Technology has emerged and pervaded the lives of many people as it becomes more advanced and more a part of society. A good and prominent example of this is video games. Even with the leisure and perceived positive effects of video games, their effect on the brain is a cause for concern among many in the scientific and academic communities. While many of the effects could absolutely be good, there are other effects that could be bad with age and stage of brain development being important factors to keep in mind.One factor that clearly aggravates the situation of people playing video games and it might or does affect the brain is the fact that the younger people who still have the development of their brains in motion. As such, verifying whether or not there are effects on cognition and that development of the brain structure is an important item to consider. That precise subject was the focus of a study by Shams et al. (2015). Specifically, they looked at the confluence of the effects of video games on cognition and brain structure and how this does or does not dovetail with implications for neuropsychiatric disorders. Shams was able to capture a three-year period from 2011 to 2014. While the effect does not seem to be across the board with all video games, there are certain types of video games that seem to have effects on brain structure and cognition. While there is concern with many that the change in brain structure and patterns is often manifested in the form of degradation and regression,...
Meaning, it was found by Shams that the video games in question can be used to train and improve the brain. Shams does admit that the body of research relating to this general topic is very much in its nascent stage and much more work is necessary. AT the same time, at least some results and outcomes from using certain types of video games would seem to be positive rather than negative (Shams et al., 2015). The enhancement to cognition seems to not be limited to those that are younger and still developing. Indeed, Ballesteros et al. (2015) did a study that looked at how certain non-action games can enhance the cognition in older adults (Ballesteros et al., 2015).
The second way is that individuals, specifically children can become desensitized to violence. This is because, daily exposure to violence may make one lose their emotional impact on them. Apparently, when one becomes emotionally numb, it becomes easier for them to engage in violence (Harding). The General Aggression Model This is a model that attempts to explain both the development of aggression an individual differences in susceptibility to the influence of
Dopamine is a pleasure inducing chemical that is secreted whenever an individual engages his/her mind in the playing f video games. The New brain research that was conducted years back (Bartholow, Bushman & Sestir, 2006) was the first to show that the playing of violent video games results in bad health of the players. The emphatic responses of the brain to the simulation of certain real-life violence such as shooting
" (Eagleheart, 2000) Eagleheart (2002) notes that violence does constitute a primary concern for children, particularly in schools. Rather than contributing video games as a cause of violence in children, she encourages educators and others to look deeper and consider that violene has goals; that the particular goal will depend on the individual. At times, goals of violence may be evident, conscious choices from a child is playing now wants. Other
Computer Games Research When considering the short history of computers, video and PC gaming are very recent on the timeline of technology. This is one of the reasons why there have not been many conclusive studies on the negative and/or positive effects of electronic games on children and young adults -- the most formative years. With the ever-increasing interest and involvement of children in this activity, much concern has been expressed
Winning a game activates a cerebral reward center, in a way that 'teaches' players to be violent in a Pavlovian way, so the players associate acting violently with gaining a reward. This thesis has been supported by recent MRI scanning research examining the brains of children who have just played violent video games: "A new study employing state-of-the-art brain-scanning technology…say that brain scans of kids who played a violent
Robert thought that this was actually very cool. He liked the idea of picking all of his favorite characters from all of his favorite games and making up his own new game. That would be so cool. And then he could make all of the characters do exactly what he wanted them to do. Like the Viking Warrior standing in his room. He could take out his laser sabre and
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