George Yacoub

Professor Jennifer Rodrick

English 115

4 October 2017

Gaming and Mental Health

Every parent wishes that their kids would drop their video game and pick up a book.

However kids should be playing games more often. Please put the torches and the

forks down, Im not saying kids should stop reading books and studying, but a moderate

amount of gaming every now and then is good for them. These games are not all bad

after all, they have very good beneficial effects on brains that would help kids inside and

outside school. Games are not only good for kids but it also has positive effects on

adults too.

The stereotype is that games slow down kids brain and makes them slow and

sluggish, however thats not the case, games do the opposite of that. The research in

the article, by Daphne Bavelier and C. Shawn Green, proves that playing video games

has positive benefits on human brains, Individuals who regularly play action games

demonstrate improved ability to focus on visual details, useful for reading fine print in a

legal document or on a prescription bottle. They also display heightened sensitivity to

visual contrast, important when driving in thick fog. Action gamers also mentally rotate
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objects more accuratelyand so are able to judge how an oddly shaped couch might

best fit in an over packed moving van. The multitasking required to switch back and

forth between reading a menu and holding a conversation with a dinner partner also

comes more easily. This quote shows how video games affect the brain and how its

beneficial and disprove the stereotype that was well known about the effect of games on

human brains.

Games are not only good for kids but theyre good for adults s also. Previously it

was thought that the adults brain stops growing and stopped developing brain cells. But

in a research where they had adults playing games it shows that the adults brain

expanded. That was the result of the research of Jeffrey Goldstein our results

suggested that playing video games 25 hours is related to improved reaction time,

relative to non-playing control group, a more positive sense of well-being video

games were associated with faster reaction time among noninstitutionalized elderly

player. this quote how games affect elderly, this research doesnt only show the

benefits of game but it also disproves the stereotype of the adult brain.

Games also could help people in the psychological aspect. Some believe that

playing video games causes loneliness and depression, but thats not true. In the

research article by Linda K. Kaye disproves that myth, her research shows that online

gaming have benefits on players social skills and mental ability , Indeed, the activity of

online chat itself has been found to be related to increases in self-esteem and perceived
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social support, and reductions in loneliness and depression. this quote shows that by

chatting with other players online helps in the player to have better

Self-esteem and reduce depression which proves playing video games have benefits to

ones psychological wellbeing.

Games can also be used for educational purposes. Theres websites that offer

games for a specific subject, like math and English, that helps kids that are not

interested in the subject to engage. Some games help kids also use their creativity to

create objects. Games like Minecraft, give the player so much freedom that they could

create whatever they please, which helps kids get more creative.

Like everything in this world, too much of gaming has some bad side effects. If

one plays video games most of the day and does not leave the chair or the couch, they

will suffer from health problems. Inactivity and obesity is a very big issue in todays

world, and some of the causes of those issues are excessive playing of video games.

Games are not bad for anyone, however it should be moderate and it cant be a

substitute to studying or going out. Time management is necessary for someone to

benefit from playing video games.

Sources :

Goldstein, Jeffrey, et al. "Video Games and the Elderly." Social Behavior &

Personality: An International Journal, vol. 25, no. 4, Nov. 1997, p. 345.

EBSCOhost,libproxy.csun.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=

true&db=aph&AN=8761027&site=ehost-live.

Kaye, Linda K., et al. "The Role of Social Identity and Online Social Capital on

Psychosocial Outcomes in MMO Players." Computers in Human Behavior, vol.

74, Sept. 2017, pp. 215-223. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1016/j.chb.2017.04.030.

Bavelier, Daphne and C. Shawn Green. "The Brain-Boosting Power of Video Games."

Scientific American, vol. 315, no. 1, July 2016, pp. 26-31. EBSCOhost,

libproxy.csun.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ap

h&AN=115968622&site=ehost-live.