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Alberto Martinez

Tawanna Yates

English IV

November 20, 2018

Should Young People Be Exposed To a Life of Video Games?

Videogames and violence are like any other things around the world they have positive

and negative effects. Study has shown that people who spend hours on video games tend to take

part in different social events, compared to those who do not play video games. When young

people play video games evidence has shown that it doesn’t completely cause any harm to our

society. Video games are not just for fun, it helps with eye and hand coordination helps with

problem solving skills and increases brain function ability. Video games can trigger positive and

negative emotions such as releasing too much dopamine. Dopamine is a chemical that is released

throughout the body by the brain. According to Study.com “it is also has been identified as the

body’s reward activator”. Which means it sends happy feelings to one who is playing video

games but too much of it can cause disappointment, frustrations, and extreme anger. The positive

effects of dopamine can help gamers feel more happy, relaxed, and stress free knowing that

playing video games can cause these feelings into gamers. The negative effects of emotion can

appear, if a gamer is on a “winning streak” and all of sudden loses. They become more

frustrated and more angry due to the dopamine which makes them feel good. Video games can

help people be less antisocial by connecting to social media, meeting other online players around

the world can cause of having high chance of becoming friends in life. Gamers have better

attention skills because some video games requires so much concentration and focusing on
critical details. They have also concluded that video games not only help people emotionally but

it can help physically it can help hand and eye coordination it also increases the brains reaction

time, cognitive functions and interpretation with the person hands and fingertips, it can also

make problem solving skills and decision easier and can encourage teamwork. How can video

games affectsthe brain, well video games affects three parts of the brain, the parietal lobe it can

be divided in two functional regions the one of them is our perception, sensation, and the other

one is our visual system.The frontal lobe it controls our motor functions, problem solving skills,

memory, judgement, and social skills. The anterior cingulate it involves our decision making,

and emotional regulation. A researcher have discovered that parents who plays video games with

their child can actually help them better understand their child. The researcher has also found

that the effects of parents who have plays with their child are more likely to assess the risks and

benefits accurately. They have also found that people that are not parents do find the risk and

benefits of video games as well. Studies has shown the psychological effects of young people

that plays video games it does not predict violent behavior but instead it decreases societal

violence and not increase it. There are some negative effects of playing video games some of

effects are increase of aggressive behavior, decreases in prosocial behavior, and empathy. Too

much game time can also cause social isolation from the outer world. If a gamer spends too

much time playing video games they can become less social in some cases some people can be

obese and not be physically active that can cause major problems not only their lives but can be

affected all around the world. The positive effects of playing video games it can help gamers feel

happy, relaxed, and stress free. The way video games affects people all around the world is

phenomenal. People can play with other people all around the world just by playing video
games. People that plays online games can learn about other people cultures and sometimes there

language. Studies have shown that playing online games with other people can make people be

more social and join social gaming clubs or events.The military and civilian researchers are still

researching through the power of Virtual reality to help with veterans that is suffering with

PTSD. Though virtual reality is mostly used in the video game industry these researchers are

trying to find a good use of it for veterans who has problems. The military has been using flight

simulators for years and it closely feels and resembles to virtual reality but they use these

simulators to train soldiers on how to control aircrafts vehicles, and some soldiers that's is not

active duty tend to play video games they learn different tactics just by playing video games.

Video games helps non-active duty soldiers by helping them keeping the mindset of a soldier,

most of them are encouraged to play first person shooting games such as call of duty, and

battlefield it is told that helps them continue there combat training. They did a study where they

interviewed 15 current and former soldiers about violent video games and most of them said that

“it is best to keep the mindset of a soldier even if not on duty” violent video games were the

perfect environment for them. I Believe that video games can be a major benefit in the real world

because not only it affects young people but it can help affect adults and the elderly. There have

been games made for adults who suffers from ptsd, getting over their fears and or any other

problems they have in their lives. As for the elderly people, physical activity games such as Wii

sports or Wii fit can help them stay in shape or stay relaxed and calm. How does video games

affects the elderly, seniors are more at risk of being depressed it can help with dementia, it has

been proven as a crucial supplement to traditional speech therapy, memory and puzzle games can

give powerful use against aphasia treatment I also believe that video games are not the cause of
mass shooting as well because their are a lot of shooting games such grand theft auto five, call of

duty: black ops 2. On february 22 2018 president Donald Trump had a white house meeting and

he blamed movies and video games for mass shootings. During the Meeting he said "I'm hearing

more and more people saying the level of violence on video games is really shaping young

people's thoughts". There was young man named Chris Grady who was a survivor of Stoneman

Douglas High School in Florida and said "I grew up playing video games ... first-person shooter

games, and I would never, ever dream of taking the lives of any of my peers". There was

research about how video games are the main cause of mass shootings. But their researchers who

said that violent video games did not predict violent behavior. One of the researchers name was

Christopher Ferguson. Christopher Ferguson conducted his own research and he goes as far into

his research that he is saying that “violent video games may actually cut socialite violences

rather than increasing it”. He says that video games are "Basically keeping young people busy

with things they like” and "you keep them off the streets and out of trouble". That is why I

strongly believe that video games are a critical role in everybody’s live whether they are young

or old video games can bring relaxations, happiness, family bonding, and learning capabilities.

Although not everybody may agree that video games are beneficial to young people lives but

they are. Without Video games people all around the world would probably be out on the streets

doing bad things and causing bad things. Without video games or virtual reality games the

elderly and our troops would have nothing much to do in there lives. Without video games we as

a nation could have not found or help the people who suffering with PTSD, dementia, or keeping

our elderly physically active. Video games helped us find new ways to interact with people in so
many ways that it is amazing. I’m really glad that I could do my Senior topic on something that I

love doing and something that I will continue doing in my life.

Works Cited

Funk, J B. “Children's Exposure to Violent Video Games and Desensitization to

Violence.”​Advances in Pediatrics.​, U.S. National Library of Medicine, July 2005,

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15936665.Funk, J B. “Children's Exposure to Violent

Video Games and Desensitization to Violence.”​Advances in Pediatrics.​, U.S. National

Library of Medicine, July 2005, ​www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15936665​.

Entertainment on the computer is important to the leisure activities of many Americans,

with a variety of choices now available to the average person. Video and computer

games, in particular violent games, are especially popular, even with young children.

With this popularity, concern has been raised about possible unintended consequences of

playing in interactive violence. Desensitization to violence has been cited as one possible

undesirable outcome of video game violence. I can use this site for my counter

argument, although I disagree with it.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/.../violent-video-games-can-trigger-emotional-dese…

The second 2013 study,​ “​Playing Super Mario Induces Structural Brain Plasticity: Gray

Matter Changes Resulting from Training with a Commercial Video Game(link is

external)​,” was conducted at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development and
Charité University Medicine in Berlin.The German researchers found that the benefits of

video gaming could be helpful in therapeutic interventions targeting ​psychiatric

disorders. Simone Kühn and her colleagues believe that non-violent video games can be a

useful tool for treating patients with mental ​health​ ​problems in which brain regions are

altered or reduced in size. This cite it supports my theory on Video games.

www.aacap.org/.../Children-and-Video-Games-Playing-with-Violence-091.aspx​.

Park, Alice. “Violent Video Games Change Kids to Think More Aggressively.” ​Time,​

Time, 24 Mar. 2014,

time.com/34075/how-violent-video-games-change-kids-attitudes-about-aggression/.

Olson, Samantha. “Violent Video Games And Media Linked To Children's Aggressive

Behavior; Pediatricians Urge Parents To Stop Exposure.” ​Medical Daily,​ 20 July 2016,

This supports my Counter Argument for my paper.

www.medicaldaily.com/violent-video-games-aggressive-behavior-392391​.

At the end of the day, it’s the ​parents​ who have the greatest influence on what their

children are exposed to. In 2015, the ​American Psychological Association​ (APA)

released a report that found the effects of violent videos games alone between 2005 and

2013 both increased and desensitized people,, but the APA warned that while research

may identify the link between violence and aggressive behaviors in children, it isn’t
likely video game creators will nix the violence for the sake of science. This supports my

Counter Argument for my paper.

www.verywellfamily.com+›+Parenting+›+Raising+Kids+›+Technology

The research on the link between video games and aggressive behavior in children has

been mixed. Certainly, some studies have shown that children who play violent video

games do not exhibit any increased aggression In 2011 a study found that aggressive

children tend to choose more violent video games, but researchers found no evidence that

violent games cause aggression. This cite helps my theory about Video gaming.

“Violent Video Games - ProCon.org.” ​Do Violent Video Games Contribute to Youth

Violence?,​ videogames.procon.org/.

Total US sales of video games and software increased 204% from 1994 to 2014, reaching

$13.1 billion in 2014, while violent crimes decreased 37% and murders by juveniles

acting alone fell 76% in that same period. This site will help me write my paper because

it supports my idea of video games.

Scutti, Susan. “Do Video Games Lead to Violence?” ​CNN​, Cable News Network, 22 Feb.

2018, ​www.cnn.com/2016/07/25/health/video-games-and-violence/index.html​.

that violent video games may help reduce societal violence rather than increase

it."Basically, by keeping young males busy with things they like" and this would include

everything from playing sports and collecting stamps to playing first-person shooter
video games "you keep them off the streets and out of trouble," he said. He added that

newer studies "with better methods" have typically failed to find much evidence of a

connection between brutal games and even minor aggressive acts, let alone violence. This

cite will help me write my paper because it supports my idea about video games.

www.npr.org/.../what-research-says-about-video-games-and-violence-in-children​.

The more children consume media violence, whether that's in video games, TV or

movies, they do become more willing to behave aggressively when provoked. This Cite

supports my Counter Argument

www.nbcnews.com/.../here-s-what-we-know-about-links-between-video-games…

comments last week, Trump appeared to side with the NRA view of the video game

industry. But his comments were quickly challenged by several researchers and at least

one survivor of the Parkland shooting. “My friends and I have been playing video games

our whole life and never have we ever felt driven or provoked by those actions in those

games to do something as horrible as this,” This cite supports my idea for video games
Loria, Kevin. “How Playing Video Games Affects Your Body and Brain.” ​Business

Insider​, Business Insider, 10 Mar. 2018,

www.businessinsider.com/video-games-and-violence-2018-3​.

A 2015 study found that in ​months after popular violent video games are released​,

aggravated assault and homicide rates dropped. American Psychological Association

found that people who played violent video games were slightly more to engage in

aggressive behavior However, the APA said playing Video games was not enough to

cause aggression​ ​studies show​ also showed that youth violence has consistently declined

as these games have become available. This Site Can Really help me write my paper

because it supports my idea about Video Games.

TEDtalksDirector. “Your Brain on Video Games | Daphne Bavelier.” ​YouTube,​

YouTube, 19 Nov. 2012, ​www.youtube.com/watch?v=FktsFcooIG8&t=545s​. This video

supports my idea about video games

http://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2016-04-11-parents-know-best-about-effects-video-games-children

This cite supports my theory about video games.

Effect of Video Games on Child Development.” ​Feminism and Film,​ Vanderbilt University,

my.vanderbilt.edu/developmentalpsychologyblog/2014/04/effect-of-video-games-on-child-devel

opment/. This cite supports my idea about video games.

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