Video games and children Essay Example for Free

Video games and children Essay When live in the digital age, it’s a fact. Children are using more technology than ever and in many ways it makes life safer and easier for families. But when 40- 75% of children in middle school already have cell phones, as well as 89% of children have their own laptops, and 97% of children and young adults play video games and/or own a gaming system. With the prevalence of video games obvious many adults have started asking themselves how these games affect their children. Should I be worried that my child is playing violent video games? How long should I allow my child to play video games? These questions are ones parents who are raising children in the era of technology should be asking, these are the questions that have prompted experts to conduct countless studies on the topic. So here it is the good, bad, and ugly of video games effect on children. I will present information on the positive effects of gaming the negative effects of gaming, and what experts recommend is healthy for a child. Violent shoot ‘em up games or seemingly mindless racing games like Mario Kart or time consuming apps like Angry Birds don’t necessarily bring pleasant thoughts to many parents minds but believe it or not there are some positive effects from video games. Video games actually improve problem solving and logic skills. Specifically, the popular app Angry Birds forces children and adults alike to quickly come up with creative solutions to problems. As for those violent video games parents begrudgingly by their children, well they tend to increase hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, and spatial skills. Shooting games often require the virtual character to be running and shooting at the same time. In order to be successful the real life controller must keep track of the character, obstacles in the characters way, the targets position, and the speed at which they are pursuing each other and if the gunfire is hitting the target. Processing this information indeed causes the controller to use hand-eye coordination skills as well as using their spatial ability to be successful. Some studies even suggest that experience with video games maybe a contributing factor as to why fighter pilots of today are more successful with the controls. Also making a fast analysis of a situation and then being able to quickly make a decision gives your brain a real work out. According to researchers at the University of Rochester, led by Daphne Bavelier, who is a cognitive scientist, says that gaming simulating stressful events like those found in battle or action games is a training tool for real world situations. Her study suggests that playing action video games prepares the brain to make quick decisions, Video games similar to virtual simulations that already exist could possibly be used to train soldiers and surgeons. Also according to the same study from the University of Rochester action games train the players brains to make decisions quickly with out losing accuracy. Also a study from the Appalachia Educational Laboratory revealed that children with Attention-Deficit Disorder who played the popular arcade game Dance Dance Revolution improved their reading scores by helping them concentrate. Now that we have reviewed the positive effects of video games, it is time to look at how video games can negatively affect children. First from addiction blog. org video games can cause an increase in emotional and behavioral disorder symptoms. It cuts family interaction time in half and it reduces the about of REM or resting sleep you get. Also it can increase children’s violent tendencies. This is because in video games kids are rewarded for the violence, and the violence it committed repeatedly. This participation and reward system are tools that people use for learning behaviors. Also researchers from the University of Minnesota found that game addicts or kids who frequently play video games are more argumentative with teachers, fight with their friends and score lower grades. Also though some studies like the one previously mentioned here say that video games can improve a child’s concentration, this has been proven to only help concentration in short bursts of times but a child’s overall attentiveness can be harmed. Also a study from the National Institute for Media and the Family suggests that video games can be addictive for kids, and that video games increase their depression and anxiety levels. Also the University of Texas at Dallas notes that excessive video gaming can lead to eyestrain, carpal tunnel syndrome, and back issues. As well as desensitization which is where people no longer react to a sensory to the condition of fear or violence. Also according to science daily some people can react with seizures to excessive video games. Some people have died after marathon video game binges. Now that we have looked at the positive and negative effects of video games, we can look at what experts recommend for children; in terms of how long they play video games and what games they play. It is suggested that parents monitor the video games kids play just like they monitor websites and television show. As well as abide to the two hours of screen time rule from the American Academy of Pediatrics. Screen time in this case means any time spent in front of a computer, television, or cell phone doing anything besides calling or texting. Also the Palo Alto Medical Foundation recommends withholding from installing video game equipment in children’s bedrooms. Finally experts say to follow the warning labels on games. These warning labels go from EC meaning early childhood to T for teen M for mature and AO for adults only. Although these warnings are out there, no one is enforcing them. Any child or teenager can go into a place like Game Stop and buy any video game regardless of the warning. Many people are fighting to put restrictions on games, such as if a game has a mature label or adult only having to provide identification to purchase it. If we have restrictions on other dangerous substances then why not these? There is no denying that video games can have positive effects. In certain situations they can even be used as learning tools. But parents need to monitor the video games children are playing like they would monitor the television shows they are watching. But one question we need to ask ourselves as a society is, do the pros outweigh the cons or is it the other way around? The negative effects of video games are extreme, but now you now the positive the negative and what to do to make sure you or your child is safe from the dangers of video games.