Video games have always been given a bad name by parents,media,and our overall society. Most parents think their children playing video games is a waste of valuable time. Certainly parents would rather have their children up doing math homework than playing on the xbox. Our society has always put a stigma on violent video games causing aggressive and antisocial behaviors in young people. Can these video games even benefit our kids anyway, according to recent research from scientists and psychologist yes.
Video games are a complete workout for your brain much like jogging is a good workout for people’s muscles and heart. Scientists believe video games can change the structure of the brain just the same as learning to read and write can. Modern video games are a lot different from the super mario we use to play. Video games now require a higher level of thinking and skills to progress to further levels. Some of these skills aren’t even taught much in our schools anymore such as planning, resource management, quick analysis of different variables, and fine motor skill.
Call of Duty is a very popular shooting game among kids today. In this game the character is put in different levels of war scenarios. This game is very violent but according to scientists this game may have some benefits for our youth. Call of Duty requires you to run,shoot,aim your gun,and look out for enemies all at the same time. The brain has to process all this and then react in an extensive amount of time. When the brain takes in the information being received by the video game it has to give a quick output with movements of the hands and fingertips. The good results of being exposed to a video game like Call of Duty is fine motor skills,hand and eye coordination and spatial skills. The bad is there is a lot of violence and blood in this game some parents may take the good over the bad while others want. Fighter pilots have come back from war and suffered from post traumatic stress disorder. Scientists have used shooting games to help cure soldiers PSD and it has been reported that their fine motor skills are more precise than some of the world’s top surgeons.
Now we have all seen those weird birds that kill the pigs, yes Angry Birds. Video games like Angry Birds, Cut The Rope, and Words With Friends help kids brain build problem solving and logic. The brain must come up with unique ways to solve different puzzles. The result of playing strategy games is it increase your ability to solve problems in the real world. Studies suggest that playing video games primes the brain to make quick decisions. From fine motor skills to quick thinking research also suggest video games can reduce stress in children. The powerful combination of concentration can trigger neurotransmitters to fire releasing chemicals like dopamine which help reduces our stress level.
Most of the bad effects from video games are blamed on the violence they contain. Your child may show signs of aggressive behavior if he/she is over exposed to violent video games. Also spending a lot of time playing video games can socially isolate child causing unwanted outbursts in public situations. Playing to many video games can take time away from your child doing homework, extracurricular activities, and spending time with family and friends. Also video games may teach your children some violent behavior and crude acts may be rewarded.
Overall its a matter of parenting whether you allow your child to play video games or not. There are benefits as well as negative effects caused by video games. The strategy games seem to be overall beneficial in moderation than the shooting and action games.
