Video games only make you violent!?

 

Will my gaming decisions define my real-life ones?

 

We live in an increasingly screen-based world as we hardly find a place in the world where people can avoid the influence of smart gadgets. Screen viewing among the younger generations is at an all-time high; even from early ages, we tend to see toddlers playing with smartphones and tablets, something which usually goes on to become even more intense, peaking at during the teenage years. 

 

However, playing video games is a popular free time activity – both children and adults enjoy playing video games to escape from reality for a shorter or longer period, simultaneously experiencing both the positive and negative effects of spending some of one’s free time in front of the screen…

Video games only make you violent

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“Parents tend to approach video games like junk food: games are fine in moderation but ultimately they are an evil temptation that’s more bad than good. “

(Forbes, 2014)

 

While most of our society might not consider video games to be evil incarnate anymore, most parents still view them as a potential threat to their children (whether we are talking about an 8 year old or an 18 year old – as parenting never really ends, right?) – which needs to be limited and/or restricted. 

 

In recent years, thanks to the boom in the gaming industry, parents, researchers, and game developers as well as others have constantly been monitoring the possible effects of gaming on lifestyle and behaviour among potential customers – whose average age tends to fall each year. Although many reports are available, most of the conclusions are controversial; the effects of these gaming activities on childhood development and subsequent adulthood consequences still provide the basis for daily debates, among family members and experts alike (Liu et al., 2021). 

Video games only make you violent!

Myth or Fact?

Looking at the big picture, a game might seem influential to one person, but have no effect on another as the level of influence depends on a lot of variables like player’s personality, the situation they’re in (mental state), their perception of reality, the time played and their motivation behind playing video games. Consequently, playing video games is generally not harmful, but individuals already suffering from problems like aggression or depression are more likely to express similar reactions while playing. In the same way, spending long hours gaming is also reported to have had adverse effects, as teens spending more than half of their daily free time with games showed higher levels of both externalising and internalising problems and lower levels of prosocial behaviour and life satisfaction (Przybylski, 2014). However, to people that know the difference between pixels on a screen and actual living and breathing organisms, the benefits can be positive; better reflexes, more creativity, improved teamwork, critical thinking, goal setting, and hand-eye coordination, and many more skills for survival that enhance a person’s life. Additionally, violent games may help reduce depression and hostile feelings in players through mood management (Ferguson & Rueda, 2010).

 

In the next section we are going around the topic by discussing some of the most popular comments and beliefs about the positive and negative consequences of video gaming:

 

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Author:

Griszbacher Norbert

Article Writer & Content Contributor

Norbert Griszbacher article writer at GiLE

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The opinions expressed in this article/publication are those of the authors. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions or views of GiLE or its members.

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