Video Games and Children: Can It Be a Good Thing?

When thinking about the effects of video games on America’s youth many negative aspects come immediately to mind such as aggression or attention deficit concerns. Mainly as result of mass media attention given to subjects such as law suits and violent crimes, these negative effects tend to take center stage. Is it possible that there are positive outcomes from the use of video games which are just as valid? Each type of game requires different skills if the player is to be successful; many involve problem solving, fast reflexes, coordination or social skills. Collectively, video games exercise almost all cognitive and social skills used in real life (qtd in Spence 92). While the foremost reason America’s youth participates in the activity of video gaming is purely entertainment, there are many positive skills and mentalities learned from this participation including coordination, spatial recognition, problem solving, teamwork and creativity. The best way to ensure a favorable effect on children from video games is to monitor the quality of the content.
The use of video games requires and refines visuomotor coordination or “hand-eye” coordination when the player must respond quickly. In some instances enemies appear suddenly and the player must detect the threat, determine the level of danger, and act rapidly and appropriately with the necessary perceptual, cognitive, and motor actions (qtd in Spence 97). As well, the need to locate targets and rotate or place characters and items develops and improves spatial recognition abilities. “Playing action games - particularly FPS (First Person Shooter) games - produces improvements in sensory, perceptual, and spatial cognitive functions that are different from the expertise acquired in the game” (Spence 102). This means that the specific skills used in playing are not necessarily exclusive to the video game, but are translated to other skills and tasks as well. A study of third graders has found positive effects on