The Video Gaming Debate

Over the past 30 years, video games have emerged and captured the minds and imaginations of today’s youth (Funk 2005, p. 395). As technology continues to grow and develop, and video game enthusiasts dive further and further into the simulating world of gaming, concerns have arisen regarding the effect this poses to young people. This essay will argue that extensive use of video gaming impacts the health of the young generation in both a positive and negative way. It benefits kids by providing innovative and effective learning development, enhancing creativity and can encourage pro-social behaviour. However, video gaming also triggers aggressive behaviour and desensitization towards violence, negatively affects school performance, and is linked as a cause for obesity and many other physical problems. With both arguments taken into account, a recommendation will be proposed as a solution for concerned parents and young people.

Video games possess many different objectives such as entertainment, problem solving, and education, and the educational aspect of video gaming has proven to be very effective for young children (Gentile 2005, p. 10). The appealing visualizations and interactive nature of games provide an engaging platform, which Professor James Gee asserts, "trigger deep learning that is itself part and parcel of the fun" (cited in Funk 2005, p. 396). Video games naturally teach children many high-level thinking skills such as problem solving and logic, hand-eye coordination, fine motor and spatial skills, multitasking, quicker decision making, developing reading and mathematical skills, memory, and strategizing (Tumbokon 2011). Interestingly, research indicates that children who engage in educational video games have fewer attention problems, and a higher school GPA than children who do not (Hastings, Karas, Winsler, Way, Madigan & Tyler 2009, p. 646). Research suggests that video games also help to enhance creativity, by stimulating a positive mood and high arousal levels (Hutten & Sundar 2010, p. 294). This leads to young people excelling in the areas of arts and other creative activities. Although video games are often criticised for inducing anti-social behaviour, research conducted by Tobias Greitemeyer and Silvia Osswald suggests that games can promote either anti or pro-social behaviour, and children who engage in pro-social video games are more likely to socialise and help others (2011, p. 121). Likewise, Manali Oak suggests that children who suffer from a lack of self-confidence and social skills benefit from playing games because it gives children a sense of participation and achievement, thus building their self-esteem (2011).

On the other side of the argument, extensive video gaming has proven to be detrimental to the health of young people. Firstly, violent video games cause an increase in aggressive thoughts, feelings and behaviour (Funk 2005, p. 405). Exposure to violence in video games causes long-term aggressive behaviour as a result of the changes in cognitive processing, and also relates to a decrease in empathy and stronger pro-violence attitudes, which is a huge concern considering that 90% of video games contain some form of violence (Funk 2005, p. 405). Retired Lt. Col. Dave Grossman, former tactical trainer and Army Ranger, states that violent video games are “actively training children to kill”, and kids learn to use weapons and shoot sharply in simulated games the same way soldiers improve their precision through simulation (Hoerrner & Hoerrner 2006, p. 13). Desensitisation to violence is another by-product of constant exposure, which can be defined as “the reduction or eradication of cognitive, emotional, and ultimately, behavioral responses to a violent stimulus” (Funk 2005, p. 406). The behavioral outcome to this is decreased conviction and failure to stop violence, and an increase in aggressive responses (Funk 2005, p. 406). Although pro-social video games can help education, addiction and the excessive use of any type of video game also has a negative effect on the academic performance of children, adolescence and adults (Prot, McDonald, Anderson & Gentile 2012, p. 651). The displacement hypothesis can be used to explain this relationship, where time spent video gaming replaces the time that should be spent studying, which ultimately effects academic performance. Statistics that support this theory is clearly demonstrated in a study that showed that gamers spend 34% less time doing homework in comparison with non-gamers (Prot, McDonald, Anderson & Gentile 2012, p. 651). Simply put, time spent gaming has a negative correlation with school performance (Gentile 2005, p. 11). Lastly, the excessive use of video gaming has been linked with obesity and many other physical health conditions such as musculoskeletal disorders, video-induced seizures, cardiovascular problems and carpel tunnel syndrome (Gentile 2005, p. 11). Obesity is particularly evident, seeing as though children are replacing time spent outdoors exercising for time spent gaming. A study by Stattler and colleagues in 2004 showed that there is nearly a two-fold risk of obesity per hour per day spent on video games (cited in Brown 2006, p. 188). This should spark major concern considering that the average child spends 37 hours in front of an electronic screen every week, whilst the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children should spend no more than 1 – 2 hours per day, or 7 – 14 hours per week, playing video games (Gentile 2005, p. 11).

In conclusion, video games themselves are not the issue; it is however the amount of time spent and the content of the games that cause adverse health impacts on young people such as aggressive behaviour, desensitisation, decreased academic performance, and physical conditions such as obesity. If parents actively moderate the video gaming habits of their children, and encourage the use of educational and pro-social video games, children will reap the benefits of greater learning development, enhanced creativity and pro-social behaviour. It is therefore recommended that parents should restrict violent video games, encourage educational and pro-social games, and moderate the amount of time their children spend on video games down to 1 – 2 hours per day, whilst encouraging them to get active and enjoy the great outdoors.

Reference List

Brown, D 2006, ‘Playing to Win: Video Games and the Fight Against Obesity’, Journal of the American Dietetic Association, vol. 106, no. 2, pp. 188-189, viewed 21 September 2012, via MD Consult Australia database

Funk, JB 2005, ‘Video Games’, Adolescent Medicine Clinics, vol. 16, no. 2, pp. 395-411, viewed 21 September 2012, via ProQuest Central database

Gentile, DA 2005, ‘The Effects of Video Games on Children: What Parents Need to Know’, Pediatrics for Parents, vol. 21, no. 6, pp. 10-11, viewed 21 September 2012, via ProQuest Central database

Greitemeyer, T & Osswald, S 2011, ‘Playing Prosocial Video Games Increases the Accessibility of Prosocial Thoughts’, The Journal of Social Psychology, vol. 151, no. 2, pp. 121-128, viewed 21 September 2012, via Taylor & Francis Online database, DOI 10.1080/00224540903365588

Hastings, E, Karas, T, Winsler, A, Way, E, Madigan, A & Tyler, S 2009, ‘Young Children's Video/Computer Game Use: Relations with School Performance and Behavior’, Issues in Mental Health Nursing, vol. 30, no. 10, pp. 638-649, viewed 21 September 2012, via Informa Healthcare database, DOI 10.1080/01612840903050414

Hoerrner, M & Hoerrner, K 2006, ‘Video Game Violence’, Children’s Voice, vol. 15, no. 1, pp. 12-14, viewed 21 September 2012, via ProQuest Central database

Hutten, E & Sundar, S 2010, ‘Can Video Games Enhance Creativity? Effects of Emotion Generated by Dance Dance Revolution’, Creativity Research Journal, vol. 22, no. 3, pp. 294-303, viewed 21 September 2012, via Taylor & Francis Online database, DOI 10.1080/10400419.2010.503540

Oak, M 2011, Positive Effects of Video Games, viewed 21 September 2012, <http://www.buzzle.com/articles/positive-effects-of-video-games.html>

Prot, S, McDonald, K, Anderson, C & Gentile, D 2012, ‘Video Games’, Pediatric Clinics of North America, vol. 59, no. 3, pp. 647-658, viewed 21 September 2012, via MD Consult Australia database

Tumbokon, C 2011, The Positive and Negative Effects of Video Games, viewed 21 September 2012, <http://www.raisesmartkid.com/3-to-6-years-old/4-articles/34-the-good-and-bad-effects-of-video-games>