Effects of Video Games on Children
Effects of Videogames on Children
Date: January 19 2014
Videogames have been around for over 30 years, and are exponentially improving every year. They have become the main source of entertainment for the majority of children around the world. Between the ages of 5 and 12, girls spend approximately 5.5 hours/week and boys spend approximately 13 hours/week playing videogames (Gentile). Videogames are a large part of children’s lives and this essay will discuss two positive effects of video games as well as two negative effects.
First, videogames help develop skills that are useful in the future, such as multitasking, decision-making, memory, and concentration. Lots of adults nowadays have problems multitasking, fortunately though, some researchers believe that strategy/action games can help children develop such a skill. During a game, if a sudden enemy or disaster occurs the player has to deal with the problem to further advance in the game, this allows them to learn to be adaptable and quick to maneuver their way around the task. This also quickens thinking, and by having children go through such situations in a game, improves some of their qualities that may prove vital in the future. (Bavelier, 2010) “Action games players make more correct decisions per unit time. If you are a surgeon or you are in the middle of a battlefield, that can make all the difference.”
Concentration is another ability that videogames can improve. In fact, playing Dance Dance Revolution has improved the concentration and reading of children with ADD. A person’s memory is something that is also very important, and should be improved with every chance we get, and lots of videogames help improve the memory, which adds to the numerous benefits of videogames. Also when playing first person shooters, the brain switches between information depending on what is relevant at what time; again another benefit that may help a person
Date: January 19 2014
Videogames have been around for over 30 years, and are exponentially improving every year. They have become the main source of entertainment for the majority of children around the world. Between the ages of 5 and 12, girls spend approximately 5.5 hours/week and boys spend approximately 13 hours/week playing videogames (Gentile). Videogames are a large part of children’s lives and this essay will discuss two positive effects of video games as well as two negative effects.
First, videogames help develop skills that are useful in the future, such as multitasking, decision-making, memory, and concentration. Lots of adults nowadays have problems multitasking, fortunately though, some researchers believe that strategy/action games can help children develop such a skill. During a game, if a sudden enemy or disaster occurs the player has to deal with the problem to further advance in the game, this allows them to learn to be adaptable and quick to maneuver their way around the task. This also quickens thinking, and by having children go through such situations in a game, improves some of their qualities that may prove vital in the future. (Bavelier, 2010) “Action games players make more correct decisions per unit time. If you are a surgeon or you are in the middle of a battlefield, that can make all the difference.”
Concentration is another ability that videogames can improve. In fact, playing Dance Dance Revolution has improved the concentration and reading of children with ADD. A person’s memory is something that is also very important, and should be improved with every chance we get, and lots of videogames help improve the memory, which adds to the numerous benefits of videogames. Also when playing first person shooters, the brain switches between information depending on what is relevant at what time; again another benefit that may help a person