Effects of Playing Video Games on the Brain

Abstract
The advancements in technology have facilitated great and unique innovations in various fields that affect the mental ability of an individual directly. The invention of video games has created diverse opinions, views and opinions among different people, bodies, and organizations basing their effects on the brain. Over the past few decades, video games have received much criticism, speculations and unbiased opinions just like television, rock and roll programs. Currently, the media reports on the adverse effects associated with video games such as addiction, aggression and physical health conditions such as the obesity. In this paper, I will be reporting on the various effects that playing video games has to an individual’s brain. The approach in this paper adopts the establishment of both positive and adverse effects associated with playing video games. It aims at explaining the improvement in perception, attention, and cognition among the players as a result of video games.

This era of technological advancements has seen to it that various video games have been invented, each representing a different theme in the current society. The days when race cars were the only dominant video games are behind us, and more games have been invented, with 89% of the video games found to contain violent content (Kirsh, 2003). In this study, I shall explain the effect that video games have in the brains of those who play them. It is an interesting debate as most parents tend to defend their children saying that video games help in the mental growth of a child and develops their creative thinking abilities while psychologists claim that video games have adverse effects on the mental status of an individual.

It is thus best to establish the reasons stated on each side so as to know if it is best to play video games, and which types of video games we should put into concentration.
According to Michele Noonan, in her article, the topic of video games and its effect on the brain is an issue full of controversies, and she tries to elaborate the positive and adverse effects of video games on the brain, and she separates the two by focusing on the content of the video games. In her list of benefits, she says that changes in the brain occur in the regions that are concerned with vision, movement, attention and the in particular emotional and social behaviors of an individual. She explains that the content of the video game matters most by specifying that games with content that require more than one player enhance cooperative skills, while those with violent content increase violent behavior in an individual. She further explains that video games help to stimulate the production of hormones in the brain that are concerned with motivation and reward and this is mostly released when an individual is playing video games. The repetitive behavior learned when playing video games also helps to strengthen the brain cells and as a result, increase surgical skills in doctors and motor skills in individuals.
A video game has features that are intended to make the Gamer both physically and mentally involved in the match. The features such as sound effects, high score listing and leveling all contribute to the psychological effects that are concerned with the effect of the brain and this highly depends on how engrossed they are in the game. The use of sound re-enforces a player’s thoughts concerning the Video game. These ideas may be both positive and adverse. Current games no longer use beeping sounds to give auditory feedback to the player as the visual and audios are used to create a complete environment for the player. Violent games enable the release of hormones that are responsible for the motivation and reward (Noonan, 2015). Also, firing weapons in violent video game result in an increase in activity in the brain and this results in the thrill that is in the match. According to psychologists, video games are responsible for changing the physical structure of the brain as this is a form of brain work-out.
Video games also enhance hand and eye coordination and develop fine motor and unique skills, especially in violent games where a lot of shooting and running is required while also hiding from the enemy. It requires proper coordination of body parts specifically the eyes and hands and quick interpretation and reaction of the brain for one to succeed. Researchers show that this helps to develop the visual-spatial ability, a skill that is important to surgeons and fighter pilots. It also helps in improving the multitasking ability by enabling an individual to think fast during a crisis while fully concentrating on a game. A study shows that this can be used to train soldiers preparing to go to a battlefield. These games help to strategize and plan an attack to avoid being shot. It helps the brain to make fast decisions, and thus accuracy is achieved and an increased ability to follow instructions, based on the manuals that give gamers the guidelines on how to win. It also helps individuals to become aware of situational changes, especially in action games where enemies appear out of nowhere.
Despite being a good form of exercising the brain, video games also have adverse effects on the brain that are usually mirrored by an individual’s thinking and behavior. Exposure to too much violence shown in video games can result in aggressive behavior. It is because there are repetition and reward which are effective for learning behavior. An individual gets exposed to too much violence that involves killing, shooting and stabbing and as a result these results in the adoption of violent and aggressive behaviors which adversely affect the social relations of an individual. Whatever an individual’s mind processes are the thoughts of violence and aggression and thus the brain becomes accustomed to such ideas.
Violent games contain too much anti-social content in the form of violence, and the killings and shootings may result in an individual’s inability to have empathy as the repetition reinforces the failure of the mind to process feeling. These failures increase with more exposure to these images and scenarios which keep getting more and more realistic (Bavelier et al., 2011). However, positive psychologists dispute aggression as being a result of violence in video games. Their claim can be supported by the fact that researchers who state it as an effect of video games add that the effects are minimal and do not attempt to show the relationship between violence in games with aggression (Lianekhammy, 2014). Instead, they relate it to other factors such as exposure to external violence from a younger age as a contributing factor.
Even though games have been said to improve the concentration of an individual, this concentration is usually short-term and in the form of outbursts. It tends to affect long-term strengths as the brain becomes unable to sustain attention for long periods of time. It results in difficulty in maintaining an individual behavior to continue a particular goal in real life situations. Video games also lead to a person displaying impulsive behavior and may also accelerate their depression levels while exhibiting social phobias (Bavelier et al., 2011). It is quite clear that the debate over positive and adverse effects on the brain of an individual is far from over since it impacts both ways. It is, however, advisable for an individual to look at the context of the video game to ensure that it requires more mental engagement so as to help stimulate the brain.
References
Bavelier, D., Green, C., Han, D., Renshaw, P., Merzenich, M., & Gentile, D. (2011). Brains on video games. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 12(12), 763-768. http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nrn3135
Kirsh, S. (2003). The effects of violent video games on adolescents. Aggression And Violent Behavior, 8(4), 377-389. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/s1359-1789(02)00056-3
Lianekhammy, J. (2014). “The Influence of Video Games on Adolescent Brain Activity” by Joann Lianekhammy. Uknowledge.uky.edu. Retrieved 11 December 2016, from http://uknowledge.uky.edu/hes_etds/12/
Noonan, M. (2015). Effects of Video Games on the Brain. LIVESTRONG.COM. Retrieved 11 December 2016, from http://www.livestrong.com/article/164203-effects-of-video-games-on-the-brain/