Video games have taken a key place in the recreational lifestyles of both youngsters and adults.
The video game industry has been around for a long periods of time, but its prevalence has lately increased due to the introduction of smartphones and new types of gaming consoles.
Video games are a brand commodity in our current, digitally driven world. While children have been obsessed with them for decades, the emergence of smartphones and mobile gaming devices has propelled them to new heights.
They are frequently based on imagination and mirror history and current events. But whether this is a good or negative thing is debatable.
Although they are undeniably amusing, there is substantial discussion over their respective beneficial or harmful effects on people and society.
The advantages and disadvantages of video games are listed below to help you decide.
Table of Contents
Pros of video games
Numerous studies have explored the benefits and drawbacks of video gaming. The advantages of video games include:
1. Elimination Of Anxiety And Depression
Video games have been shown to lessen symptoms of anxiety and sadness in young gamers and sustain their mental health in tip-top shape for years to come.
Because players of video games spend less time connecting with the unpleasant inevitabilities and more time playing their favorite games, their mental health benefits.
In the long term, they benefit from prompt alleviation of anxiety and despair.
As per Scientific American, the world-famous Tetris game may quickly decrease post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in troops and mental health patients.
Video games may also help young gamers conquer social anxiety problems and participate in healthy connections with other members of their community.
As a result, it can help individuals overcome social anxiety issues and become more effective members of our community.
2. Improved Vision
According to research, video game players may gain unexpected benefits such as improved vision.
They have been demonstrated to improve players’ ability to discern tiny variations in grayscale.
They may also assist players in improving their ability to discern movement direction immediately.
It was discovered that gamers detected targets on a crowded screen 80% of the time, but non-gamers only did so 30% of the time.
3. Slows Brain Aging
Video games are so excellent in promoting brain clarity and efficiency that only 10 hours of play may substantially impact productivity.
Playing video games influences the brain areas important for memory, spatial orientation, knowledge organization, and fine motor abilities.
Playing games becomes more important as individuals become older. Playing can aid arthritis, lessen the risk of depression, and even be a therapeutic alternative for aphasia.
It also assists people in building social relationships when their age traditionally limits those encounters.
4. Improves Decision-making Speed
Making a choice or decision requires competence. Video games encourage people to develop that problem-solving skills. This allows some people to increase their decision-making efficiency.
Gamers playing fast-paced games may react to queries or circumstances up to 25% faster than non-players.
5. Improved Concentration
One of the key benefits of computer games is that they boost a person’s concentration and attentiveness to a greater extent.
Video games provide a variety of stages, each with its own set of competitive obstacles.
To complete these levels, gamers must have exceptional hand-eye coordination, which is also useful in everyday life.
6. Improved Life Skills
Competitive video games are more than just hitting controls. Some popular video games demand advanced analytical abilities to solve challenges.
Risk-taking and strategic thinking is required in video games. It instills patience, endurance, and sound judgment.
It also assists people in making new acquaintances and making social ties. This helps them enhance their logical thinking abilities, which they will need in real life in the future.
Furthermore, gamers improve their critical thinking skills and learn to focus on projects until educational games are completed.
7. Team Coordination
Numerous online and multiplayer games need teamwork to achieve a goal. Interacting with the internet, game controller, and microphone allows for excellent conversation with peers all around the globe.
This not only makes a person a superior team player, but it may also lead to new friendships beyond boundaries.
As a result, online games will teach youngsters the value of teamwork and collaboration.
Cons of video games
While video games have been lauded for their benefits, research shows they possess negative effects.
1. Addiction
Because video games are meant to be obsessive, some self-control is required. People with weak impulsive behavior or who struggle to fit in are more prone to gaming addiction.
It might be because people play hours of video games to fill the void left by real-world difficulties.
It is best to avoid this type of gaming disorder since it might wind up costing you a lot of money.
2. Increase In Aggressiveness
From an early age, violent games have encouraged hostile behavior in young players.
According to The Telegraph’s study, there is a definite correlation between video games and cognitive aggression behavior among young teens.
These video game violence-induced aggressive cognitions behavior in young brains can have long-term mental health issues.
3. Tiredness And Insomnia
Video game addiction has a reputation for making people sluggish and sleepy. When you enjoy them too often, you become a homebody, which causes you to be fatigued all the time.
Video games can also cause sleeplessness. You grow exhausted, yet you are unable to sleep properly.
According to research, a player who plays video games obnoxiously hears and feels the sounds and thrills even after they have ceased playing.
4. Compromise Personal Health
Gamers must be mindful of the number of hours spent playing video games. Physical activity, exercise, and personal cleanliness are all essential parts of overall health.
Gamers’ sleep patterns may also be affected when they use screens continuously.
Playing video games for lengthy periods, you may choose unhealthy meals to add to your worries.
According to studies, the longer you stay playing video games, the more likely you will be overweight. Muscle pain can also result from not moving and playing continuously.
Furthermore, if you get addicted, you might lose interest in basic physical activities such as walking or moving around.
5. Compromised Social Relationships
Giving too much emphasis to video games may cause you to become disconnected from your surroundings.
Instead of interacting with people in the actual world, some people choose to connect with them in the virtual world through the medium of gaming.
When one invests a significant amount of time in front of a console or internet, they cannot maintain their social skills with friends or family.
Even if computer games can help you meet new people, they cannot substitute real-life interactions.
6. Academical Impacts
Students who spend their leisure time playing video games may find it challenging to stay up with school/college.
Most gamers have been procrastinating on their studies or ignoring a deadline to play their favorite video game.
While computer games have been shown to boost focus and decision-making abilities, they can also be detrimental to academic performance.
Students’ increased interest in computer games may significantly affect their schooling.
Most of them cannot stop playing computer games since they have been attached to them.
7. Increase In Violence
Considering the game’s violent character, several American Psychological Association (APA) experts asserted a chronic correlation between violent video games and violence.
They claim that these video games emotionally influence youngsters long after the game is done, leading them to commit crimes at a young age.
Bad games promote and reward players who engage in violent behavior in the game.
In the game, the player encounters acts of violence such as shootings, punching, stabbing, and firing.
These forms of video games can render children oblivious to these crimes. It may inspire the youngster to engage in violent conduct and criminal violence in actual situations.
Many crimes are frequently recorded in which the perpetrator was a gamer. The negative of gaming is that it greatly influences the person’s mentality after viewing so many violent scenes.
Pros and Cons of Video Games (Summary Table)
| Pros |
|---|
| Elimination of anxiety and depression |
| Improved vision |
| Slow Brain Aging |
| Improve decision-making speed |
| Improved concentration |
| Improved life skill |
| Team coordination |
| Cons |
|---|
| Addiction |
| Tiredness and Insomnia |
| Increase in aggression |
| Compromise personal health |
| Compromised social relationships |
| Academic impacts |
| Increase in violence |
Children born and raised in the 1970s and 1980s were the first to have the opportunity to enjoy video games.
That affection never faded for them, but subsequent generations have also learned to appreciate video games.
With the addition of social and mobile gaming, we can now play video games practically anywhere and on almost any device.
Video games may give a wealth of advantages, but only when used responsibly. Because many games need prolonged sitting, a severe health risk must be recognized.
Video games, believe it or not, affect you. This has to do with focusing on the positives and avoiding the downsides.
Therefore, make sure you maintain a healthy balance when playing video games.
(Last Updated on August 26, 2022)
