Ask any teenager today the number of hours they spend in front of their computer playing video games and the answer will surely startle you. Nowadays, youngsters spend a huge amount of time playing video games, thereby turning gaming into a mainstream industry. There are different genres of video games, each having its own fan following. Each year, gamers of each genre wait with bated breath for their favorite games to be released.
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Some of the popular video game genres include the Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game or MMORPG, the First Person Shooters or FPS, Arcade games like racing, simulation games and many more. There are certain other genres of games as well and these include the action and adventure, role-playing, real time strategy and third person shooter games. Each and every genre has their own set of sub categories.
First person shooter games require the player to play as if they are experiencing the game through their own eyes. Some of the other types of games include the flight simulation games where the gamer has to play the role of a pilot and the entire screen feels like the cockpit of an actual aeroplane. There are certain Real Time Strategy games where the players are given command of a certain map and they have to gather resources to build colonies, empires and fight wars.
The arcade racing games place the gamers at the driver's seat and allow them to compete with the fanciest cars of the world along with the best 3D rendering of the gaming environment. A massively popular genre of games includes the MMORPG where players from all over the world come together and play the game live, thanks to their Internet connections. The opportunity of playing with an actual person rather than the Artificial Intelligence of the game makes these MMORPG so famous.
Concerned about the effects of video games on your kids health? Or perhaps you're just curious about this stuff or need to research it for a paper. Below you'll find the information you'll need on this topic with links at the bottom for further video game news reading.
This whole article is about how video games affect people's health in general. The general positive and negative effects on health are the main topic of discussion.
Positives of Video Games Effects on Health
Let's start with how video games have positive effects on your health.
The strangest of the positive effects of video games can be seen in the healthcare sector. People (especially youngsters) who are undergoing painful treatment for ailments like cancer can use video games to distract themselves from the pain for extended periods.
Video games have positive psychological effects as well. Certain games that are used as part of a comprehensive program can further help autistic children and other children with developmental disorders.
Studies have also shown that playing video games can improve mental faculties, such as hand-eye coordination. More intelligent games such as strategy and puzzle games can also improve problem solving, and provide intellectual stimulation as well.
Negatives of Video Games Effects on Health
There is a wide range of reported negative effects of video games on health; however the actual evidence of games directly causing certain negative effects is very weak. Other negative effects are usually due to prolonged excessive play of video games. Parents concerned with the amount of time their children spend on video games should encourage them to balance the time out with other activities. Extremely adverse effects such as hallucinations are very rare and could be caused by other unknown factors.
People who are susceptible to epileptic seizures and photosensitive individuals could experience seizures when they see rapid flickering or rapid screen changes happening in the game. The amount of play doesn't matter much, as people who are prone to seizures could experience one after even a few minutes of play.
People who live a sedentary lifestyle (poor exercise, rather inactive) and do mostly sitting activities such as playing video games usually suffer from some sort of ailment later on in life, such as heart and muscle problems and obesity. This is usually combined with a poor diet, such as genetically-modified foods and junk food.
There is also research that suggests that there is a link between violent games and increased aggression, however the research is rather limited and usually does not take other variables into account such as upbringing and environmental conditions.
Conclusion
Video games have both positive and negative effects on health. The effects however vary immensely depending on the types of games played and the frequency of play. Certain adverse effects can be caused by other factors in conjunction with excessive play of games, but can usually be corrected by living a healthier lifestyle. The positives of the effects of video games on health also vary depending on the type of game played and its frequency.