Do Video Games Affect The Brain
How Does Playing Video Games Affect The Brain? How does playing video games affect the brain? In the article “Brains on Video Games, “ six experts discuss the positive and negative impacts that intense video gaming have on the brain. These impacts can be physical and/or mental. Here we will discuss some of the physical effects.
One of the physical impacts, according to two of the experts, is on the gamer’s vision. Daphne Bavelier and C. Shawn Green claim that playing a certain type of action-based video game “results in a wide range of behavioral benefits, including enhancements in low-level vision, visual attention, speed of processing and statistical inference, among others” (Bavelier, D., Green, C. S., Han, D. H., Renshaw, P. F., Merzenich,
M. M., & Gentile, 2011). In other words, games could have a positive impact on people. Action games might actually improve visual skills in some people. There are even studies that suggest gaming can help people with the effects of a lazy eye. Two other experts, Doug Hyun Han and Perry F. Renshaw, have this to say: “Several studies have reported that video and online game play may improve visuospatial capacity, visual acuity, task switching, decision making, and object tracking in healthy individuals” (Bavelier, D., Green, C. S., Han, D. H., Renshaw, P. F., Merzenich, M. M., & Gentile, 2011). However, these findings do not seem consistent among all subjects studied. Studying non-gamers and hard-core gamers will possibly yield different results. The article also discusses the potentially negative effects that occur in some gamers. The type of game played may influence the individual’s behavior. Yes, educational games will help people learn. But who wants to play a mundane educational game when you can immerse yourself into seemingly live action games, full of violence and foul language? Violence begets violence. One example in the article described how addicted gamers react when someone accidentally bumps into them. The pathological gamer tends to react as if it was an intentional act, and will retaliate. Playing video games definitely has an impact on the brain. While there are many negative affects, imagine the great things that can be accomplished if more games positively impacted society. Maybe interactive game designers can find a way to develop games that encourage positive behavior, as opposed to the violent nature we see every day on our streets and in our schools.
Work Cited
Bavelier, D., Green, C. S., Han, D. H., Renshaw, P. F., Merzenich, M. M., & Gentile, D. A. (2011). Brains on video games. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 12(12), 763-768. doi:10.1038/nrn3135
One of the physical impacts, according to two of the experts, is on the gamer’s vision. Daphne Bavelier and C. Shawn Green claim that playing a certain type of action-based video game “results in a wide range of behavioral benefits, including enhancements in low-level vision, visual attention, speed of processing and statistical inference, among others” (Bavelier, D., Green, C. S., Han, D. H., Renshaw, P. F., Merzenich,
M. M., & Gentile, 2011). In other words, games could have a positive impact on people. Action games might actually improve visual skills in some people. There are even studies that suggest gaming can help people with the effects of a lazy eye. Two other experts, Doug Hyun Han and Perry F. Renshaw, have this to say: “Several studies have reported that video and online game play may improve visuospatial capacity, visual acuity, task switching, decision making, and object tracking in healthy individuals” (Bavelier, D., Green, C. S., Han, D. H., Renshaw, P. F., Merzenich, M. M., & Gentile, 2011). However, these findings do not seem consistent among all subjects studied. Studying non-gamers and hard-core gamers will possibly yield different results. The article also discusses the potentially negative effects that occur in some gamers. The type of game played may influence the individual’s behavior. Yes, educational games will help people learn. But who wants to play a mundane educational game when you can immerse yourself into seemingly live action games, full of violence and foul language? Violence begets violence. One example in the article described how addicted gamers react when someone accidentally bumps into them. The pathological gamer tends to react as if it was an intentional act, and will retaliate. Playing video games definitely has an impact on the brain. While there are many negative affects, imagine the great things that can be accomplished if more games positively impacted society. Maybe interactive game designers can find a way to develop games that encourage positive behavior, as opposed to the violent nature we see every day on our streets and in our schools.
Work Cited
Bavelier, D., Green, C. S., Han, D. H., Renshaw, P. F., Merzenich, M. M., & Gentile, D. A. (2011). Brains on video games. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 12(12), 763-768. doi:10.1038/nrn3135