Prosocial Effects Of Video Games Essay
RRSE 6: Prosocial effects of Video Games
When people think of video games’ effects on society, many envision apathetic young adults wasting time in their parent's basement, mashing buttons in front of a glowing television screen instead of looking for a job; some envision rabid children, screaming into microphones and throwing tantrums in stores to get their parents to buy the latest popular video game; still others envision the violent, disturbing images, and antisocial content in many video games worming their way into impressionable young minds, cultivating the future killers and sociopaths of tomorrow. Much research has been done on the negative effects of video games on individuals and society, but not as much research has been completed on the positive effects they have. In class, the prosocial aspects of video …show more content…
Video games have immediate positive effects when prosocial games are played, and even games that are not specifically prosocial can have positive effects as well. A much wider range of video games exist then just the antisocial games that are often exhibited in media, and these games have been used to explore and encourage large group discussions about morality, as well as being used for educational purposes such as exploring historical and social patterns and processes. Video games are uniquely suited to explore complex moral process, and use not only the story, but interaction with the game itself to teach players positive moral behavior and deliberation processes through play itself. Video games are more complex than the majority of the media makes them, and the entire genre of entertainment should not be defined by a small portion of its content. Until the majority of people realize the positive effects video gaming can have, they’ll continue to be seen as destructive, and a lot of potential good will be lost on people who probably need
When people think of video games’ effects on society, many envision apathetic young adults wasting time in their parent's basement, mashing buttons in front of a glowing television screen instead of looking for a job; some envision rabid children, screaming into microphones and throwing tantrums in stores to get their parents to buy the latest popular video game; still others envision the violent, disturbing images, and antisocial content in many video games worming their way into impressionable young minds, cultivating the future killers and sociopaths of tomorrow. Much research has been done on the negative effects of video games on individuals and society, but not as much research has been completed on the positive effects they have. In class, the prosocial aspects of video …show more content…
Video games have immediate positive effects when prosocial games are played, and even games that are not specifically prosocial can have positive effects as well. A much wider range of video games exist then just the antisocial games that are often exhibited in media, and these games have been used to explore and encourage large group discussions about morality, as well as being used for educational purposes such as exploring historical and social patterns and processes. Video games are uniquely suited to explore complex moral process, and use not only the story, but interaction with the game itself to teach players positive moral behavior and deliberation processes through play itself. Video games are more complex than the majority of the media makes them, and the entire genre of entertainment should not be defined by a small portion of its content. Until the majority of people realize the positive effects video gaming can have, they’ll continue to be seen as destructive, and a lot of potential good will be lost on people who probably need