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Games are not just for fun they have an effect on the player. Studies
have shown that games do have a positive side and that they promote
learning as well as help heal. On the other hand games are known to
become an addiction just like alcoholism or drugs and affect the mind
in a negative way.
Research indicates that playing violent games like Doom
or Mortal Combat increases aggression in players in both everyday
settings and laboratory studies. Since games are interactive they
involve participation of the player and this tends to influence
thinking as well as intuitive reactions. This being so, violent games
are more harmful than violence in movies or television.
Psychologists like Craig Anderson and Karen Dill have noted that
aggression escalates in players who already have an in born tendency to
aggressive behavior and that repeated exposure to violence is like a
conditioning and over time, the person becomes trained or conditioned
to be violent. Craig Anderson is dedicated to the issue and in depth
information on different aspects of gaming can be found at
http://www.psychology.iastate.edu/~caa/ .
Violent games and the creation of violent behavior
has received mixed reactions from researchers but when analyzed using
meta-analytic techniques the result is consistent in that playing
violent games leads to “ increased aggressive behavior, thoughts,
increased physiological arousal and decreased levels of helping
behavior.” It is an established fact that consistent exposure to
violent games leads to delinquency, fighting in school and outside, as
well as criminal behavior.
John Murray of Kansas State
University found that gamers became less sensitive to violence after
repeated exposure and that exposure to violence activated the amygdale
a small part of the human brain that controls fight/flight impulses.
Studies show:
1) Playing violent games teach the gamer that success can be had from being violent.
2)
That since gaming rewards violence, gamers tend to start believing that
violence can be rewarding. The positive outcome of violence in games
increases the impact in the minds of gamers especially kids.
3)
That playing games hone point and shoot techniques and soon a child or
adult gamer will have no second thoughts in pointing and shooting
should such a situation arise in real life. Repeated point and shoot
actions in gaming helps humans overcome the hesitation or reluctance to
point and shoot.
4) That violence in
gaming tends to teach gamers that violence is the way to solve
differences or conflict. Repeated gaming increases a gamer’s aggression
and tendency to fight, argue, and use physical force to win an argument
or settle differences in real life.
Rene Weber of
Michigan State University has presented an in depth study of violence
and gaming in Media Psychology in January 2006. In the work she
explores the influence of violent games on brain function and thought
and concludes that although gaming has a positive side such as
enhancing learning, social skills, and improvement of physical
abilities it is imperative for society to examine in detail and
thoroughly the negative side of gaming. According to statistics, of 70
odd top selling games more than 49 per cent contained serious violence
and in the US every child and adult plays video and computer games for
at least 30 minutes every day.
Gaming has two sides and one must be aware of the positive as well as negative affects
About the Author:
Aaron Brooks is a freelance writer for 1888FreeOnlineGames
, the premier website to play thousands of free online games including
arcade games, action games, card games, flash games, strategy games,
puzzle games and more.
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| | Posted 12/3/2007 7:11 AM - 34 Views - 0 eProps - 0 comments
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