The video game is a game that uses the interaction with the player interface through the images produced by the video games device. It generally provides a reward system (such as a score) which is calculated based on the level of success achieved by a player in the game. A video game, like other forms of media, can be grouped into many genres based on many considerations, such as how to play, what are goals, and the art in it.
Because the genre depends on the content, many genres are evolving and expanding. One genre can be a combination of other genres, but it can also be a default of the game. The question is that whether playing video games is actually beneficial or not? We often hear the negative effects of playing video games, such as abandoning school assignment, school lessons, etc. Then, the question continues as to whether there are some benefits of playing it? In the midst of the debate over the adverse effects arising from the video game, there is also research that shows some benefits acquired by the players of a video game. As we know, there are 2 types of video games: online and offline video games. Online game is a type of video game or computer game using a computer network, usually the Internet access as a medium while the offline game is a type of video game or computer game that doesn't need to be connected to the internet. Both of online and offline game can be played single mode or multiplayer. Although many people say that playing video games can give us bad impacts, there are also many benefits from playing video games. According to some research, playing video games can improve our brain skills, help relieves stress from a lot of activities, and improve our social skills.
The first benefit of playing video games , according to a research, is improving our brain skills, which sometimes we don’t notice. Most people think that playing video games only just give bad impacts for our brain. We all know someone who seems to have a faster CPU than the rest of us, is able to retrieve information or react to something in a split second. For some, that ability might be strengthened through gaming, because new information is constantly displayed during the play, players are forced to adapt quickly. In one study, players who were immersed in fast-paced games were 25 percent faster in reacting to questions about an image they had just seen compared to non-players. For example, playing strategy games force the players to be always careful for every step they do, if we don’t , we might be lost in the game. It surely trains the brain to get used to thinking quickly and properly and make us think critically when dealing with a problem. Having better concentration is another skill someone gets in this brain skill. Some researchers from the University of Rochester in New York, United States do research on the positive effects of playing video games, In this research, the gamers aged between 18 and 23 years were divided into two groups. The first group consists of gamers who are trained with the game Medal of Honor (a well-known FPS games). They play this game for one hour every day for ten consecutive days. The study says that the players of this game have to focus more on what is going on around them, then compared to those who rarely play the game, let alone who don’t play it at al. Gamers are also able to control some of the things in the same time or called multitasking. Action video game is profitable, and this is a fact said Daphne Bavelier, a neuroscientist from Rochester. "Our study is also very surprising because learning by playing video games turned out quickly absorbed person. In other words, the games can help people who have problems in concentrating "said Bavelier. Meanwhile, research for the second group consists of players who are trained with Tetris. Unlike the gamers of Medal of Honor, the gamers of Tetris just focus on one thing at a time. According to C Shawn, Bavelier’s partner, the conclusion of these tests is that they are playing Medal of Honor experience an improvement in visual skills. Various tasks contained in action games (such as track enemies, dodge enemies attacks, etc.) can train different aspects of the visualization capabilities of the school curriculum according to Professor Angela MicFarlane, The Director of Teachers Evaluating Educational Multimedia. She added that, if certain games can be played in the classroom legally and become a part of the curriculum, perhaps students can feel the benefits of this research. For example, students who played the game Battle of Hasting (a game of war), where they serve as soldiers or generals in the game, also provides the benefits to players.
The second benefit of playing video games is to help relieves stress from a lot of activities. There are still a lot of research which is being performed to determine the specific link between stress relief and video games. However, so far there are a few theories that help explain why video games could be one of the best stress hacks in life. A lot of people believe that stress, depression and other mental disorders are the results of a patterned way of thinking. When you wake up feeling that way every day you must do your daily activities, but you feel too lazy. Your brain starts to be trained to expect stressed out, and your common stressors usually happen every day. So you are constantly living in a state of stress. Video games break the pattern and give your brain a mental break. It's basically all about re-focusing your brain on something else and getting into a different zone which is the world inside the game that you are playing. Scientifically, this fact is proven by research. Some researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA, have started a project they called “Education Arcade”. The project is in addition to involving researchers, game designers, and students, as well as those interested in developing and using computer games and video games in the classroom. "While playing the video game becomes one of the most popular entertainment in the world and has done research on the positive and negative attitude towards the gamers, the game is still often underestimated. "That's a statement from Mark Griffiths, the professor at Nottingham Trent University, UK. To balance between the pros and cons of the game during the last fifteen years they did some researches. The result? “Video gaming is safe for most gamers and health benefits," said Griffiths. According to Griffiths, the game can be used as a distraction powerful to those who are undergoing treatments that cause pain, such as chemotherapy. By playing video games, the pain and dizziness are reduced, decreased hypertension, if compared with those who only take rest after treatment. As a result, your brain erases every mind burdens and reduce your stress, thus you feel more relaxed after playing video games.
Finally, improving social skills is the last benefit of playing video games. Gamers are sometimes stigmatized as people who being insulated, but in fact, it is not true. The rise of multiplayer experience online has given way to a new form of socializing in which players work together to solve problems. But studies have shown that video games can also be the catalyst for friends to gather in person, in which roughly there are 70 % of all players playing video games with friends. In this case, we take an example, playing video games can improve the social skills of a shy person who is difficult to socialize in public. Shy people are more likely to make more friends in online games according to psychologists at the University of Munster. The research published in Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, found that shy gamers used online games differently from their more outgoing counterparts. The Psychologists noted that although shyness can lead to a smaller circle of friends in real life, the gamers who were timid in face-to-face interactions used online video games "to compensate or overcome their shyness". They concluded that real lie shyness "is a predictor for the number of online gaming friendships," The paper, titled The Relationship Between Online Video Game Involvement And Gaming Related Friendships Among Emotionally Sensitive Individuals, found that online games hold the potential to be socially advantageous for the shy individual. It also noted how it is not just about having online friendships, as gamers were able to meet them offline as well. However, the researchers cautioned that the study was conducted using a relatively small sample size of German gamers. They added that more research is needed on the subject. For those looking to "overcome their traditional social difficulties and generate new friendships" in the world of the psychologists, playing video games especially online games could be just what the doctor suggested. The study found that 52% of the teenagers played games that involved thinking about moral and ethical issues, 43% played games in which they made decisions about how a community, a city or a nation should be run, and 40% played games where they could learn about a social issue.
In conclusion, scientifically it is proven there are many benefits of playing video games. However, some games, mostly played by children, should not make parents too worried about them playing games and focus the attention on the potential dangers rather than on the potential benefits of playing video games. Playing video games or other electronic games are quite normal for children or even adults in this modern life. Surprisingly, playing video games can be a tool that can help the teens develop their life skills or their cognitive skills. All the parents have to do is to monitor the proper games that match with their age and to remind them so that playing the games will not give negative impact to their academic achievement.
By Tobby A
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