Research Paper on Effect of Video Games on the Brain

Introduction

The video game culture has become extremely popular in the twenty-first century. The internet is now a medium for playing games on personal computers, consoles such as play stations and highly computerized game stations. There is a divide on the effects of video games, especially violent/action video games. Some people think that action games encourage too much violence, resulting in negative behaviors by the players and other detrimental effects (Dworak, Schierl, Bruns, and Struder 980). On the other side of the argument, there are those who argue that video games have a lot of benefits. Mostly, everybody has an opinion on video games and how they affect the people who play them. However, it must be noted that all these opinions are biased from the majority of the population. Scientific research has been done on the effects of video games, analyzing the response to brain areas via brain imaging.

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On a TED talk video delivered by brain scientist Daphne Bavelier, she sought to debunk various myths concerning playing video games (TED Talks, 2012). The professor at the University of Geneva mentioned that video games helped in attention and recognizing patterns. She also conceded that there are adverse effects of video games and that she was working on a project to make video games more stimulating with good results. The authors Stanmore, Stubbs,Vancampfort , Eling, de Bruin and Firth (41) compiled a meta-analysis report of the impact of exergaming, (physically active games where users wear motion sensors and VR glasses to be as realistic as possible) found out that exergaming was on average very good for physical, mental and psychological well-being.

On the personal level though it depended on how they handled the games, pre-existing conditions such as high blood pressure and certain fears and preference for particular games. Nonetheless, the detractors of video games have very valid points. In this paper, I will discuss both the negative and positive effect of video games using studies already done in the field and my personal experiences. Generally speaking, we should gear towards encouraging the positives and knowing the danger of the negatives to avoid them.

History of Video Games and Development of Violence In Video Games

In the 1970s, arcade gaming became popular. Pong was the first video game arcade; children filled arcade stores after school and on weekends. Favorite games in the 1980s were the Donkey Kong arcade games. Mortal Kombat, a two player martial arts fighting game was introduced for the arcade in the year 1993. Mortal Kombat sparked controversy with parents who were concerned about video game violence becoming a real thing with their children (Pruett 3). In 1994, the strategy game "Warcraft: Orc and Humans" came out for PC. It was a real-time strategy game, which means that like chess, the player decides how to play things out. The first game in the Warcraft franchise became highly popular, making many children to pressure their parents to buy them PCs. In 1995, SONY entered the gaming industry with PlayStation, and it becomes a huge success.

In the 2000s, Microsoft produced the X-Box consoles. With parties such as Nintendo, SONY and Microsoft First Person Shooter Games such as Halo, Call of Duty, Bioshock and Mass Effect gained cult status. In 2004, with the internet as platform, World of WarCraft was launched where players pitted themselves against one another and collaborated using avatars on the internet. These days, games such as these are called Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) games. The game Fortnite is an online game which was released in 2017. Almost everybody plays it among my peers, in fact, friends can create competitions. The Elder Scrolls online is another MMO game that people enjoy. In the present, video games are famous for the realistic components of them; the graphics, the physical contact, the freedom that players enjoy. Video games are very addictive in that they are immersive, just like 3D movies, or even more immersive. Gamers prefer violence in gaming because of the adrenalin rush. The endorphins feel good coursing the body as the heart beats faster, escaping "death" narrowly and killing the enemy. It is unreal, but it feels real, and it why people are concerned that video games might make people especially children transfer that violence from gaming experiences to real life.

The Negative Effects of Video Games

Addiction is the primary problem associated with video games (Frolich, Lehmkuhl and Doepfner 401). With violent video games, the issue is not just the game but most importantly the possibility that people can become addicted to the violence in the games. I understand first-hand the adverse effects of video games. One thing about video games is that it is an excellent way of passing the time. An hour feels like just five minutes when playing a very attention gripping video game. The problem is that one hour turns to two and so on. Very soon an addiction sets in to the brain and body system. All this time, while playing video games I am supposed to do various activities such as meet with friends and family, go to school, do my assignments, but video games reset the whole routine. Hence, if I spend an entire weekend playing video games, I might have to hurry up with a task due on Monday on Sunday night. Video games are highly addictive I think because they are realistic and you create your fantasy world where you can be a lethal sniper, a thief, a boxing champion and other game realities.

Personally, it feels good to escape from the real world, playing Call of Duty or another game. The problem is that it takes up a lot of time. Violent video games trick the brain into interpreting a virtual reality as a real danger hence the "fight or flight" response kicks in. Adrenalin pumps through the heart to the brain, stress hormone cortisol makes people concentrate painful on the gaming activity. When a target is achieved, endorphins and oxytocin flood the brain making one feel good with themselves. The video game might be unreal, but the biological effects it creates are authentic. Professor Bavelier showed a report in her TED talk (2012) that showed that Call of Duty game time racks up to 68,000 years. The statistics were for June 2012. Hence I can only imagine the years that Call of Duty has been played up till now. As a person who games from time to time, I admit that I am naturally inclined to support video games and ignore the negative impacts.

On a study published online by Medical World News, it was established that some type of video games might have detrimental effects on the hippocampus region of the brain (Medical News Bulletin, October 2017). According to (Anguera, Joaquin A., et al. 649), gamers navigate by either of two techniques; spatial learning, or response learning. Spatial learning involves moving through space using landmarks and geometric orientation to notable features of the landscape; buildings, landforms and so on. Response learning consists of using vector and compass system to navigate (left, right, north, etc.). After playing 90 hours of video games of type First Person Shooter and 3D Navigation, researchers found that shooter games make players use less of the hippocampus and more of the caudate nucleus region of the brain.

The caudate nucleus region of the brain is the autopilot; it works by using a reward system for us to look for food, sex, and activities that generally make us happy. The caudate nucleus works by instinct and short-lived impulses. The hippocampus region is relevant for long-term memory. First person shooter games reduce the grey matter in the hippocampus which might put people at risk of depression, Alzheimer's, schizophrenia and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). According to the researchers' use of the caudate nucleus region of the brain makes people rely less on the hippocampus which might cause a lot of problems associated with memory.

The Positive Effects of Video Games

Video games have a lot of positive effect on the brain. First, it improves hand-eye coordination. Many people learn how to drive for the first time through a game like Need For Speed. Hand-eye coordination is essential in activities that require a certain level of multitasking. The hand-eye coordination is especially crucial for tasks involving sight and movement. Secondly, video games help improve vision. Gamers can separate a lot more from a detailed landscape such as a foggy road compared to people who do not play games. Players particularly can distinguish different hues of grey. They can track moving objects better. A useful application for this advantage is driving yet again. These motor skills associated with video games can be applied to real life.

Action video games help improve the attentive ability of the brain. Attention deficit disorder and dyslexia are among the learning problems that people and especially children have today. According to a report compiled by (Franceschini, Sandro, et al. 463), action video games help dyslexic children read. Video games help improve pattern recognition system of the brain. The more accustomed the visual cortex is to something, the easier it becomes for the brain to identify correctly. Dyslexia children have a problem with reading and writing because to them the different letters of the alphabet are jumbled up. Action video games make the players become more attentive and make decisions faster (Green and Bavelier R203). Attention and speed are essential not just for video games but also for learning. Dyslexia children were found to read quicker and cover more content after playing twelve hours of video games. Hence, treatment of learning, developmental and neurological disorders such as dyslexia and autism can rely on video games to help people.

A study found out that playing video games increases brain neurons. The more a person plays a game with passion, the more new neurons develop. Also, it is better for people to try out new games from different genres to stimulate the cerebrum region of the brain which is responsible for cognitive function. Video games, including action video games, led to neurogenesis (formation of new neurons) and neuroplasticity (the ability of the brain to deal with varied circumstances) in the cerebellum, the right hippocampus, and the right prefrontal cortex. These regions of the brain were found to be more connected in gamers - high connectivity between these brain-regions signals high levels of intelligence and consciousness.

Video games can be applied in psychiatry to treat illnesses and conditions such as depression and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and individual cases such as brain tumor post-treatment (Sabel 103). Brain regions such as the hippocampus, cerebellum, and pre-frontal cortex can be accustomed or conditioned to function in a certain way. I think soldiers can benefit from video game treatment a lot. I watched a TED talk some time back, and the speaker was a reporter who had once been in Afghanistan. He talked about how soldiers (and also him) tend to miss the war after coming back home. It was strange to me because war is dangerous. The reason the reporter gave was that soldiers lost being useful. When the soldiers were fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan, they had a kinship of sorts and a higher purpose beyond individual pursuits. In short, they felt useful. At war, they continuously put their lives on the line, but the silver lining in that was the fact they knew that the next soldier would gladly do the same.

Hence, after coming from war soldiers tend to be depressed or suicidal. I am not saying that video games will help soldiers completely heal from depression and PTSD, but I am suggesting that if used with other treatment techniques action video games might help cope with moving from the war. If...