Why don’t you play something in the real world? It would be more useful!
That is true that due to the limitless online world the youth exposure to all its wonders but also nightmares nearly inevitable – crimes, violence, sexuality, profanity, racism, among others, all can have a negative influence on personal development. People new to these “interesting” dimensions may end up trying to emulate the same behaviours as portrayed in these games – learning right and wrong by their own experiments. “Virtual worlds are becoming one additional environment—like school, home, and the playground—where children can learn, play, and grow” (Beals & Bers, 2009:62); moreover, novelty games are capable of igniting youth interest in what might previously have been labelled “boring” subject matter, as bestseller strategic games Age of Empires, Civilization and Heroes of Might and Magic have shown with history, geography, international relations, science or mythology. Additionally, open-world games like the evergreen Minecraft are empowering the players with the ability to freely customise the gaming world (characters, tools, environment etc.), who may acquire creative and technical skills as freedom is given to think and design the gameplay according to our individual preferences all while having fun.
Tip: One needs to be careful and be able to distinguish between the two worlds – what is real and what is not – and what is wrong and what is right the same way it happens in the case of the TV shows or the media. In addition, a way of thinking (e.g. trial-and-error strategies Blumberg & Altschuler, 2011) functioning similarly in both the real class and virtual room context could be transferred from one to the other enriching both experiences.
The fun (the feel-good neurotransmitter dopamine (Koepp et al., 1998) that video games provide is in strong contrast to a typical dull day in school or at work. Consequently, these games can be easily addictive, causing people to forget their priorities and not to pay enough attention to school, work duties, and even their relationships. This can result in poor performance and affect not just their IQ but their emotional intelligence as well.
Tip: Moderate gaming usually doesn’t hurt anyone; however excessive playing might be dangerous for you and your environment.
As we can already see not all gaming is bad. Video games can help the young brain develop in many ways, such as better / quicker decision-making, the ability to prioritise between tasks, improved hand-eye coordination, and enhanced visual perception.
Thanks to the newest technology games function in a life-like real-time environment, with also most games (e.g. God of War, Halo, Need for Speed, Grand Theft Auto, or Call of Duty) are fast-paced and require the player to make the right decision quickly in a really short period of time. This requires, thus boosts advanced decision-making skills essential during critical work tasks such as driving or surgeons, where split-second decisions under pressure are often needed to be taken in lifechanging situations (Dye et al., 2009). That is the reason why car racers, doctors and even soldiers are advised to play video games to improve their overall performances under a high level of stress. When a particular skill is repeated multiple times, the brain starts developing a structure and creates new neural pathways and transmitters to optimise its functioning (better cognitive functioning). Similarly, by playing realistic games, better hand-eye coordination is achievable – the simulation helps to learn how the movement of their limbs affects the space and visual references around them.
Tip: Video games don’t have to be labelled “educational” to help the youth learn how to make better decisions, experience real-life situations, and face challenges where they can test their skills, personality attributes, and values.
Are you playing these games? ‘What about your health?!
Gaming is usually not associated with a healthy lifestyle. On the one hand, constantly sitting in one place and playing video games may increase the chances of obesity, weaken the muscles and joints, make hands and fingers numb due to over-exertion, and it can even weaken the eyesight. On the other hand, through the innovative technologies (e.g. Nintendo® WiiTM) activity-promoting video games like Just Dance can reach and encourage even those who are not fond of sports to do some physical activities (Lanningham-Foster et al., 2009). Moreover, it is reported that the “cool moves” in spectacular sports video games are so influential that younger generations tend to practise them afterwards on the basketball court or on the football pitch. Following this logic, playing realistic sports video games could lead to an increased time spent playing sports and exercising in real life (Olson, 2010).
Tip: Find a balance between video games and other activities that are beneficial for your mental and physical development.
You can’t have meaningful relationships online!
People often say that kids eventually end up playing alone in their rooms, losing all chances of real connections, being left out of social gatherings, which is a big problem for their evolving interpersonal skills (Richards et al., 2010). It is also said that chances of adjustment disorder, depression, anxiety, stress might turn out to be part of their later life. However, the truth is not so simple at all; as most games today are so-called multiplayer games, played online by several players it encourages players to play with others as a part of a bigger team where even the introverted ones are more likely open up, discovering and sharing the joy of competition. Video games turn to be a form of “safe place” where one can express these competitive urges, and they can give people who aren’t good at sports a chance to release stress. This provides an excellent platform to build the skills required to communicate and lead a team to victory by solving problems together using the available resources. Furthermore, the younger generations see talking about the topic of video games as a social activity; the games stand as a popular topic to discuss, to find new friends with similar interest, share own experiences, and make new ones together; providing a structured time with friends (Olson, 2010). It must also be mentioned that video games may bring parents and kids together as well, as some games have the capability to function as a bridge between generations.
Tip: Games have the potential to become virtual social communities, where decisions need to be made quickly about whom to trust or reject and how to lead a group. Again, it must be stressed: provided one maintains a balance between the online and real world, gaming alone won’t be the root of any problems.
To sum up, no matter what age we are, we all require a little time off, the chance to play and have fun (see also our previous article) – of course, within healthy limits – and the popularity of video games seems still to be growing. We could learn that e-gaming has similar functions as the traditional form of play; with all the threats and possibilities, they offer a platform for development and cognitive and social challenges, as well as acquiring the essentials of computer usage.
Video games can improve youth’s learning, health, and social skills, but it is still important to develop healthy gaming habits and make good choices about what, when, with who and how long to play. According to Adachi & Willoughby (2017), it is possible to bring the games and positive youth outcomes together at the end.
Sources:
– Adachi, P. J. C., & Willoughby, T. (2017). The Link Between Playing Video Games and Positive Youth Outcomes. Child Dev Perspect, 11, 202-206. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdep.12232
– Beals, L. & Bers, M. (2009). A Developmental Lens for Designing Virtual Worlds for Children and Youth. International Journal of Learning and Media, 1(1), 51-65. https://doi.org/10.1162/ijlm.2009.0001
– Blumberg, F. C., & Altschuler, E. (2011). From the Playroom to the Classroom: Children’s Views of Video Game Play and Academic Learning. Child Development Perspectives, 5, 99-103. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1750-8606.2011.00163.x
– Dye, M. W., Green, C. S., & Bavelier, D. (2009). Increasing Speed of Processing With Action Video Games. Current directions in psychological science, 18(6), 321–326. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8721.2009.01660.x
– Ferguson, C. J., & Rueda, S. M. (2010). The Hitman Study Violent Video Game Exposure Effects on Aggressive Behavior, Hostile Feelings, and Depression. European Psychologist, 15, 99-108. https://doi.org/10.1027/1016-9040%2FA000010
– Forbes. (2014). A Surprising New Study On How Video Games Impact Children. [online] Available at: <https://www.forbes.com/sites/jordanshapiro/2014/08/27/a-surprising-new-study-on-how-video-games-impact-children/?sh=6c3edba75564https://www.forbes.com/sites/jordanshapiro/2014/08/27/a-surprising-new-study-on-how-video-games-impact-children/?sh=6c3edba75564> [Accessed 16 December 2021].
– Koepp, M. J., Gunn, R. N., Lawrence, A. D., Cunningham, V. J., Dagher, A., Jones, T., Brooks, D. J., Bench, C. J., & Grasby P. M. (1998). Evidence for striatal dopamine release during a video game. Nature, 393, 266–268. https://doi.org/10.1038/30498
– Lanningham-Foster, L., Foster, R. C., McCrady, S. K., Jensen, T. B., Mitre, N., & Levine, J. A. (2009). Activity-promoting video games and increased energy expenditure. The Journal of pediatrics, 154(6), 819–823. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpeds.2009.01.009
– Liu, X., Huang, H., Qu, F., Dou, D. (2021.) The Foundations and Frontiers of Research on the Effect of Video Games on Child Development. In: Fang X. (eds.) HCI in Games: Experience Design and Game Mechanics. HCII 2021. Lecture Notes in Computer Science (pp 239-257), Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-77277-2_19
– Olson, C. (2010). Children’s Motivations for Video Game Play in the Context of Normal Development. Review of General Psychology, 14,(2), 180-187. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0018984
– Przybylski, A. K. (2014). Electronic gaming and psychosocial adjustment. Pediatrics, 134(3), 716-722. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2013-4021
– Richards, R., McGee, R., Williams, S. M., Welch, D., & Hancox, R. J. (2010). Adolescent screen time and attachment to parents and peers. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med, 164(3), 258-62. https://doi.org/10.1001/archpediatrics.2009.280
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