In this video lecture, Daphne Bavelier explains the effects of video games on the brain by showing various results from scientific experiments and tries to persuade her audience that fast shooter/action video games can actually have several mental health benefits. She uses empirical evidence based on various mental tests. Daphne Raveler is a cognitive researcher who has been studying the effects of memory, vision, attention, and various other mental capacities by those who particularly have been playing fast-paced action/shooter video games. There is a lot of conflicting information on the internet regarding whether or not video games are bad for you. Some say that it is good, and improves your dexterity and reaction time. Others state that it can be bad for your vision and that it is a distraction that affects learning and attention issues. However Bavelier shows in this lecture that fast-paced action games can actually improve one's brain in various different ways. She compared people who had not played these games to those who had, and overall the gamers had better vision, better reaction times, better puzzle solving capabilities, and could pay better attention to multitasking situations.
So why is it that people have such an issue with video games? It seems that anywhere you can look online, there is an argument for as well as against video games when it comes to mental health. I personally have played various types of games all of my life. I can admittedly say that I have played just about every type of game there is on the market...action games, shooters, role-playing games, dance games, guitar games, you name it and I have probably played it at least once. And I can definitely say with confidence that I believe that gaming has been a positive influence in my life, both socially and mentally.
In a mental capacity, I have gained more dexterity through the games that I have played. In my high school years you would most likely catch me playing Dance Dance Revolution in the arcade every Friday afternoon, dancing my heart out with my friends. Not only did this game give me a tremendous amount of physical exercise, but I had to move to the music, coordinate my feet to match the steps as they were shown by arrows on the screen, and keep up with the pace or slow down if the music changed. I was able to perform all of these actions with my entire body, and not just my thumbs and a gamepad. And speaking socially now, this game brought me a lot of friends who also loved to play and we worked together to get better and better. So where is the harm in this practice? And can anyone say that the harm (if there even is one) outweighed all of the benefits that I received while having a good time?
Most video games really do require a certain amount of focus, skill, dexterity, and attention in order to be successful in that game. So people who are performing well as "gamers" are probably doing very well in all of those categories. So how can anyone truly say that they are harmful? The science definitely shows otherwise!
Now mind you, there can still be problems surrounding video games. However I see these problems as I would with just about any hobby that one might take on. You should not sit there and play video games for 10-12 hours a day, as much as you should not watch television all day or do any one activity all day every day. A little here and there is great! But you would not want to see your kid sitting and watching television all day every day either, right? Would you want your kid to sit inside and read all day every day, or would you try to encourage them to go outside and play with their friends? Anything that can become addictive to a person is a no-go. I do not believe most activities are harmful so long as one participates in them responsibly, and that it is not the only thing that one does with their time. That could lead to various other problems such as social anxiety, depression, and possibly other mental disorders that might prevent one from one's own mental growth and well-being.
So how can we relate this topic to education (particularly to our students)? There are various ISTE Standards for Students that we can actually tie in with this topic quite well. The effects of action/shooting video games on the brain can associate with ISTE Standards 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 (See link above for a full description of ISTE Standards). ISTE Standard one is demonstrated in this instance by the gamer needing to use their own creativity and ingenuity in order to solve a problem given in the game. Most shooter games involve some level of communication via technology, whether it is through an in-game voice system, or something external such as Skype. Either way, this can link in with ISTE Standard two in which communication and collaboration is required in order to succeed with a given objective. ISTE Standard three links how the players might get stuck and will need to use technological resources in order to find out how to proceed (such as use Google or collaborate with each other on where to find more in-game helpful information). ISTE Standard 4 involves decision making and problem solving...something that is a constant in the world of shooter games. ISTE Standard five talks about digital citizenship, and most shooter games nowadays involve the creation of some form of player account that the person needs to sign into in order to play the game. But they must do so safely and must abide by the legal terms and conditions in doing so as well, something that we as adults have to do oh-so-often in our day-to-day lives. And of course ISTE Standard six delves into the general proper use of the technology itself, in which a player might have to troubleshoot in-game or hardware issues in order to even continue to play.
So literally all of the ISTE Standards for Students can tie into the topic of playing video games. Because we can tie all of them to the subject of video games, does that not tell us as future or current educators that video games could be one (if not the best!) tool to possibly look into using to help teach our students more about the proper use of technology and how it can actually further our own education and abilities?
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Bavelier, Daphne. (2012, June). Daphne Bavelier: Your brain on video games. https://www.ted.com/talks/daphne_bavelier_your_brain_on_video_games#t-1055625
Great post!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed how you tied it all together and discussed the goods and bads of video games. Like any hobby, playing video games for long extended periods of time is where it becomes damaging. It can be harmful to your eyes after a while, and like you explained it can be a large contributing factor to social anxiety, depression, and other mental issues. I also concur with you that when played responsibility, video games can have many beneficial qualities and positive responses. However my biggest videogame concern is desensitization of the youth. Obviously with parent involvement, and reasonable monitoring, along with responsible play can easily avert these concerns. Videogames have a heavy presence and can help to shape the youth of today. Whether or not they are taught the responsibilities of technology and videogame play can ultimately shape their lives. And whether or not its just recreational or addictive like anything else.