Are Video Games Therapy? Essays

Thesis Statement: Though video games have a controversial and sometimes negative reputation, when used correctly they can benefit a person’s emotional wellbeing, motor skills, and potentially aid their health through video game exercising.

This paper will explore the psychological benefits that video games have on individuals based on research conducted online (Internet) and offline (non-Internet) . The research will focus mainly on cognitive , motivational , emotional and social benefits that individuals gain by playing video games. Furthermore it will compare gamers with those that don 't play video games or normal teaching methods and what helps better retain the skills gained. The research conducted is based on console gaming (xbox, playstation, wii) and pc. The research will focus on first person shooters, role playing, racing games.

“A new wave of research has found surprising advantages in an activity that many call a waste of time, if not an outright menace”(Paragraph 5). Some video games can be very helpful like math games and grammar games. Video games are considered a waste of time, but it can be very helpful in education and in many other ways. “Scientists have recently linked gaming with increased brain power, making better moral decisions and even physical fitness”(Paragraph 6) Video games are being proven to help people make better choices. On the other hand, they also have been linked with fitness and strength. This said, video games are improving daily life and

In the scene directly after this one they describe why exactly the results were greater than they expected. What they found after this experiment is that in video games, especially action and shooter video games, people have to have good tracking to track everything going on and keeping watch for anything else that might change in their environment. This leads to enhanced visual tracking and higher attentional capacity than people who just live life normally. This could be used to help so many people develop better eyesight, better attentional capacity, and overall a better visual capability than they would normally be able to have. The research and work that is described in this scene just opens your mind for imagination. Imagine a world in which you played video games for 30 minutes a day and it helped to keep you focused and increase brain

Researchers at The University of Utah say that when children with illnesses play video games it helps to improve their attitude while they face the challenges of their illnesses. “The games ability to act on neuronal mechanisms that activate positive emotions and the reward system”(Gallagher). Most people wouldn't believe this, but preschoolers actually benefit from just sitting in front of a video game with the controller in their hand. Preschoolers object control motor skills enhance better than others who don't play video games. What a lot of people didn't know is that video games are actually beneficial to your vision.

The article gave an array of effects video games have on the brain. There are different behaviors that can be associated with game players. It can range from improving cognitive skills to enhancing disorders. It can also be enrichment in school and with students. This is just an overview of the information

Another way video games have an effect on our health is by being therapeutic. There are studies also showing that it is used in psychotherapy. There are two different types of gaming therapy. Electronic

Is video gaming a force for psychological good or for psychological harm? This is one of the issues discussed in the last thirty years. A lot of people, especially parents, would say gaming is harmful on a child’s psychology. Those people would say that video games make children aggressive; they are frustrating and highly addictive. The concerns are not only about children, they go for teenagers and young adults as well. Something which just a few years ago was only a way of unwinding and passing a bit of time has now become a much criticized lifestyle, with allegedly disturbing long-turn effects on people’s minds and perception of the world. One thing needs to be made

Some people believe just that; and have research to prove it. That same university in Germany found that some games could increase the IQ and attention span of those with ADHA. Just as no research has solidly proved a link between violence in video games and actual violence, some experts theorize that the games can help with fine motor and spatial skills while also teaching the importance of following instructions and encourage logical problem solving. Merrill cites author Steve Johnson and his book; Everything is Bad For You, where he discussed “telescoping”-the act of game players ability to deal with problems they are immediately facing while also keeping an eye on the end goal. While a study from Michigan State University found a very direct correlation between game playing and

I truly enjoy playing video games and hope to encourage others whom are not already playing.I narrowed my focus to the possible therapeutic effects of using video games as a treatment for chronic illnesses such as autism. I am personally interested in this topic because for the majority of my life I have been told time and time again video games are horrific for kids. Yes, there have been several outdated studies linking children who played violent video games with more aggressive behavior. But these studies were not very scientific and did not take other factors into account. For example, they compared the violent tendencies of people in combat and contact sports, like football, MMA, etc, with similar problems in video gamers.

There are also many studies that show how video games increase peripheral perception, processing speed, and memory (Bavelier, Green, Han, Renshaw,  Merzenich, & Gentile, 2011). Also, depending on the type of video game a particular person is playing, it can be used as an effective training scenario(Bavelier, Green, Han, Renshaw,  Merzenich, & Gentile, 2011). The idea here is that video games can be used as a productive tool for people of all ages, professions, and lifestyles, if they are utilized correctly (Bavelier, Green, Han, Renshaw,  Merzenich, & Gentile, 2011). An issue that may come up is trying to find the happy area in the middle of the people who don’t use games at all and the ones that are using them excessively and becoming

When playing video games, the coordination and concentration can physically, socially, and mentally benefit the user. Research today shows that certain video games can reduce fat and therefore promote weight loss. Other sources state that doctors have instructed parents to let their children play video games to help control focus. It is found that video games can improve hand eye

The effects of video games on the brain was a topic chosen to explain the negative effects of gaming on a person’s overall health. The research on the effects of video games on the brain was captivating and made me want to learn more about the negative effects due to extended periods of gaming. Research from scholarly articles, written by different credible sources associated in this field, denotes that video gaming can cause negative when played. Evidence includes how gaming can affect people(a) how video games affect a person’s overall health, (b) how to negate the negative effects of video games, and (c) how video games can affect your overall education. Focusing on these points help support the claim that video gaming can negatively affect the brain.

Many young children and teenagers have heard their mother’s incessant plead to get away from the screen and to go outside or pick up a book for once instead. The urge to play “just one more level” before starting that homework or doing those chores can be quite distracting. But are video games really as awful as Mom exclaims or as brutal as those TV ads depict? It turns out that video games can have a strong impact on participants’ lives in both positive as well as negative ways.

Video games are generally seen as a waste of time and nothing good can come out of playing them. People usually associate video games with nerds and adults who stay in the basements of their parent’s house. With all these negative associations with video games, it is hard to see that video games can actually be helpful and beneficial to an individual’s mental and physical health.