Video Games effect Adolescence

People have always claimed that video games have a negative effect of teenagers. But is it true and to what extent? The video game industry is a vastly growing area in the realm of entertainment, so it’s important that we understand the effect they have on kids.

Video games in general have good and bad aspects. For instance they can help improve people’s reaction time when for example you need to throw a grenade away and you only have a second to do so (Call of Duty). In the story mode of games, puzzle solving and decision making in trained. The ability of recognizing threats which is obtained in any shooter game and high speed racing games; this skill is helpful when driving a car. For all their pros games also have cons.

For instance video games can result in less physical activity, which can lead to obesity and a less healthy lifestyle. Violent video games have also been claimed to make teenagers more aggressive. This claim has been proven correct in a number of studies using MRIs to study the after effect of violence in video games. Violent video games are shown to increase emotional arousal in adolescence after game play. I believe this to be true because I have witnessed “gamer rage” before. I also think that it depends on the game as well. For example, “Call of Duty” is a fast paced shooter game, and I have seen and heard people swearing over the microphone in online multiplayer because of uneven balance in fire power. On a different note “Battlefield” game play is a little slower and has a fairer weapon arsenal. Therefore I have witnessed far less “gamer rage” and outbursts over this game. Violent video games have also been shown to desensitize kids towards fighting, killing, blood, and violent acts. This may or may not be a bad thing. On one hand teens would not feel as much mercy and regret about committing violent act towards people because it does not bother them. On the other hand I would rather have a desensitized teenager with me when a natural disaster strikes or if there is a shooting; because they would be able to react faster and think clearer without the worries of fear.

In the long run, though violent video games still do make teens more aggressive, nothing has proven that teenagers are going on killing sprees because they want to let out some steam. In fact, I bet there are fewer teens committing crimes because they’re all in the homes trying reach the next level of the game.