Effects of gaming on people

Gaming has also been associated with psychological problems. It is still an open question whether video game addiction, or internet gaming disorder IGD , is a unique syndrome. According to the American Psychological Association, IGD is defined as experiencing at least five of the following nine criteria over a month period:.

According to one study from the American Journal of Psychiatry , between 0. There are even support groups, such as Computer Gaming Addicts Anonymous , which leverage the power of group support — also helpful in the treatment of other addictions — to the realm of gaming addiction.

Gaming has also been associated with sleep deprivation, insomnia and circadian rhythm disorders, depression, aggression, and anxiety, though more studies are needed to establish the validity and the strength of these connections. There has also been concern that exposure to the extreme violence that is commonly found in video games can desensitize teens and young adults to such violence, causing emotional problems and even leading to young people committing acts of violence.

As with many other activities that have potential benefits and harms, moderation is the key. Most of the harms that come from gaming can be improved, if not avoided altogether, by limiting the number of hours spent in front of the screen, and by engaging in healthy activities like exercising, or socializing in the real world instead of the virtual game world. Education is an essential key to injury prevention. Gamers need to be educated on how to protect their thumbs, wrists, and elbows, their waistlines, their emotional state, their sleep, and their eyes.

Simple education around taking breaks, stretching, eating healthy snacks, and resting and icing your thumb, wrist, or elbow when it starts hurting can address injuries early, before they become significant.

For the eyes, gamers can try the rule: every 20 minutes, try to look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. In short, playing video games can be fun and a social activity when integrated into a healthy lifestyle that includes plenty of sleep, exercise, and good nutrition, rather than letting the game become your life.

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Beneath the skin, your hands are an intricate architecture of tendons, joints, ligaments, nerves, and bones. Benefits of Video Games Many psychologists and scientists believe that playing video games offers some benefits, particularly by teaching higher-level and abstract thinking skills.

Video games can improve mental skills, such as: Problem solving and logic. Hand-eye coordination, spatial skills and fine motor coordination.

Logistics, resource management and planning. Speedy analysis and decision making. Math and reading skills. Cooperation and teamwork with multiplayer games. Is the concern justified? Set limits on how often and how long your child is allowed to play video games.

Play video games with your child or ask them to teach you how to play. Take time to discuss with your child the games they play or other media they watch. Talk to your child about how they feel when they play video games and share your own feelings with your child.

May contain cartoon, fantasy or mild violence. Teen T : Content suitable for persons ages 13 and older. Mature M : Content suitable for persons 17 and older. Content definitely has more mature sexual themes, intense violence and stronger language.

Adults Only AO : Content suitable only for 18 and up. Meanwhile, his real life was virtually nonexistent. He neglected his schoolwork, relationships, health, even his hygiene. I gained weight, became lazy, and spent nearly all of my time slumped over my computer," says Rosner, who played up to 18 hours a day, every day, for nearly two years.

Rosner nearly threw away a university degree in pursuit of the game. According to a study by the NPD Group, a global market research firm, his gaming obsession isn't unique. Nine out of 10 children play video games. That's 64 million kids—and some of them hit the keyboard or smartphone before they can even string together a sentence.

The problem: many researchers believe that excessive gaming before age 21 or 22 can physically rewire the brain. Researchers in China, for example, performed magnetic resonance imaging MRI studies on the brains of 18 college students who spent an average of 10 hours a day online, primarily playing games like World of Warcraft. Compared with a control group who spent less than two hours a day online, gamers had less gray matter the thinking part of the brain.

As far back as the early s, scientists warned that because video games only stimulate brain regions that control vision and movement, other parts of the mind responsible for behavior, emotion, and learning could become underdeveloped. A study published in the scientific journal Nature in showed that playing video games releases the feel-good neurotransmitter dopamine. The amount of dopamine released while playing video games was similar to what is seen after intravenous injection of the stimulant drugs amphetamine or methylphenidate.

Yet despite mounting evidence about the cognitive, behavioral, and neurochemical impact of gaming, the concept of game addiction online or not is difficult to define.

Some researchers say that it is a distinct psychiatric disorder, while others believe it may be part of another psychiatric disorder. Still, experts agree gaming has addictive qualities. The human brain is wired to crave instant gratification, fast pace, and unpredictability. All three are satisfied in video games. That gives gamers a rush—but only temporarily, he explains. With all that extra dopamine lurking around, the brain gets the message to produce less of this critical neurotransmitter.

The end result: players can end up with a diminished supply of dopamine. Take a game like that away from addicted adolescents and they often show behavioral problems, withdrawal symptoms, even aggression, according to Dr. Do Angry Birds make for angry children? Perspectives on Psychological Science. Self-Determination Theory: Basic psychological needs in motivation, development, and wellness. New York: Plenum. Neural bases of selective attention in action video game players.

Vision Research , 61, — Green, C. Action video game modifies visual selective attention. Nature , , — Effect of action video games on the spatial distribution of visuospatial attention. Boot, W.

Do action video games improve perception and cognition? Frontiers in Psychology , 2, Unsworth, N. Is playing video games related to cognitive abilities? Psychological Science , 26, — Van Ravenzwaaij, D. Action video games do not improve the speed of information processing in simple perceptual tasks. More than just fun and games: The longitudinal relationships between strategic video games, self-reported problem solving skills, and academic grades.

Journal of Youth and Adolescence , From the couch to the sports field: The longitudinal associations between sports video game play, self-esteem, and involvement in sports. Psychology of Popular Media Culture , 4,