The Negative Effects of Video Games PDF

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The Negative Effects of Video Games: Its Social, Psychological and Physiological Effects Reginald Matt Santiago Roshiel Lhyca Bontia Sarah Reyes March 2014 The Negative Effects of Video Games 1    Video games have changed the world, and were transmitted in many mediums, through the computers, mobile...

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The Negative Effects of Video Games: Its Social, Psychological and Physiological Effects

Reginald Matt Santiago Roshiel Lhyca Bontia Sarah Reyes March 2014

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Video games have changed the world, and were transmitted in many mediums, through the computers, mobile phones, and consoles. It reached as much as 1.2 billion people in the world, and this number is growing every day (Takahashi, 2013). For many decades video games have been an integral part of human lifestyle and no one can deny their ever persistent influence in the society. David Gottlieb’s 1931 creation of the Baffle Ball eventually led to the pinball that we have today, and as time goes by, electric pinball were demanded and more skill based arcade games were sought out by players that eventually led to the birth of video games, pioneered by the creation of the game Computer Space on 1971, which is the first arcade computer game that existed (Baran, 2010). Throughout the years video games arrived in many faces, some games are simple and educational, some are somehow aggressive and fast-paced, and some are played alone, some with other players. It can’t be denied that video games have contributed a lot to the culture and society that we have today whether directly or indirectly creating an impact to people's lives. Video games are different from other media, the distinctive feature of video games is that these are interactive; these games require the player to respond and make decision while cruising to the game’s storyline leading to a goal. The basic categorization of video games are as single or multiplayer games, however a lot of other video game taxonomy may be applied such as role-playing games, multiplayer online battle arenas (MOBAs), and many more (Granic, Lobel & Engels, 2014). Home as objectively defined is where an individual permanently resides, as a member of a household and a family, it can also be referred to the domicile where a family is living (Merriam-Webster, n.d.) What concerns the public now is that video game use at home may have posed positive and somehow beneficial effects to the consumers, speculations have begun that really pointed out that there are impending dangers on playing video games at home, and as researchers and scientists turn to a more objective way of proving things, their results are helping the public understand the real and quantifiable effects of video games. Theories, qualitative and quantitative researches, and experiments have been employed to dig deep into the core of these speculations. In today’s view of video games, many have tried to support the idea that video games are beneficial, nourishing and even up to the idea of nurturing. However, some people already accept the proposed “good” effects of video games, while not checking that there are more disadvantages than advantages that video games can give. Video games are played at longer periods at home and with comfort. Video game use at home should be discouraged for its negative effects weigh more than its positive effects, because it can cause social issues, psychological problems and physiological complications.

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Video games have reached different aspects of life. Gaming is now treated as a contemporary pastime. Even so, video games influenced the social life of people today, even reaching to individual’s domicile, however it is not beneficial as some may suggest. Video games have been a factor of educational distraction, less prosocial activity and unnecessary financial expenses. Video game use at home will become an educational distraction, as it affects the time used at home for personal development; a study conducted by Grohol (2010) presented that video games take away time allotted for academic development. R​ esults of the study showed that the participants who had video-game systems at home during the experiment spent more time playing than doing homework. The participants who had video-game systems in their houses during the experiment scored lower on linguistic evaluations. These results suggests that at home, video games reduce time allotted for study and homework and may impair their educational progress. However, video gaming at home does not necessarily impair an individual’s educational development. Drawing upon the Grit Theory of Duckworth, Peterson, Matthews and Kelly (2007), the person will be able to pursue a goal if the person has grit, or ​ the quality to maintain resilience and struggles in meeting goals. It can be said that gaming cannot affect a gamer’s desire to achieve academic progress if one has this quality, an example of this is time management. Amini (2014) added that, one can still be able to succeed on other aspects of life through balancing one’s consumption. Video games can be time consuming but if one’s schedule is planned out right then it would not be a problem. However, the concept of the grit and time management can still be greatly influenced by priorities. Dename (2014), pointed out that video games can take priority over families, friends, jobs, school and often becomes life-consuming. In this regard, video games then becomes a need, and the individual feels it is part of his or her survival, right next to eating or sleeping. Added to this, study of Anand (2007) noted that there is a negative correlation between video game use and academic performance markers. In the study, participants were made to engage on video games and were made to take school aptitude tests (SAT) and linking it with the grade point average (GPA), the results of the study showed that when there is an increase in the video game usage, there is decrease in the GPA and SAT scores of the participants. This clearly points out that usage of video game use at home is an educational distraction, for its usage take allotted time for homework and home-based educational activities, and even though time management can be employed, video games, as studies have shown, will always take place at the top of a player’s priority list. It has been pointed out that video game use at home is an educational distraction; and, it is highly linked with social isolation. This social isolation by playing video games have lessened the

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capacity of the individual to engage more upon prosocial activities such as sports and family activities. This isolation may affect one’s social behavior, and may experience difficulty in establishing or maintaining relationships, especially within the immediate family (Sabella, 2010). In contrast, Nauert (2013) argued that more than seventy percent of gamers play with a friend or a family member and millions of people play in large virtual communities, example of which are “Farmville” and “World of Warcraft”. These virtual communities have made the player able to make decisions for the group, promoting social development on the idea of functioning as a team leader, member and planning cooperative strategic plans to reach certain goals. Also Granic, Lobel and Engels (2014) added that these multiplayer type of video games help boost one’s capacity to become more prosocial in both short-term and long-term effects. Video games that foster the buddy system also promote the idea of “helping”, a quality that is observed within the household. Teamwork is also greatly becoming a dominant concept in the world of multiplayer gaming, and working together and settling difficulties through leadership, critical strategic planning, consensus and compromises is an evident manifestation that video games can promote social development. However, virtual communities are not satisfying the social needs that are given by a real community. ​ According to Knight (2007), virtual relationships cannot offer the full social role that is done by a real family. It has been found out that individuals have established numerous relationships on the online scene; some are branded as teammates, partners, clan members, guild members. However, studies have shown that one can have a lot of virtual acquaintances yet so few close and real relations. The concept of trust and common interest as a foundational factor in creating relationships especially in the family becomes less of a variable when it comes to virtual relationships. In this understanding, these virtual feeling of belongingness is not sufficient enough for a person to achieve full and certain social development, for it lies on real relationship in which real family conflicts, problems and interests would really improve one’s social behavior. It is to be known that video games can lead to social isolation, and it may be presented that video games can foster virtual relationships, it is inadequate compared to real social relationships. In addition to video game use at home as an educational distraction and a factor for social isolation, it has been found out that it is an unnecessary financial expenditure. It must be considered that money is spent for the use of these video games, and up to the extent affecting home budget. Tekofsky (2010), in her Gaming Motivation Theory, suggests that achievement, recognition and satisfaction are the rewards players get from gaming, and that those rewards are easier to accomplish if they purchase gaming cards such as e-coin and others. It noted that gamers feel that it is “fun” to

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fulfill these needs. Lowensohn (2010), cited in the game “FarmVille”, a case of a female player that have reached level 111 in the game, where the player have not only spent time in the game but also real money as well. There are cases that these spending are getting out of hand to a point that other social important priorities like basic family problems including bills, food budget and savings are compromised. Monetary value may be needed to be spent for video games, but not to the extent affecting other sections of life. Moriarty (2013), in his analysis of video games inflation, presented that even though inflation can affect monetary value, the decreased purchasing power can be counteracted in a way that to video game handhelds, consoles and electronics become more affordable in the period of time, and the newer it is, the lesser it is affected by inflation and that the price of video games and devices have kept up its pace unlike other commodities. The prices may not have generally increased throughout time but the patronage of it is increasing. ​ Rauh (2014) noted that someone who plays video games will spend a disproportionate amount of money on computer-related items. And that video game expenditure becomes an even greater problem if the person spends money that should be used for bills, groceries, and other necessities. Conrad (2015), said that too much expenditure on computer upgrades, new gaming consoles, subscriptions to online services, and newly released games, can affect one’s social roles, people with increased usage of video games may fail in some social roles like jobs, and academics, because of prioritizing gaming over responsibilities, playing games while at home instead of preparing for work or school, frequently showing up late, and this may lead to greater problems. It is to be understood that video game use at home can lead to social issue. It is an educational distraction, because it takes time for home-based academic development; it is a factor for social isolation, because it hinders the individual from establishing real social relationships; and it is an unnecessary financial expenditure because money is spent for gaming on the compromise of other resources needed at home. The usage of video games at home can cause negative effects, not only does it lead to negative social effects but also can cause psychological problems. Studies show that it can affect brain development; it can elicit violent behavior and can lead to gaming addiction. Video gaming as studies have shown, promotes localized brain function and that this localized brain function affects brain function and development. The research of Ryuta Kawashima, through the Kraepelin test and computer imaging, presents that respondents who play video games at home have been found out to have high brain activity in only the areas on vision and movement, while those who engage on arithmetic and linguistics have high brain activity throughout both the left and right hemispheres of the brain (Holmes, 2001). On another study, it showed that the video game group, which played video

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games for two to seven hours daily, through the use of computer imaging devices showed that there was nearly zero beta activity all the time, even when they were not playing video games. This means there was little to no activity in their prefrontal lobes. These subjects reported being easily angered, having difficulty concentrating, and having trouble socializing and this poses a trouble in family relationships (“Video games: bad for your brain?”, 2009). The functions of the prefrontal lobe include the formulation of the response of the person to a complex task, and it acts as the executive of the decision making process (Broderick, 2015). In contrast with the idea of impairing the brain function and development, researches have also provided that video games can promote growth and brain development. Bergland (2013) showed that that video gaming can stimulate neurogenesis and connectivity in the brain regions responsible for spatial orientation, memory formation and strategic planning and motor skills. The video game group of the study showed an increase on gray matter, which is the house of nerve cells in the brain, in contrast with the control group. Neurogenesis and neuroplasticity improvements were observed. Another study considers video gaming as highly pervasive brain training that increases gray matter in brain areas. The presented video game training could therefore be used to counteract known risk factors for mental disease for example, post-traumatic stress disorder, schizophrenia and neurodegenerative disease (Kühn, Gleich, Lorenz, Lindenberger & Gallinat, 2014). However, emerging researches provides that video game does not result to a healthy brain. Dunckley (2014) provides that recent ​ multiple studies shown that exposure to video games can lead to gray matter atrophy, the gray matter in the brain which brain nerve cells are found decrease in volume. Areas affected included the important frontal lobe, which governs executive functions. Volume loss was also seen in the striatum, which is involved in reward pathways and the suppression of socially unacceptable impulses. Even though previous researches show that it may stimulate brain function, neurologist warns that it may be different for the long-term. Whitelock (2011) said that renowned neurologist Baroness Susan Greenfield said that video games can cause dementia; she pointed out that brain connections will be temporarily disabled by too much strong sensory content such as screen exposure and animations on a video game, thus ending up weakening the brain connections and in worst conditions, causing permanent dementia. Brain function and development can be negatively affected by video gaming, and some researches may pose some benefits, it is to be known that these are short-term and the negative effects are more pervasive. Psychologically, video games are known to be impairing brain function and development and in addition, it is also linked to violent behavior. Video games and violent behavior have a high connection to each other. Recent news show that some criminals; namely Anders Breivik who killed

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seventy-seven people in Norway and Adam Lanza who killed twenty-six people in Sandy Hooks Elementary School in Connecticut, is that they both have obsession on violent video games (Jaccarino, 2013). According to Strasburger, Wilson and Jordan (2013), one research of Anderson showed that exposure to violent video games was positively associated with aggressive behavior and also lower empathy, less prosocial behavior and desensitization. ​ Drawing upon the Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning of Richard Mayer (2008), the behavioral scripts of individuals can stem from behaviors such as observing and reenactment, and this is what concerns the public about video games. The study of Englehart, Bartholow, Kerr and Bushman (2011), which focuses on desensitization, showed that after participants have played video games, they were flashed violent and nonviolent pictures and through brain wave detecting, checked the P3 amplitudes which is the physiological indicator for the presence of motivation to act aggressively. The result was that there were higher P3 altitudes for those who played violent games. On the other side, contemporary researches have also pointed out that violent behavior and video games are not directly correlated and aggressive behavioral scripts do not translate directly to aggressive actions. Slife (2010) argued that there is not much sufficient evidence that proves that video games causes world violence, and that playing video games at home does not have any significant real world impact. Supported by Grohol (2013), video games have little correlation to aggression, emotions and thoughts, and it’s a weak and meaningless correlation that does not impact the real world. In the case of desensitization, according to Szalavitz (2013), video games do not necessarily make a person less caring. In a study authored by Morgan Tear, after playing video games, participants were made to answer questionnaires about their willingness to help others. Most of the answers were negative, but during the test scientists pretended to drop their pen when stepping out of the door and most of those who resulted negative actually picked up the pens and returned it to the scientists, recognizing that there is a weak connection on the link between video games and violence. However, the persistent existence and exposure to video may really affect the psychological aspects of the players, in both short-term and long-term situations. Eighty-nine percent of video games contain some form of violent content toward game characters like injury or death. There are a lot of factors to consider why video games possess influence the behavior of people. Playing violent video games enhances physiological arousal involving blood pressure responses, aggressive emotions increases, gives the preference to do active participation to enhance learning, and gives a higher chance for a player to imitate the aggressor in the game (Slife, 2010). A significant study also pointed out that exposure to violent video games can have various impacts both short-term and long-term. Under the short term impacts includes imitation, arousal, and excitation. The long term impacts includes suppression of empathy,

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low moral evaluation; violent behavioral scripts tend to become the guide for behavioral responses and being able to fully desensitize (Strasburger, Wilson & Jordan, 2013). Violent behavior has been linked to video games and recent news provide the link between the two, other studies may point to only short term effects and thus meaningless correlation, there are a lot of long term effects to the player. Video games can psychologically affect the individual it may affect brain function and development, and a factor for violent behavior, it is also known the video game can be addicting, especially when it is accessibility at home is more immediate. Addiction to video games exists, and according to Flanagan (2014), studies have provided that video gaming can be addicting due to its similarity to all other addicting factors, by satisfying our brain’s reward system. In this manner, video games become addicting in a way that it exploits the human being’s primitive need for satisfaction evident through the brain’s reward system, like killing monster...