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Jennifer Houston English 1010-105 Dr. Greenwell 05/01/14 The Psychological Effects Caused by Video Games Recently, we have unfortunately been seeing more and more violent and atrocious acts being committed in the world around us. As is human nature, we frantically search for someone or something to blame. When those acts are committed by our youth, the pain is even more potent. The blame for young people being driven to such extreme aggression in todays world has often been attributed to violent media, particularly violent video games. In seeing the realistic and excessive brutality in some of these games, it is easy to jump to this conclusion. However, many jump to this conclusion without any personal experience or scientific evidence. Luckily, others do search for this proof, rather than just blindly accepting this so called truth. This debate has sparked an enormous amount of research, and not all of what they found about the psychological effects of video games on those who play them has been negative. Research has found that playing video games can have many positive effects as well, such as increases in problem solving and memory; strategy and planning; and increased cooperative behavior. The psychological effects of video games start immediately, but they also start small. The very first thing that a video game will do to your mind is captivate it. We all know a consistent video game play who is nearly impossible to full away from their game of each. We may even be one of these people. This is because of immersion. Games designers want the player to be

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involved in their fantasies and stories, in the world that they have created, and they do this quite well. Everything about video games is designed to pull us in. We think about our character and their story. Ideally we see what they see, hear what they hear, and feel what they feel, such as a sense of accomplishment when we level up or complete a new task. This immersion is what makes games so enjoyable. These feelings and immersion, although subtle, are psychological, and purposeful. These aspects that make a game fun, however, are the same things that cause addiction and negative emotion while playing video games. We are frustrated, anxious, and angry when we fail, just as we are excited when we succeed. This leads us to one of the most controversial and well known effects of video games; aggression. It is well known that many believe violent video games to be the cause of the aggression and violence of the youth today, and they would be right. Violent video games have been linked with increased aggression, but maybe not to the degree that people would think. A burst of new research has begun to clarify what can and cannot be said about the effects of violent gaming. Playing the games can and does stir hostile urges and mildly aggressive behavior in the short term. Moreover, youngsters who develop a gaming habit can become slightly more aggressive as measured by clashes with peers, for instance at least over a period of a year or two. (Carey) Many similar studies have been done to reinforce this conclusion of short term aggression increases, but Carey goes on to say that little has or can be done to prove or disprove these effects in the long term, as far as a psychological study goes. He also mentions that psychologists confirm that the extreme acts of violence that we see will never be caused by just a single risk factor. Therefore, influence from video games and violent media alone could never drive an individual to such extremes. As well as this, psychologists admit that it is unclear whether these extremely violent criminals are pushed over the edge by factors in violent media,

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or if they simple prefer these brutal video games over the nonviolent because of preexisting aggressive thoughts and tendencies. What isnt said about violent video games is that they can actually have positive effects on social behavior. A very large portion of modern video games have an online multiplayer option, in which the player must team up with another, or several other players. They may be friends who play together often, or they may be complete strangers. Either way, this cooperative play style will often encourage what can be described as prosocial (Ewoldsen) behavior, as opposed to the expected antisocial behavior. Prosocial behavior is defined by Oxford Dictionaries as Relating to or denoting behavior that is positive, helpful, and intended to promote social acceptance and friendship. A study was conducted that had various groups of people play the same violent video under different conditions. Some played in direct competition, some in indirect competition, and others played cooperatively. The results of the study showed increases in prosocial behavior after playing the game cooperatively when compared to those who did not. Psychologists admit that these results came from correlation, and since they have not yet been repeated in other experiments, they cannot yet be generally accepted. However, this study is considered somewhat of a breakthrough, and will give reason to conduct further research concerning this same idea. The conductors of this study also made a point to say that they the nature of violent video games is largely counteracted by playing cooperatively. This means that the previously mentioned aggression would become a nonissue. Video games affect the mind in more ways than just changes in social behavior, whether they are positive or negative changes. Various studies have concluded that video games can also train the mind to be more proficient in problem solving, as well as memory use. Many games make use of puzzle to engage the player. This can be done in many ways, varying from popular

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apps such as Angry Birds to the ever beloved Legend of Zelda. In these games, or parts of these games, the player must come up with creative ways to solve puzzles and other problems in short bursts. (The Positive and Negative Effects of Video Games) When these activities that make you think are repeated, the mind will adjust and become used to thinking in this way, and these newfound problem solving abilities translate from the games that we learned them from into real life scenarios. The development of memory by video games is very similar. The player of various games will have to remember information or clues given previously in the game to advance a story, or recall which button sequence uses what abilities in fighting style games such as Mortal Kombat. As well as this, Playing first person shooter games such as Call of Duty and Battlefield series enables players to effectively judge what information should be stored in their working memory and what can be discarded considering the task at hand, according to a study published in the Psychological Research. (The Positive and Negative) This helps us adapt to remembering important information given to us in our daily lives, whether it be for work, schooling, or even something as simple as a to-do list. Many of us struggle with things such as strategy and planning every day. Although they may seem like largely irrelevant skills, we use them far more than we may realize. Many video games can also help with this. Gamers must deal with immediate problems while keeping their long-term goals on their horizon. (The Positive and Negative) They call this idea telescoping. As well as this, the player must learn to manage their resources. Resources are an aspect that many video games have in common. Managing resources, especially money, in a game, can help us to learn to do the same in our lives. Better money management, or planning, is something that anyone could use and relate to. Any game that involves player versus player aspects, or complex

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encounters when fighting an enemy, or boss, will require the player or players to devise a strategy. Perhaps one of the most strategic games that I have personally experienced is World of Warcraft. Many aspects of this game relate to what has been previously discussed, such as playing cooperatively and increasing prosocial behavior. Learning to create a strategy, however, is taken to a whole new level. In this game, there are countless boss encounters that require the player to avoid different things that could kill them, while also doing damage to the boss, or working to keep their teammates alive. This can be done in groups of ten or twenty-five people, so requires a lot of coordination. The players counter this by devising strategies that the entire team has to learn in order to be successful. This can get quite creative, and involves taking advantage of countless abilities of various characters that are being played. Although spending hours at a time trying to devise a strategy to defeat a digital foe may not be the most productive use of an individuals time, it absolutely teaches you to think differently and consider large numbers of variables when planning, which is an immensely useful skill. From all of this, it can be argued that, when played in moderation, video games can have an enhancing effect on your mind. There can be drawbacks to this, such as mild aggression; addiction; anxiety or depression; and antisocial behavior, but these can be avoided through game choice, playing cooperatively, or by not playing the games in excess amounts. Video games should in no way be considered or thought of as necessary for the improvement of the mind. There are, of course, other methods to do this. However, if used correctly, these games can be a very useful, as well as rather enjoyable, tool to sharpen ones intellectual ability, while teaching and honing skills that are necessary in daily life.

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Works Cited: Carey. Benedict Shooting in the Dark. New York Times. New York Times, 12 Feb. 2013. Web. 02 Apr. 2014

Ewoldsen, David R, et al. Effect of Playing Violent Video Games Cooperatively or Competitively on Subsequent Cooperative Behavior Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking 15.5 (2012) Web. 02 Apr. 2014

"Psychological Effects of Computer Gaming on Individuals and Society." Contented Writer. N.p., 10 Sept. 2013. Web. 02 Apr. 2014.

The Positive and Negative Effects of Video Games. Raise Smart kid. N.p., n.d. Web 02 Apr. 201