Video Game Addiction

Video Games: Not Always an Addiction
Essay by Brandon Baker

Video game addiction is real and many people can suffer from it. More often than not, with every mention of video games the assumption is anyone who plays them will get addicted. But that is far from the case. As much as they are people addicted to games, there are plenty more who have it as a simple hobby. The dangers though are real. Without setting boundaries for yourself and others, you can become addicted and shrug off responsibilities and relationships. The time spent gaming should not outweigh everything else put together. It should not get in the way of sleep, and spending time with family. As real as these dangers are, don't assume that all gaming is bad. There are plenty of benefits such as improved memory, coordination skills, and problem solving. Despite the real danger of video game addictions, video games help people develop essential social skills and become more engaged in critical thinking.

There is plenty of truth to the side of games creating addiction, and it is a real danger that must be looked out for. A major element to video game addiction, as well as a danger of gaming in general, is the time spent playing games. Video games require a timely investment, much like an athlete prepares for a sport. The problem then is that people start to only participate in game playing and forgo other responsibilities like academics, chores, and family time. As according to the article “The Positive and Negative Effects of Video Games” on the Raise Smart Kid website, “A study by Argosy University's Minnesota School on Professional Psychology found that video game addicts argue a lot with their teachers, fight a lot with their friends, and score lower grades than others who play video games less often” (Raise Smart Kid). Without moderation, people can play games to excessive amounts. It's very important to make sure there is a limit to how much you play games, or if you are a parent, keep an eye on how much your kids play. Not only is excessive game play a problem, a major negative aspect of gaming addiction is the amount of violence that is contained in games. When these violent games are given to children, they are exposed to excessive amounts of violence which can desensitize players to violence; Games can often reward negative behaviors, like rewarding a player for killing an enemy or other player. This is also mentioned in the article “The Positive and Negative Effects of Video Games” on the Raise Smart Kid website, that “Children who play more violent video games are more likely to have increased aggressive thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, and decreased pro social helping, according to a scientific study” (Raise Kid Smart). Again it needs to be checked how violent a game is and who intends to play it. A young child should not be played games extremely violent. Also, for those allowed access to very violent games, time spent playing should also be watched. Lastly, the other main concern for games is the negative effects if can have on one's health. Drea Christopher, in her article, “Negative Effects Of Video Game Addiction”, she mentions that, “The Mayo Clinic notes that children who spend more than two hours a day in front of a television or video games in lieu of participating in physical activity may suffer from childhood obesity.” When playing a game, there is not much movement besides the hands, it usually requires you to stay in one place for an extended time. So if a person is spending excessive time playing, they are not spending as much time burning calories like playing a sport. So people who cut into their active time to play games, they could face becoming unhealthy. Not only is weight a problem, but being addicted to games can lead to other health problems. Christopher also talks about how, “the University of Texas at Dallas notes that the addiction can lead to such medical issues as backaches, headaches, eyestrain and carpal tunnel syndrome--pain and numbness that you may feel in your wrists, hands, shoulders and elbows” (Christopher). Video games require the constant motion of hands, especially using the digits to press buttons and perform actions. The constant repeated use can over strain muscles and lead to serious medical problems. The solution should be to play in moderation. But once addicted, people are more at risk to cause serious damage.

All this evidence is convincing that video game addiction is very real, and can be dangerous. But I feel that much of the concern is unfounded as generally, people do not become addicted to games. Only in extreme cases do people really get addicted. For the problems discussed, video games are not the only factor, and only when other aspects of people's lives are taken into account can a fair judgment be made. For example, people spending too much time on games is a common problem, and I have rarely seen or heard of a case where people had a severe case of addiction. I myself have spend massive amounts of time on games. People might be shocked, but I do not play too much in one sitting. I always make time for other hobbies and other responsibilities. Reading is an activity that requires a lot of time, but no one says people get addicted to books, even though some can spend most of their time reading. Only due to people blaming games for problems, such as school shootings, or kids becoming violent and the like. That's brings me to the next major concern the negative side has, that games cause people to be more violent. Games only cause people to be violent when misused. I bring up the example of movies. Not certain movies are rated for different audiences. A g rated film, anyone can see. But an R rated films, only a mature audience is allowed to view it. Now if a child watched an r rated film and learned something bad, you would not blame the movie, but the parents who let the child view this content. This can be aplied to games, since games provide entertainment just as movies do. Not its easy to blame a game for making violence when it itself showcases violence. But if a game is rated only for adults to play, then isn't it the fault of whoever allowed a child to play it? Only the misuse of games can lead to increased violence; if people just followed the rules already in place, then it would be as a serious problem that its made out to be. Lastly, pertaining to health problems, I can agree that there is a problem with just playing games and not doing anything else. But to say it will cause obesity on its own is a problem. People can play games and still go outside for physical activities. Only when people substitute games for physical activity is there a problem. If games are played moderately, then it poses no problem to people's health. Most commonly though, these negative aspects are mostly what people see, but there are plenty positive things about games that are overlooked.

The many positive aspects of gaming out weigh the negative problems faced by players. The basic aspect about games that make them great is that they offer players challenges that they must think through, and by doing this players learn. An except from Emily Anthes' article “How video games are good for the brain” tells us:

The games aren’t just hard - they’re adaptively hard. They tend to challenge people right at the edge of their abilities; as players get better and score more points, they move up to more demanding levels of play. This adaptive challenge is “stunningly powerful’’ for learning, said John Gabrieli, a neuroscientist at MIT. (Anthes).

The way games challenge us to think about problems, is an immensely effective tool with which to learn. People learn how to critically think better, become better at problem solving, and improving motor skills. People can use games to make learning fun, but make it completely entertaining. People can improve their memory, perform better at multitasking, become able to think quicker, and can improve their concentration all by just playing games. Not all games are majorly violent or bad for people. People often times see violent games as bad, but then assume all games can influence people negatively. There are plenty of different kinds of games that don't involve any violence yet are still fun, like puzzle games, adventure games, and some strategy games.

People don't often think of games being social, a common image of a gamer is someone in their room alone, staring at a screen for hours. But on the contrary games can be a very social event and activity. Such as in the article “The Positive and Negative Effects of Video Games” on the Raise Kid Smart website, they say, “Video games allow you and your kid to play together and can be a good bonding activity. Some games are attractive to kids as well as adults, and they could be something that they share in common” (Raise Smart Kid) Many games have multi-player modes and encourage others to play with each other. Massively online games can connect millions of people all over the world. People can talk about gaming experiences and share things they learned, things they hated, and things they loved. It a media that entails its own community of gamers, and its own culture. They can be outlets for creativity, inspiring people with their stories, and be a fun way to spend time with other people. Games should not be written off as solo experiences.

Welcome to the Video Game Addiction section of this blog. Enjoy!

Here are plenty of web pages to learn more about gaming addiction and other effects of gaming:

Negative Effects of Video Game Addiction- This explains the dangers of video game addiction. It talks about: spending too much time on games, health problems associated with game addiction, relationship problems, aggression problems, and school performance related problems.

The Positive and Negative Effects of Video Games- This is article describes both sides of this argument laying out many facts for both sides. They talks about games helping improve memory, logic, motor skills, quicker thinking, help their teamwork, and help their management skills.

How Video Games Are Good For The Brain- Talks about the many positive games can have and looks at it scientifically. They are described here as a great learning tool and are being examine to truly see what kind of impact they have on people. They want to find out what aspects of games really make them beneficial.

If you trust wikipedia: Video Game Addition

Here is an interesting and accurate look at gaming addiction. It examines both sides of the argument and offers its own good insights. it thinks of gaming addiction as rather gaming compulsion; as they say that its not actually right to call video games an addiction because they have not been proven to do so. Above is part one and addresses the main issues of this argument. Below is a continuation of their series, offering a personal story that really goes in depth and shows what game addiction/compulsion really is and what it means.

That's all for video game addiction.

Weblink Sources:

Anthens, Emily. “How video games are good for the brain.” boston.com, 12 October 2009. Web. 19 Nov. 2012.

Christopher, Drea. "Negative Effects of Video Game Addiction." LIVESTRONG.COM. N.p., 14 June 2011. Web. 19 Nov. 2012.

"Raise Smart Kid." Raise Smart Kid. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Nov. 2012.

Works Cited For Essay

Anthens, Emily. “How video games are good for the brain.” boston.com, 12 October 2009. Web. 19 Nov. 2012. 

Christopher, Drea. "Negative Effects of Video Game Addiction." LIVESTRONG.COM. N.p., 14 June 2011. Web. 19 Nov. 2012. 

"Raise Smart Kid." Raise Smart Kid. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Nov. 2012. 

Picture sources:
Crazy Gamer

Video Games Ruined My Life Shirt
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