The Psychology of Video Games The Pros of Video Games

The Psychology of Video Games: The Pros of Playing Video Games What is a game? Video games have been accused of being overly violent and harmful to the overall health of children. However, video games have been proven to be beneficial through researched studies. Although many adults oppose video games, they have cognitive, educational, social, and other benefits. To better understand the benefits, the background and history of video games should be understood. Therefore what is a game? A game is an interaction that requires players to struggle towards a goal through conflict. Games are not about how violent they are, it is about the struggle they produce (Espejo 1). About 68% of households play computer or video games. The average age of†¦show more content†¦Also mental issues such as depression and stress can be relieved by playing video games (7 Health 1). Dr. Daphen Maurer from Ontarios McMaster University found that video games may also improve players vision. A fast pac ed game requires more attention and trains the eyes to view more sharply. The University of Washington also made a game titled Snow World, in which players throw snowballs at targets. The patients that played the game showed they used less pain medication then those who did not play the games (2). Also games such as Angry Birds, can help improve ones mood, help relaxation, and ward off anxiety (Video Games 1). However, video games do not just have health benefits; they can also have cognitive benefits. Cognitive is the process of knowing, perceiving, remembering, or pertaining to the mental processes of perception, memory, judgment, and reasoning. As a result of this, video games can help with problem solving and logical skills (The Pros 1). ...such play actually may strengthen a range of cognitive skills such as spatial navigation, reasoning, memory, and perception... (Video Games 1). In the year 2008, the University of Washington held a three week competition with a video game cal led Foldit, a game where players model the make-up of proteins. After the three weeks, the top-scoring players could identify a structure for a monkey virus related to AIDS. TheShow MoreRelatedVideo Games : Can It Cause Violence?1379 Words   |  6 PagesVictor Chau Professor Myers ENGL-1301 Video Games: Can it cause violence? Any action against violent video games should be met with more research and that any banning of violent video games should come under more significant scrutiny. For sometime, many people consider violent video games to be the cause of violent behavior in the younger generations. However there are also people who would refute such claims that violent video games are the causes of tragedies, and would point to another reasonRead MoreThe Negative Effects Of Video Games794 Words   |  4 Pagesimproved, video games have been enhanced together with the latest technology. 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There are lots of kind of games, some of them have adventures on it and others can make you scared. Companies are the ones that produces these games in a great number. Nowadays most of them have tons of people working on a game to make sure that they produce an incredible product so kids can enjoy a good experience. You may think that only kids buy this things, but a surprising number of adults buy video games and this