but I think children should be able to play any game. I see them as just something fun to play.
ReplyDelete