When violence erupts within a normally quiet suburban neighborhood, some concerned citizens point their fingers towards the electronics section. While video games have earned considerable criticism from the media for exposing children and young adults to high-caliber violence, studies show that there may actually be some cognitive and health benefits that stem from playing video games.
“Benefits appear to be in visual/spatial skills — that is, the ability to recognize certain visual patterns and react to them quickly,” said Matthew Rossano, professor of psychology. “Also there appear to be some benefits in focused attention, the ability to stay focused on a task and filter out extraneous signals.”
According to a study released by the University of Utah, video games may be therapeutic for children with chronic illnesses such as depression, autism and Parkinson’s disease, empowering the children by impacting “neuronal mechanisms that activate positive emotions and the reward system.”
Video games have also been shown to relieve stress, improve vision and improve decision-making skills. For this reason, games like “Minecraft” have been incorporated into some schools across the United States, according to edudemic.com.
“Minecraft is a great game for creating, problem-solving and encouraging the use of positive imaginative engagement,” said psychology instructor Daniel Chadborn, “As for the use of games in school, it really depends on the game. I remember in elementary school playing simple math and English games in computer classes that, looking back on, may have greatly improved my mathematic and verbal ability.”
Of course, there is also a downside to playing video games.
“Vincent P. Mathews found decreased activity in areas of the brain involved in attention, inhibition, decision making and executive function in participants who regularly played violent video games,” said Chadborn. “Part of the violent video game controversy is thrown into this, and the reasons for these differences may be due to the content of the games.”
Chadborn stressed that the benefits of, or lack thereof, playing video games often depends on the content and nature of the game itself.
“While some of the research odes conflict, games that offer more senseless violence or action, one could hypothesize would not offer many of the same effects as a game that actively engages the participant in problem solving, decision making and other tasks that would engage higher order brain functions beyond pointing and shooting,” said Chadborn. “Games that offer tactical choices, social interaction, active roleplaying, or coordination with teams or guilds online, planning and strategizing encourage cognitive activity. In addition, those games that involve helping others, or prosocial games, and having components of prosocial engagement show engagement in more positive behaviors.”
While the impact of video games on society is still largely debated and controversial, the research shows that, at least in some instances, video games can be beneficial. Love them or hate them, video games have not only burrowed their way into the hearts of gamers everywhere, but into the educational system as well.