There is a lot of questioning on whether children should be allowed to purchase and play violent video games or even play video games in general. There have been ratings put on video games to help make parents aware of what their children are playing, as well as it being illegal to sell video games to a minor without a parent or legal guardian being present to give approval for the purchase of a game. To be able to purchase video games with mature ratings, the individual must have an identification card stating that he or she is of legal age to make the purchase.
Video games are an increasingly big issue since they are becoming more popular for both the young male and now the female population as well. Most parents will object and some will even ban their children from owning and/or using gaming consoles. A lot of parents feel there are too many negative consequences associated with their children being lost in a three dimensional world for hours upon end.
The bright colors, active backgrounds, and intense visual images being viewed by the children can have an adverse effect to children who have epilepsy (Bureau, Hirsch, & Vigevano, 2004.) Engaging in video games for hours upon end can indeed have harmful if not fatal results for some. Children or adults who suffer from epileptic fits should not play video games; certain games can trigger these episodes and it can be hard to say which ones might provoke a seizure, these warnings are easy to spot on video game packages. In 1992, a fourteen year old boy from England actually died from a video game induced seizure (Bureau, Hirsch, & Vigevano, 2004.) This seizure was the result of photosensitivity from the constant images he viewed in the game he was playing (Bureau, Hirsch, & Vigevano, 2004.) It was unclear of exactly how long he was playing the video game but it was enough to kill him. Playing video games in excess is not a wise decision.
Children and people that engage in video games, often, will play for hours at a time absorbing images and color patterns that have the potential to be mind altering (Han, Hwang, Renshaw, 2010.) The person playing the video game becomes completely lost in these virtual worlds with all their attention and energy being focused into solving puzzles, combating enemies, or finding and fighting bosses. Some people become so entranced that they do not even respond when people try to make normal conversation with them. Brain patterns in response to video game play has shown the same patterns of addiction as observed in individuals with drug addiction, gambling addiction, et cetera (Han, Hwang, Renshaw, 2010.) IGA, or internet gaming addiction, is untreated in most countries (Han, Hwang, Renshaw, 2010.) The time spent playing video games also take a toll on the regular activities of that person's life. So much time is put into playing these games, some people skip normal routines in their life that in turn affect their career and education. So much time and energy put into something that is pretend is not viewed by most people as productive or healthy.
An anti-depressant, also used to treat people with addiction, was given to the people with IGA, as shown in a study in Asia; this treatment was affective and it helped them return their normal lives, they became free of the pretend world that entranced those (Han, Hwang, Renshaw, 2010.) Not all video games, but many have morally questionable and/or harmfully influential content involved with their themes and settings. A lot of these video games being distributed through game stores are considered highly inappropriate for children to play, and regardless of age limits, younger audiences are finding ways to get a hold of these mature rated games. Video games are a growing concern since they now rival television in regards to the audience. Psychologists, especially those focusing their studies in neuropsychology and behavioral psychology, believe that video games are potentially harmful to the young developing brains of adolescents, especially since they have the potential to become an addiction with some youth who consistently expose themselves to online gaming. Online gaming is where a bunch of people play together or play against each other, this form of gaming is the most addictive or fun for young adults and game players all the same.
When people play video games constantly, another problem may arise, the exposure to constant violence is suspected to alter behavior by increasing aggression while also desensitizing the person playing the violent games (Staude-Muller, Bliesener, & Luthman, 2008.) It is very obvious that constant exposure to anything indecent is bound to have a negative effect, and now studies are being done on these assumptions and observations in regards to violent video game play. GTA, or Grand Theft Auto, is a violent game in which the player is exposed to drug trafficking, sex, and violence; this game rewards the person playing for committing various crimes. It may be possible to assume that these rewards for violence and crime, in the three dimensional world, may be conditioning and modifying our behavior. Conditioning towards violence is a big threat since youth are easily impressionable by things they see or hear.
So much exposure to violence has the potential to desensitize the audience and possibly change the behavior to be more aggressive in social situations (Staude-Muller, Bliesener, & Luthman, 2008.) Physiological data, from a study of violence and video games, showed that the person playing the violent video game had an increased heart rate along with aggressive reactions while playing (Staude-Muller, Bliesener, & Luthman, 2008); the level of excitement was very high while playing the violent video games. In the long run day to day social interactions could be influenced as a result of this constant exposure. Reactions may be altered when put in a situation where a problem arises. It might be possible that children who play violent video games may respond differently than a non video game playing child because they have been taught through pretend rewards on how to respond to certain situations that in the real world would have been solved with discussing or reasoning.
Certain series of video games are bombarded with violence such as Call of Duty, Grand Theft Auto, Tomb Raider, Naughty Bear, Manhunt, et cetera; all these games are very violent and accessible to young people as well as minors. Constant visual images of violence are absorbed by people through the media, internet, and now more popularly in the form of time consuming games. The Desensitization Theory (Staude-Muller, Bliesener, & Luthman, 2008) believes that prolonged exposure to such violent images will habituate the people that play these types of violent video games. Most people want to raise their children to be peaceful and productive people, it is easy to see why most parents do not want their children exposed to video games.
In particular, there is one video game that has been at the center of this controversy, and that would be the FPS (First Person Shooter) games; FPS games can have an impact on one's spatial cognition, with both working memory and sometimes long term memory (Spence, Feng, 2010.) Many concerned parents, doctors, and psychologists have had major concerns with these first person shooters as well as a fascination as to whether or not they are particularly beneficial, harmful or ineffective. These games can be like a simulation to real life activities brought forth in a three dimensional world. Despite the content, these FPS games are being looked at with a different perspective instead of solely negative, but the violent and suggestive themes are still being disapproved of.
FPS games may have violent content, suggestive themes, and controversial plots, especially in Call of Duty, but they can also offer potential improvement to spatial cognition (Spence, Feng, 2010.) The creators of the Call of Duty series have generated approximately three billion dollars of income since the release in 2003 (Spence, Feng, 2010); this game is popular but one of the few that has this potential to alter an individual’s spatial cognition. Call of Duty constantly engages the mind with quick decision making, environmental awareness, and actively making the best decisions in “harmful” situations. While playing shooter games, the person playing must have complete constant attention and awareness to their surroundings, including the peripheral vision (Spence, Feng, 2010.) Instead of looking at the violent nature of the theme, this game could be viewed in a different light in terms of it being like an exercise for the brain. The concept of keeping the mind active is a good thing but maybe the violent nature could be excluded so that it may be more suitable for children, of course though in moderation.
Games such as C.O.D. and similar ones have been the focus of experimental research and observation. The changes brought forth onto spatial cognition are not necessarily negative but positive. Even though it is rare that our long term memory would be effected, our working memory is constantly being engaged keeping our minds active and can actually improve it along with our spatial cognition in general (Spence, Feng, 2010.) Since working memory linked to long term memory, it is possible to assume that if one is benefited, the other in turn could be positively affected (Spence, Feng, 2010.) This benefit is something to consider despite the violent nature and themes of the FPS genre of video games. If better genre of games could be promoted with the same benefit as engaging spatial cognition, this could be beneficial to the audience.
Not all video games have such negative connotations, for example, some video games have been incorporated into psychotherapy (Ceranoglu, 2010.) There are some video games that have been used in corrective behavior, such as a game called BUSTED (Ceranoglu, 2010) which the aim was to condition young offenders to realize the consequences of wrong doing and hopefully condition their personalities in a more positive direction. The troubled youth showed signs of improvement after counseling and playing the game designed to correct bad behavior (Ceranoglu, 2010.) Since video games are popular, they can also be used as a stepping stone for communication between a therapist and the individual being worked with. This idea was used in therapy sessions with children that were abused, after the therapists had used the games as a means of interaction the children became more open to speaking with the therapists and eventually the computer games were used less and less (Ceranoglu, 2010.) Using the games did help to correct some bad behavior and it was great as sort of an "ice-breaking" method. Communication became easier to establish through the use of video games.
There are and can be many useful aspects to video games that people may not realize due to an array of stereotypes and negativity revolving around certain games, such as the more violent genres. Video games have been used in other studies of psychology with children that have developmental disorders such as Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD), Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and Specific Language Impairment (SLI), (Durkin, 2010.) Besides a bridge of communication video games may be capable of offering insight into these disorders by monitoring what the children respond to and are attracted to (Durkin, 2010); this can be vital since some of these children are known to have major issues of communication.
Also, as mentioned earlier, video games can aide in improving working memory which is a part of spatial cognition (Durkin, 2010.) Some children may need help with developing their working memory. Children with Autism have issues with communication and respond to alternate forms of communication, though verbal communication is not their strength. Children with autism respond to computers and can use them to communicate with people around them (Durkin, 2010.) Youth suffering from autism, like other children, are attracted to video games just like any other child. Their choice, interaction, and reaction to these video games can be observed and learned from by their doctors and even family (Durkin, 2010.) A good aspect to gaming is that it can serve as a ground for social activity; this is healthy for all types of children.
Video games do not necessarily have to revolve around violent themes and crime orientated plots, people can make better video games to stimulate brain activity and learning. A great example of a decent video game that involves physical activity, engages working memory, and has a peaceful orientated theme, would be the Wii Fit for the Nintendo Wii. I am a big fan of this game; it exercises the brain involving spatial cognition, it can be a source of sensory stimulation (Durkin, 2010), and it is encouraging to physical fitness and health. Psychologists who study, care for, and try to help children with disorders, have modified and made their own video games to aide children with learning disorders (Durkin, 2010.) Games involving rewards are suggested to release straitial dopamine and may help to improve certain performances over time (Durkin, 2010.) Video games can be fun and stimulating if they are made by people that want to improve health.
Games with happy and peaceful themes have not been shown to damage the individuals engaging in the game. Some games may be addictive to certain people but not every game is bad and not every person will become addicted. Simply choosing the right video games can make a big difference on how people may choose to perceive such misunderstood activities. Aside from work and school, I'm sure other people besides myself may occasionally indulge in video game play; I have had parties where my friends and I hang out and play various games on the Wii that simulate bowling, baseball, and tennis. It can be a fun way to enhance social interaction.
A study was set up to monitor brain responses in reaction to a game called Super Monkey Ball 2 (Salminen and Ravaja, 2007.) The study used electroencephalography (EEG) to observe the brain reactions to a happy and colorful game by Sega played on the Nintendo GameCube console (Salminen and Ravaja, 2007.) This game is one that requires strategy and quick reflexes in order to achieve the goal. Upon reaching the goals the brain was shown to be put in a relaxed state (Salminen and Ravaja, 2007.) People may choose to engage in video games with these types of themes simply to experience relaxation. There are many forms of stress reducers out there and video games like these ones seem to be harmless fun. One theory generated from the study, also like many other studies, was that games like Super Monkey Ball 2 might offer improvement in brain functioning since they involve quick responses to situations (Salminen and Ravaja, 2007.)
Video games can be harmful to people with special medical conditions, they can be addictive, and they can possibly alter behavior, but they are not entirely harmful just as they are not entirely beneficial. There is a good side and a bad side in regards to video games. Anything can be bad if it is used in excess. People need to have a sense of awareness and self control. It is extreme to say that video games should be banned but there is room for improvement with everything, and it would not hurt to perhaps come out with more genres promoting cognitive improvement, physical activity, or simply having a happy theme. Despite the negative stereotypes and possible (though rare) dangers of video games, they do have the potential to become used for good purposes. Ultimately, it should be the choice of parents on whether they choose to let their children indulge in video games; also the parents, not the government, should have more control over the types of games their children come home with.
Works Cited
Bureau, M., Hirsch, E., & Vigevano, F. (2004). Epilepsy and Videogames. Epilepsia (Series 4) 24-26. Retrieved from Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection database.
Ceranoglu, T. (2010). Video Games in Psychotherapy. Review of General Psychology, 14(2), 141-146. doi:1037/a0019439
Durkin, K. (2010). Videogames and young people with developmental disorders. Review of General Psychology, 14(2), 122-140. doi:10.1037/a0019438.
Han, D., & Hwang, J., & Renshaw, P. (2010). Bupropion Sustained release treatment decreases craving for video games and cue-induced brain activity in patients with Internet video game addiction. Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology, 18(4), 297-304. doi:10.1037/a0020023.
Salminen, M., & Ravaja, N. (2007). Oscillatory Brain Responses Evoked by Video Game Events: The Case of Super Monkey Ball 2. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 10(3), 330-338. doi:10.1089/cpb.2006.9947.
Spence, I., & Feng, J. (2010). Video Games and Spatial Cognition. Review of General Psychology, 14(2), 92-104. doi:10371/a0019491.
Staude-Muller, F., & Bliesener, T., & Luthman, S. (2008). Hostile and Hardened? An Experimental Study on (de-)sensitization to violence and suffering through playing video games. Swiss journal of Psychology/Schweizerische Zeitschrift fur Psychologie/Revue Suisse de Psychologie, 67(1), 41-50. doi:10.1024/1421-0185.67.1.41.
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