why video games are bad essay

Greater Good Science Center • Magazine • In Action • In Education

Are Video Games Truly Bad for Kids’ Health?

Video games take a lot of heat. They’re blamed for making kids fat, lazy, violent, and withdrawn, among other social ills.

But are these criticisms justified? A recent study in the journal Pediatrics set out to determine whether all video game playing is bad for kids’ health, and which factors determine whether certain kids might be more at risk.

Researchers surveyed more than four thousand public high school students in Connecticut. The students provided anonymous information about their gaming habits, indicators of their health (such as their body mass index), and risky health behaviors (such as their use of drugs and alcohol).

The results suggest that physical and mental health problems linked to video games depend on a student’s psychological investment in those games. Those who were more deeply invested in the games, deemed “problematic” gamers, were more at risk than “recreational” gamers.

The researchers classified a student as a problematic video gamer if they agreed with all of the following statements:

• I have been unsuccessful in cutting back.
• I experience an irresistible urge to play.
• I experience tension that is only relieved by playing.

Just over half of the respondents reported playing video games for at least one hour a week. Although the majority of the students reported none of the symptoms associated with problematic gaming, roughly five percent of gamers reported all three symptoms; nearly six percent of the boys and three percent of the girls fit the bill.

The survey results show that problematic gamers are much more likely to smoke cigarettes, be aggressive, and show symptoms of being depressed. Interestingly, problematic gaming was not linked to a student’s grades, extracurricular activities, or the use of drugs and alcohol.

Among recreational gamers, the prevalence of these types of problem behaviors differed across genders. Compared to non-gamers, recreational gaming girls were more likely to get into a serious fight or carry a weapon. At the same time, this group had a lower risk of depression.

Compared to non-gamers, recreational gaming boys were no more likely to use alcohol or drugs, be overweight, or show symptoms of depression than non-gaming boys. They were also less likely to report being a regular smoker.

This research challenges the popular belief that video game playing leads to exclusively negative outcomes for youth. The researchers suggest that future studies should focus on determining safe levels of gaming, identify risk factors for problematic gaming, and develop ways to intervene before the problem takes root.

What’s more, given video games’ tremendous popularity among kids, the researchers suggest that more research should explore how these games could promote positive mental and physical health.

About the Author

Neha john-henderson.

Neha John-Henderson is a Hornaday Graduate Fellow of the Greater Good Science Center. Her research in behavioral neuroscience focuses on the role of psychosocial factors in the relationship between socioeconomic status and health.

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This is an interesting and thought provoking item Neha – thank you.

I’m surprised that such a powerful article on such an important subject hasn’t produced strong reaction and comment – even to the point of controversy.

Perhaps this is another example of a simple question clouding an issue by being asked of a complex system? Are video games good – yes! And are video games bad – yes again! It all depends on quantity, circumstances and the individual – like fats and transition metals in our diet and UV on our skin.

I have a confident expectation that we shall see growing evidence of video games as a powerful aid to learning and development, and equally we shall see a growing body of evidence that video games are a barrier to learning and development.

Meanwhile the anecdotal and personal evidence that feeds our feelings and opinions - for both viewpoints - grows by the mountain-load.

And anyway, aren’t all good things toxic in excess?

Paul Nicholas | 5:31 am, April 12, 2011 | Link

Good point Paul. I’m always sceptical on these kind of studies because it indeed mostly has to with the individual and upbringing itself. It’s very short-sighted to only point a finger to the gaming industry.

Carl Getter | 2:25 pm, April 17, 2011 | Link

Well I can respect the study, however can the study really claim the video games cause someone to be a “problematic” gamer, or is the person’s personality the reason why they are a “problematic” gamer?

One thing I must say with my own observing over the years especially dealing with younger kids.  I noticed people that tend to play lots of video games especially in their younger years tend to be more likely to develop ADHD.  Now this is just one variable in the equation, however if you look at most video games today there is a lot going on in them.  Maybe that is why the attention to regular non exciting video games becomes the problem?

Cory Cook | 10:24 am, May 19, 2011 | Link

This is a really interesting study. I think for some kids there is a time when they recognize that there are more interesting things to do in life than playing video games.

So what are these teenagers or grown ups thinking about their past? When I think about my past where I was playing video (where I was aged 11 to 14 I think) it was a waste of time.. and I’m happy I’ve never got addicted again by those games.

Terrarium Selber-Bauen | 9:36 am, September 21, 2011 | Link

i didn’t know about that !! the kids will love this post if they read it

Crazy Vision | 2:44 am, September 23, 2011 | Link

that’s what kids love

اصالة | 6:26 am, September 23, 2011 | Link

I think that video games have both good and bad aspects. Good ones would include increased mental stimulation, hand eye coordination improvement, potential for increased problem solving and cognitive functions, and also a better understanding and liking of new technologies. Some bad traits would obviously be potential for lack of exercise, isolation, and potential dependence on them for social interaction. Like all things, In moderation video games are perfectly fine.

create PS3 | 9:07 pm, February 29, 2012 | Link

I think you are half right and half wrong. My brother plays LOTS of games online and violent video games, but he is really active and really skinny. Me… I play almost as much and am not very active, but I get very good grades and get good results in test and in school performance. I do like your website though. It will be a big help for my debate coming this June. Hanks for the info! 😊

Tracy | 4:33 pm, May 15, 2012 | Link

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The Video Games Your Child Plays Has an Effect on Their Behavior

More and more research is emerging with evidence of the negative effects violent video games have on children. The most popular video games are also some of the most violent, and pediatrician Dr. Cindy Gellner speaks about the numerous effects they have on kids. If you notice behavioral problems and other issues with your child, video games with violence and other adult themes may be to blame. Listen to learn about the research and more.

Episode Transcript

With in-person activities for kids on hold a lot during the past year, video games have taken the place of ways for kids to connect while being socially distanced. Is this a good thing? Well, that depends.

Video gaming has become a popular activity for people of all ages since the 1980s. Many kids spend large amounts of time playing them, although the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends kids have more than two hours total of screen time a day. Video gaming is a multi-billion dollar industry, and video games have become very sophisticated and realistic. There are multi-player games, which allow kids to play with their friends across different platforms. However, there's always the possibility that kids can connect with not-so-friendly people out there, too.

While some games have educational content, many of the most popular games emphasize negative themes. They promote the killings in war-like scenarios, sometimes criminal behavior, disrespect for the law and other authority figures, sexual exploitation or violence towards women, racial, sexual and gender stereotypes, and foul language and obscene gestures. Examples of video games not acceptable for children because they have these themes include Grand Theft Auto, Call of Duty, and Mortal Kombat.

There is growing research on the effects of video games on children. Studies of children exposed to violence have shown that they can become immune or numb to violence, imitate the violence they see and show more aggressive behavior with greater exposure to violence. Studies have also shown that the more realistic and repeated the exposure to violence, the greater the impact on children. Kids can become overly involved and even obsessed with video games, which I've been seeing a lot lately, especially in kids who are doing only online learning.

I have parents often asking me how to get their kids off of video games and back onto their classwork. Unfortunately, I don't have any special tricks. But the best thing is to have them do their classwork where you can see them and know what they are doing. Also, check their grades frequently. And if you see a lot of missing assignments, then it's time to limit the video games until school is caught up. Too much video game can lead to poor social skills, time away from family, school work and other hobbies, lower grades, reading less, exercising less, becoming overweight, and having aggressive thoughts and behaviors. I can say that I have definitely seen and heard from parents that decrease grades and increase weight have been directly correlated to kids staying inside and playing video games over the past year.

So how can you, as a parent, protect your child against these types of video games? First, you can check the Entertainment Software Rating Board ratings to learn about the game's content. Every video game will actually have a label on the front to tell you what type of game it is. If it says M for mature, it's not for your child. Our kids have their system set up so they can't purchase a game, even if it's free, without me getting a notification. They're usually pretty good about saying, "Hey Mom, can I get this game so I can play with my friends?" And if it's not one I approve of, they know it's a hard no. We also have it set up in the living room so I know exactly how much time they're playing, what they're playing, and who they're playing with if it's on a group chat.

You can also play the video games with your child to experience the game's content and know exactly what your child is playing. Set clear rules about the game's content for both playing time in and outside of your home. Like if they go to a friend's house. Strongly warn your children about the potential serious dangers of Internet contacts and relationships while playing online. It's sad, but there are a lot of online predators that will look for children specifically playing video games and can lead them into them meeting in real life. Finally, remember that you are a role model for your child. Make sure the video games you play as an adult are ones you would be okay with your child playing.

If you are concerned as a parent that your child is spending too much time playing video games or your child starts becoming obsessed with aggressive or violent video games, make sure you set some limits. Expect some push back because you're going to get it. But kids actually need and want boundaries, and if you set them, eventually they'll surprise you and they'll appreciate that you do monitor them and that you do set limits. I was floored when both of my boys told me that at different times over the past year, that they approved the limits and the monitoring because they know that it's because of what we prioritize in our house and what our family expectations are.

By being aware of what games are out there, who your child is playing with, and what they care playing, and how long they are playing, you can help your child make appropriate decisions about gaming. Video games are a great outlet for some kids, and it helps them connect with their friends when they can't always play in person or when they're older and play dates aren't cool anymore. Most important thing as a parent is to be aware of what your child is doing while gaming and help reinforce positive behaviors and socialization without giving in to excessive gaming time and inappropriate content.

updated: August 9, 2021 originally published: April 6, 2016

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Christopher J. Ferguson, The Conversation Christopher J. Ferguson, The Conversation

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Analysis: Why it’s time to stop blaming video games for real-world violence

In the wake of the El Paso shooting on Aug. 3 that left 21 dead and dozens injured, a familiar trope has reemerged: Often, when a young man is the shooter, people try to blame the tragedy on violent video games and other forms of media.

This time around, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick placed some of the blame on a video game industry that “ teaches young people to kill .” Republican House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California went on to condemn video games that “dehumanize individuals” as a “problem for future generations.” And President Trump pointed to society’s “glorification of violence,” including “ gruesome and grisly video games .”

These are the same connections a Florida lawmaker made after the Parkland shooting in February 2018, suggesting that the gunman in that case “was prepared to pick off students like it’s a video game .”

Kevin McCarthy, the GOP House minority leader, also tells Fox News that video games are the problem following the mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton. pic.twitter.com/w7DmlJ9O1K — John Whitehouse (@existentialfish) August 4, 2019

But, speaking as a researcher who has studied violent video games for almost 15 years, I can state that there is no evidence to support these claims that violent media and real-world violence are connected. As far back as 2011, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that research did not find a clear connection between violent video games and aggressive behavior.

Criminologists who study mass shootings specifically refer to those sorts of connections as a “ myth .” And in 2017, the Media Psychology and Technology division of the American Psychological Association released a statement I helped craft, suggesting reporters and policymakers cease linking mass shootings to violent media, given the lack of evidence for a link.

A history of a moral panic

So why are so many policymakers inclined to blame violent video games for violence? There are two main reasons.

The first is the psychological research community’s efforts to market itself as strictly scientific. This led to a replication crisis instead, with researchers often unable to repeat the results of their studies. Now, psychology researchers are reassessing their analyses of a wide range of issues – not just violent video games, but implicit racism , power poses and more.

The other part of the answer lies in the troubled history of violent video game research specifically.

An attendee dressed as a Fortnite character poses for a picture in a costume at Comic Con International in San Diego, California, U.S., July 19, 2019. Photo by REUTERS/Mike Blake

Beginning in the early 2000s, some scholars, anti-media advocates and professional groups like the APA began working to connect a methodologically messy and often contradictory set of results to public health concerns about violence. This echoed historical patterns of moral panic, such as 1950s concerns about comic books and Tipper Gore’s efforts to blame pop and rock music in the 1980s for violence, sex and satanism.

Particularly in the early 2000s, dubious evidence regarding violent video games was uncritically promoted . But over the years, confidence among scholars that violent video games influence aggression or violence has crumbled .

Reviewing all the scholarly literature

My own research has examined the degree to which violent video games can – or can’t – predict youth aggression and violence. In a 2015 meta-analysis , I examined 101 studies on the subject and found that violent video games had little impact on kids’ aggression, mood, helping behavior or grades.

Two years later, I found evidence that scholarly journals’ editorial biases had distorted the scientific record on violent video games. Experimental studies that found effects were more likely to be published than studies that had found none. This was consistent with others’ findings . As the Supreme Court noted, any impacts due to video games are nearly impossible to distinguish from the effects of other media, like cartoons and movies.

Any claims that there is consistent evidence that violent video games encourage aggression are simply false.

Spikes in violent video games’ popularity are well-known to correlate with substantial declines in youth violence – not increases. These correlations are very strong, stronger than most seen in behavioral research. More recent research suggests that the releases of highly popular violent video games are associated with immediate declines in violent crime, hinting that the releases may cause the drop-off.

The role of professional groups

With so little evidence, why are people like Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin still trying to blame violent video games for mass shootings by young men? Can groups like the National Rifle Association seriously blame imaginary guns for gun violence?

A key element of that problem is the willingness of professional guild organizations such as the APA to promote false beliefs about violent video games. (I’m a fellow of the APA.) These groups mainly exist to promote a profession among news media, the public and policymakers, influencing licensing and insurance laws . They also make it easier to get grants and newspaper headlines. Psychologists and psychology researchers like myself pay them yearly dues to increase the public profile of psychology. But there is a risk the general public may mistake promotional positions for objective science.

In 2005 the APA released its first policy statement linking violent video games to aggression. However, my recent analysis of internal APA documents with criminologist Allen Copenhaver found that the APA ignored inconsistencies and methodological problems in the research data.

The APA updated its statement in 2015, but that sparked controversy immediately: More than 230 scholars wrote to the group asking it to stop releasing policy statements altogether. I and others objected to perceived conflicts of interest and lack of transparency tainting the process.

It’s bad enough that these statements misrepresent the actual scholarly research and misinform the public. But it’s worse when those falsehoods give advocacy groups like the NRA cover to shift blame for violence onto non-issues like video games. The resulting misunderstanding hinders efforts to address mental illness and other issues, such as the need for gun control, that are actually related to gun violence.

This article was originally published in The Conversation. Read the original article . This story was updated from an earlier version to reflect the events surrounding the El Paso and Dayton shootings.

Christopher J. Ferguson is a professor of psychology at Stetson University. He's coauthor of " Moral Combat: Why the War on Violent Video Games is Wrong ."

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The Real Problem With Video Games

By Seth Schiesel

• March 13, 2018

Donald Trump has long claimed that exposure to simulated violence in video games begets violent tendencies in real life. “Video game violence and glorification must be stopped — it is creating monsters!” he tweeted in 2012.

In the wake of the school shooting in Parkland, Fla., as the nation debated gun control, Mr. Trump returned to that theme. “We have to look at the internet because a lot of bad things are happening to young kids and young minds, and their minds are being formed,” he said. He went on to implicate video games in particular: “I’m hearing more and more people say the level of violence on video games is really shaping young people’s thoughts.”

On Thursday, President Trump summoned video game executives to the White House to castigate them for the violence depicted in their products. The executives were joined by Republican members of Congress and by activists who have campaigned against violence in media.

The White House meeting did not, however, include any social scientists who have studied the effects of video games. That would have been too problematic. Decades of research, after all, have failed to find any significant relationship between playing violent video games and behaving violently in real life.

If anything, there may be a stronger connection between school violence and the sort of creative writing educators seek to foster. When the United States Secret Service and the Department of Education studied violence in schools , they found that 37 percent of attackers “exhibited an interest in violence in their own writings, such as poems, essays, or journal entries,” while only 12 percent exhibited an interest in violent video games.

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Video Game Addiction

The argument against video game addiction, many researchers are skeptical that video games are truly "addictive.".

Updated July 3, 2023 | Reviewed by Devon Frye

• What Is Video Game Addiction?
• Find a therapist near me
• Video games have many benefits for gamers.
• Research on gaming disorder—aka video game addiction—is flawed and not sufficiently conclusive.
• Because video games are less socially acceptable, they may be unfairly targeted.
• There are other explanations for many reports of video game addiction, including autism, ADHD, and depression.

This is half of a pair of articles that highlight the evidence for and against the existence of video game addiction . Read the counter-argument here .

For decades, psychologists, parents, and gamers have asserted that video games can be addictive. Although video games seem to influence enthusiasts differently from those of other hobbies, there is insufficient empirical evidence to designate them as an actual addiction . Further, video games are a fun and socially beneficial activity for many, so labeling them as addictive would prevent many from accessing these benefits.

For example, video games connect lonely or introverted people with one another , relieve stress , and even help people explore their own identities . Some therefore argue that, because of video games’ benefits and popularity, gaming addiction should not be considered an official diagnosis until overwhelming evidence supports this assertion.

Flawed Research

Several studies have concluded that gaming disorder qualifies as an addiction. Because addictions share several characteristics, researchers created theoretical criteria that a gamer must meet to have the diagnosis. For example, people with addictions suffer consequences in various aspects of their life and struggle to quit without help. This is true regardless of the substance.

Based on the assumption that people with video game addiction must be affected similarly, researchers have surveyed gamers on similar criteria to determine what percent have an addiction. These include questions such as, “How often do you find it difficult to stop gaming?” and “Have you deceived a family member, significant other, employer, or therapist regarding the amount of time spent engaging in gaming activities?”

Although questions like these may reasonably assess someone’s behavior, researchers use too many different questionnaires to be compared cleanly. Even when researchers use the same survey, they sometimes interpret the results differently.

In other words, someone would need to answer “Yes” to six of the eleven Gaming Addiction Screening questions to be considered addicted. They would need to respond “Sometimes” or “Often” to five or more of the ten questions in the Ten Item Internet Gaming Disorder Test to qualify. If the same person took both surveys, one survey might conclude that they had an addiction and the other might not. Further, some studies only measure how many hours per week a person spends gaming instead of targeting the effect games have on their functioning.

This has resulted in wildly different estimates of gaming addiction’s prevalence. It is difficult to draw meaningful conclusions from these data until researchers use standardized measures.

It is also very difficult to estimate one’s actual screen time each week. One meta-analysis of the research found that in 95 percent of studies, participants did not accurately report how much time they spend on screens . This calls into question all studies which rely on participants’ subjective estimates of how they use their time because they have based their conclusions on a statistic that is likely inaccurate.

Why Not Other Hobbies?

Other critics of the diagnosis point out that gaming has been unfairly targeted and pathologized. A person who plays golf instead of spending time with family is inconsiderate. A person who plays video games instead of spending time with family is addicted.

This demonstrates a clear bias . Society considers video games a waste of time, so an enthusiastic gamer is criticized more harshly than someone with a more acceptable hobby.

What Else Might Account for Excessive Gaming

Many of my clients report that they feel addicted to technology. When I continue the assessment process, many report that they were previously diagnosed with autism or ADHD . This complicates the diagnostic process because many people with these disorders already struggle to stop scrolling through social media or playing video games.

Most of us have looked up from our phones and realized that half an hour or more had suddenly passed. The hypnotic “flow” which we experienced blinded us to the passage of time. Autistic people* and those with ADHD are especially susceptible to this phenomenon. So if, for example, a person with ADHD finds it particularly difficult to turn off a game, does that person have an addiction or is it simply how this kind of stimulus affects those with ADHD?

Some research has found that heavy gamers have reduced gray matter in areas of the brain associated with attention , impulse control. However, these studies do not sufficiently demonstrate that gaming caused the differences, only that they are associated. Correlation is not causation. Some studies even show that brain scans for people with ADHD look remarkably similar to scans of those with gaming disorder , even after treatment.

One researcher pointed out this conundrum by relating it to depression . “We would not diagnose depressed individuals with hypersomnia with a comorbid ‘bed addiction.’” In other words, someone with depression might stay in bed for days, but this does not mean that they are addicted to the bed. In the same way, an autistic person or someone with depression or ADHD might appear to be addicted to video games even when they are not. In short, many diagnosed with gaming disorder may simply be autistic or have ADHD.

It is possible that video games are addictive. However, the current body of research is too flawed to state decisively that the negative consequences outweigh the benefits the games afford players. It is premature to consider gaming disorder to be an official addiction.

*Although many refer to autistic people as “people with autism” or “people with autism spectrum disorders,” almost 90 percent of autistic adults prefer “autistic person.” This language is used here to respect that preference.

Bean, A. M., Nielsen, R. K. L., van Rooij, A. J., & Ferguson, C. J. (2017). Video game addiction: The push to pathologize video games. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 48 (5). Retrieved from http://psycnet.apa.org/record/2017-29288-001

Diament, M. (2022, December 2). 'Autistic' or 'person with autism'? It depends. Disability Scoop. https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2022/12/02/autistic-or-person-with-auti…

Fishman, A. (2019, January 22). Video games are social spaces. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/video-game-health/201901/video-…

Fishman, A. (2022, November 7). Why it's so hard to walk away from a video game. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/video-game-health/202211/why-it…

Fishman, A. (2023, February 20). How gamers use video games to explore their gender identity. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/video-game-health/202302/how-…

Gentile, D. (n.d.) Gaming Addiction Screening. University of California, Santa Cruz. https://caps.ucsc.edu/pdf/gaming-addiction-screening.pdf

Han, D.H., Bae, S., Hong, J., Kim, S.M., Son, Y.D., & Renshaw, P. (2019). Resting-state fMRI study of ADHD and Internet Gaming Disorder. Journal of Attention Disorders, 25 (8). Retrieved from https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1087054719883022

Király, O., Bőthe, B., Ramos-Díaz, J., Rahimi-Movaghar, A., Lukavska, K., Hrabec, O., Miovsky, M., Billieux, J., Deleuze, J., Nuyens, F., Karila, L.M., Griffiths, M.D., Nagygyörgy, K., Urbán, R., Potenza, M., King, D.L., Rumpf, H., Carragher, N., Lilly, E., & Demetrovics, Z. (2019). Ten-Item Internet Gaming Disorder Test (IGDT-10): Measurement invariance and cross-cultural validation across seven language-based samples. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 33 (1). Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/328615597_Ten-Item_Internet_Ga…

Parry, D.A., Davidson, B.I., Sewall, C.J.R., Fisher, J.T., Mieczkowski, H., & Quintana, D.S. (2021). Nature Human Behavior, 5 . Retrieved from https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-021-01117-5

van Rooij, A.J., Ferguson, C., Carras, M.C. Kardefelt-Winther, D., Shi, J., Aarseth, E., Bean, A., Bergmark, K.H., Brus, A., Coulson, M., Deleuze, J., Dullur, P., Dunkels, E., Edman, J., Elson, M., Etchells, P.J., Fiskaali, A., Granic, I., Jansz, J...& Przybylski, A.K. (2018). A weak scientific basis for gaming disorder: Let us err on the side of caution. Journal of Behavioral Addictions, 7 (1) Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/323542721_A_weak_scientific_ba…

van Rooij, A.J., Schoenmakers, T., van den Eijnden, R.J.J.M., Vermulst, A.A., & van de Mheen, D. (2012). Video Game Addiction Test: Validity and psychometric characteristics. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 15 (9). Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/230696095_Video_Game_Addiction…

Andrew Fishman is a licensed social worker in Chicago, Illinois. He is also a lifelong gamer who works with clients to understand the impact video games have had on their mental health.

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THE GOOD AND THE BAD EFFECTS OF VIDEO GAMES ON CHILDREN

May 21, 2022

For many years, parents have been concerned about the effects of video games on their children’s development.  For the most part, parents have felt that video games take time away from more worthwhile activities and there is concern about violent video games which promote violent and anti-social behavior in children.  However, many scientists and psychologists believe that video games do have some benefits – one of these is that they can make children smarter.  So, just how good or bad are video games for our children? 

Positive Effects of Video Games:

Despite the concerns of many parents, not all video games are harmful to child development.  Many games provide interactive forms of education for children.  They help teach children about a variety of skills.

• Provide children with problem solving skills and enhance creativity

Games such as “Legend of Zelda” provide children the opportunity to think creatively as obstacles arise.  The character in the game searches, navigates, plans and tries different approaches to advance through the game.  Other games such as “Bakugan: Defenders of the Core” also involve planning and opportunities to problem-solve.  “Minecraft” is a popular game that encourages players to utilize “modding” (modification) options to customize their character’s appearance.  They can develop new worlds and levels. Modding gives children opportunities for self-expression.

• Teach kids about history and culture

Certain games are focused around real-life historical events such as “Age of Empires”, “Civilization” and “Mythology”. These games can stimulate an interest in geography, world history, ancient culture and international relationships.  Parents can then tie these games to books, museums and media about culture and geography to inspire learning.

• Help children make friends

Video games can encourage children to make friends as it is an opportunity for social activity.  Video games create a common interest for your children to make friends with others who share the same interest. Children can create peer circles both locally and online.  Research shows that boys frequently converse about video games with their peers.  Making friends through video games carries over into the teenage years.

• Allow kids to share the joy of competition

Competition for recognition among peers is a normal and healthy behavior. Surveys note that one of the popular reasons for playing video games is to compete with other people.  It is a safe form of competitive expression and can give children who are not good at sports an opportunity to excel at something.

• Enhance leadership skills in children

When children play games in groups, they take turns leading and following. Teens who play in groups online feel like they gain leadership skills in persuasion, motivation and mediation.  Online games also expose children to other children of different ages and nationalities as they play together in mixed age groups.

• Motivate children to teach others

Many children enjoy playing video games with other children because they like to teach others how to play.  They teach each other how to go from one point to another, collect certain items, and combine different elements of a game to succeed.

• Improve children’s memory

Video games can help improve a children’s memory even when they no longer play the games. Studies show that video games facilitate cognitive changes in the brain.  Adults who have had experience with video games before adolescence perform better at memory tasks than those who have not had video game experience as a child.

Negative Effects of Video Games:

Video games can have a negative effect on a child’s development.  This is particularly related to aspects of violence, antisocial behaviors and increased aggressive thoughts and feelings.

• Encourage violent behavior

Studies show that those who watch simulated violence, like that in video games, can become immune to the violence and more inclined to act violently themselves.  There has been a correlation between violent game use and aggressive behavior. There is insufficient evidence to link violent video games to criminal behavior.  The interactive nature of some of the video games can worsen the effects of the game violence on children by encouraging repetition and rewards for the behaviors.

• Promote social isolation and anti-social behavior

Spending too much time playing video games can isolate children. They may spend less time doing other activities such as reading, sports, homework and interaction with family and friends.  However, amongst video gamers, being a loner is not the norm.  Video games can actually augment a child’s social life.

• Discourage children to do well in school

There are studies that show that the more time children spend playing video games, the lower their performance is in school.  A study found that video game addicts have lower grades and have more destructive behaviors such as arguing and fighting with parents and teachers.   Some students admit that their video game habits affect their school performance. 

What are parents to do?  Parents need to be involved in monitoring their children’s video game playing habits.  This includes being aware of which video games their children are playing and knowing when to intervene in their children’s gaming.  Be mindful of any kind of video games with violence and its effects on your children.  In addition, parents need to establish boundaries for their children in relation to their game playing to prevent it from becoming a bad habit.  Never allow your children to spend hours and hours playing video games.  Balance and moderation are key.  Be proactive in your children’s gaming activities and be involved in the video game world with your child.  As fun and educational as video games can be, it is important that parents be aware that they can be both beneficial and detrimental to your child’s development.

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Living Better

Worried about your kids' video gaming here's how to help them set healthy limits.

Yuki Noguchi

I grew up in the 1980s and '90s with parents who strictly controlled my "screen time," which almost exclusively meant TV back then, as well as a pocket game that died when I was 10 and was never replaced. Like many in my generation, I absorbed a general sense that video games, like TV, were frivolous brain rot.

Now, my two boys, ages 12 and 13, are growing up in a digital world in a way I did not. Their generation lives online, spending more hours in virtual spaces since the pandemic began.

I'm lucky: My sons are hardworking and kind to their chronically frazzled single mother. They make raising them as easy and joyful as adolescence could possibly allow.

But still, our house rules about video games are arbitrary and our disputes over them constant. No amount of yelling "No games on school nights!" or "Not before dinner!" has worked, or inspired them to learn a new skill instead.

I feel like I'm flying blind when it comes to regulating their game use and I know I'm not alone. Many parents worry that they should be doing more to limit online play.

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Want to understand your adolescent get to know their brain.

But as I learned from talking to numerous experts — psychologists, game designers and researchers — the impact of video games is more nuanced than that of other kinds of screen time, like social media. In fact, some research shows it can have positive effects, like promoting problem solving, or teamwork and communication.

Here are these experts' insights and advice for how to optimize the upsides of gaming and protect kids from potential hazards.

Video games are different from other screen time in crucial ways — and have some benefits

"Screen time" is an outdated concept. Kids study, play video games, use social media and watch videos on screens, but those do not all have the same developmental impact. Video games, in fact, do not show the kind of negative behavioral or emotional effects researchers correlate with social media use, says Kelli Dunlap , a clinical psychologist and community director for Take This, a mental health advocacy group within the gaming community.

"Research has shown again and again and again, time spent playing video games is not predictive of mental health outcomes," she says.

One reason for the difference in impact may be that social media is primarily about marketing, or comparing oneself to others, while gaming is generally about socializing with friends, solving a puzzle, or engaging in competition.

In fact, Dunlap says, parents often overlook some benefits of games: "They're a tool. You can use games to improve your social connection, to practice feeling emotions we normally avoid, like guilt or grief or shame. A lot of games bring those feelings out in us, and they give us a space to play with those feelings."

Games that involve joint projects like a battle or a quest can help develop useful social skills, says Peter Etchells, a research psychologist at Bath Spa University in the U.K. "It requires very kind of precise team-building," he says. "It requires thinking about timings and placement and good communication skills to coordinate with people. It's doing that kind of coordinated work that's really useful for all sorts of things."

Teens say social media is stressing them out. Here's how to help them

Help kids prioritize offline activities so gaming doesn't subsume them.

Children need some limits on their gaming, especially if it begins to crowd out other essential or healthy activities, many experts warn, like schoolwork and sleep in particular.

"Screen time is a hard thing to quantify," says Michael Rich, a pediatrician and director of the Center on Media and Child Health at Boston Children's Hospital. "What is easier to quantify — and probably more in line with what is developmentally optimal — is quantifying non-screen time."

He advises parents to watch that family meals, chores, and outdoor or in-person play do not get subsumed into game time.

Kids also benefit from having periods of lower stimulation, away from technology, Rich says. "I want to bring back boredom," Rich argues, because that can also lead to imaginative play.

You need to start gaming with your kids

Every expert I spoke with recommended playing video games with your child to figure out what might specifically be motivating them to play — the needs the game might fill for them.

Online chess, for example, is a different experience than a multiplayer game with friends. Shy children might find it easier to socialize in games. Another child might regard it as stress relief. Some children may use games as a place to escape or process a difficult situation.

Boston Children's Rich says most things parents worry about with games — stranger danger, violence, sexuality — can be addressed by simply exploring the game through their eyes.

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"What's happening is that you are saying, 'I love you, I respect you, I want to understand what is engaging you here,'" says Rich. "You're entering that space with a very different stance, that of essentially the student. You will get a sense for what the game is."

If you've noticed your kids yell, scream or cry about something that happened in a game, don't be disturbed, experts say. A child's reactions to emotions and interpersonal dynamics are real, even if the play itself takes place virtually, or on a device. Experts say outbursts during game play do not mean your child is more likely to act violently in real life.

Video games are like other spaces where your kids spend time. Ask yourself: Is it safe? Who else is there?

Games are social spaces — good or bad things can happen there — just as in real life. Think about the games your kids play as just another kind of space where you're letting them hang out, several experts suggested.

For example: If you have a 5-year-old, you wouldn't drop your child off alone at a mall, where strangers might approach. Now you might drop off your teen at the mall, but not before discussing who they're hanging out with, what they plan to do, and perhaps an agreement about when to come home for dinner. The same general principles can apply to teens who game.

Parents should ask themselves: Does the game culture itself seem conducive to age-appropriate behavior? Games with female characters with exaggerated sexual features, for example, might subject a child to sexual harassment.

If you don't like what you're seeing in a game, remember that outright bans and restrictions tend to backfire with adolescents. It's more vital to keep communication lines open, says Dunlap and other experts, so if something bad happens within the game, you can help them process or deal with it.

Watch for "dark designs" or designs that fuel nonstop playing

Be on the watch for certain "dark patterns" or "dark designs" in games, say several gaming experts. These terms refer to software or algorithms written to elicit certain negative behaviors in their users.

One of the most common is in-game purchases that can border on extortion, says Max Birk, an industrial-design researcher at Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands. "It's important because it changes what the emphasis of the game designers is," he says.

Games fueled by in-game purchases (as opposed to games you buy up front, like NBA2K or Dance Dance Revolution) tend to have a financial stake in keeping children engaged for long periods of time. These games make it very easy to start a new game, or create steep incentives to keep players coming back.

Birk suggests talking to your kids about the game structure and directing them toward games that are more about story lines, or that have natural ending points that can allow the kid to wind down game play on their own.

Monitor games for toxic culture and harassment

Toxic culture and comments can thrive in certain games because parents are not monitoring those spaces. That often takes the form of harassment of female gamers. The onus is on parents of boys, especially, to make sure that they treat people equitably online, and to stand up against any sexist or misogynistic talk, says Jesse Fox, a communications professor at Ohio State University.

Remind your kids that rules about respectful behavior apply online as they do in life. "Gaming culture and gaming norms are going to imprint on their idea of normal behavior, what's acceptable behavior," Fox says. That's why it is critical for parents to monitor that play space — listen to conversations, keep the screen within public view.

Find the spaces that are safer and more inclusive by design. Fortnite, Fox notes, is an example of a game that has a huge diversity of characters in game, because it's trying to appeal to a very broad audience. That diversity makes it harder to distinguish players by race or gender.

Watch for these gaming red flags

For many children, gaming can be positive, but it's a good idea to keep an eye out for these signs of problematic game use.

Excessive spending in games: The game's financial incentives might be to keep your child engaged and encourage — even try to coerce — their characters into spending money to advance. Teach your child to recognize these kinds of tactics and redirect them to games where the game itself is the primary focus.

Negative reactions or anxiety over gaming friends: If your kid is repeatedly having big emotional reactions to the game, check in and figure out what elements of the game are so upsetting. Then redirect them to games and spaces that don't have these elements. Find single-player games to take a break from social dynamics.

Too little sleep: If your child is playing late into the night or turning up groggy in the morning, their game use might be out of hand. Make sure the child cannot access games all night long. Often, it's not the desire to play the game itself, but the social pressure to not miss out on experiences with friends that will keep them online, U.K. researcher Peter Etchells says. So shut down other technology as well, preferably well before bedtime.

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Effects of Video Games Essay

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Introduction

School performance, effects on social relationships.

The society has been immensely influenced by the technological changes, which are reshaping some of the activities. The emerging technologies in one way or another have affected every member of society, irrespective of age.

Video Games have had the greatest influence on the lives of children. Children no longer appreciate the outdoor games as was before, as most of their time is spend indoors playing video games.

Although this trend may have a positive impact on the lives of the concerned children as far as their knowledge of computer is concerned, there are various negative impacts.

Various educationists have confirmed that outdoor plays are very important to the development and growth of children.

It helps them develop socially as they meet with their friends and learn to share discussions, get involved in physical activities and develop physically through such games. The paper talks about some of the negative effects of computer games (Finkel, 1995).

It is established through research that computer games do not help children grow academically. In fact, computer games contribute to inactivity of body cells, which might lead to oversight hence causing diseases such as hypertension and diabetes.

Moreover, indoor games contribute to poor academic performance among students because most of the time is spend on useless games that do not offer any academic lessons.

Lastly, computer games lead to the development of antisocial behavior whereby a student is not interested in interacting with his or her peers.

Available literature shows that more children are growing obese owing to the fact that they spend little time exercising and engage frequently with the computer.

Research shows that children who take part in physical exercises are more healthy, intelligent, and active in class. The study conducted by American Heart Association proved that children are contracting heart diseases mainly because of lack of physical activity.

The research indicated that the number of obese children increased by four percent in 1974. Those affected were children aged six to eleven years.

However, the percentage increase could not be compared with the study conducted in 2006 whereby the increase rate was seventeen percent. As from 1971 to 2006, the number of adolescents thought to be obese increased from 6.1 percent to 17.6 percent.

The percentage increase was shocking. Furthermore, the increase was attributed to lack of physical activity and video games (Wiegman, & van Schie, 1998).

Overweight is a costly condition that leads to a number of illnesses among school going children. According to experts at the University of Michigan, obese children have higher risks of contracting diseases such as diabetes, heart diseases, and high blood pressure.

Other illnesses associated with overweight include high cholesterol levels in the body, hyperlipidemia, sleep apnea, respiratory problems, gastrointestinal malfunctions, early adolescence, and finally mental problems.

Studies show that obese children tend to have a low sense of worth and despair.

As AHA records show, obese children are likely to be obese when they attain the adulthood age. This would even cause more problems because they would be exposed to a number of diseases.

A study conducted by Media Literacy Clearinghouse indicated that children had developed a habit towards computer games. Video games had gained relevance among children aged eight and eighteen years to an extent that the rate at which children played computer games rose from an average of 26 minutes in 1999 to 73 minutes in 2009.

Generally, the rate at which children interacted with the computer daily rose from six hours in 1999 to seven hours in 2009. A report compiled in 2004 at the University Hospital of Zurich revealed that a strong link between obesity and video games exist.

It can be concluded that video games do not help children in any way but instead it affects their health. Video games interfere with the children’s eating habits because such children would tend to consume food with high calories.

In this regard, parents need to monitor the behavior of their children as regards to physical fitness.

In the United States, a study conducted to ascertain the effects of computer games on the performance of students proved that PlayStations and other video games such as Xbox Video affects the concentration of children in class.

Furthermore, the study revealed that children who are like using playing video games could not compete favorably with those who prefer physical games. One of the researchers was quoted saying that the performance of students who engage in physical exercises will always improve with time.

Boys are affected more by the new trend since they would rarely improve in class. Their performance would always remain stagnant for a period.

Moreover, boys cannot develop skills that would help them to read and write well in case they are allowed to interact with the computer frequently (Sakurai, 1984).

It should be noted that video games might not necessarily cause poor performance among school going children but the time spent in watching the games or playing them would consume the time that a student would be expected to read, do some homework, and write a good composition.

Definitely, a student would register a poor grade in case he or she does not engage in a serious research. Video games have a tendency of instilling negative reading attitudes to students. This is because a student would find reading a storybook or solving a mathematics problem boring.

Video games are very fast and demand a higher concentration unlike other academic activities that need time for conceptualization. In a joint study conducted in Australia, researchers concluded that video games affect the performance of students in many ways.

Students who spend time playing video games would always perform dismally in class. In fact, the study revealed that computer games do not help children perform well in any of the subjects. This is because students who spend time watching and playing computer games would always score low in each subject.

This research contradicts some of the assumptions that computer games help children to perform well in some subjects. The Australian study revealed that there is no single positive correlation between academic performance and computer games.

Video games are known to influence the cognitive and educational dexterities of children. Moreover, the games can as well as define the children’s social relationships. In a traditional setting, the relationship between the child and the parent or other senior members of society is clearly defined.

The video games have changed meaning that social relations are no longer the same. Studies indicate that video games, especially those that are violent, reshape the behavior of children. Moreover, video games could contain some sort of competition and aggression, which affect the reasoning of children.

In the current society, the rate at which conflicts occur in society has increased. Youths are currently violent because of the new games. The main objective of video games, according to Nintendo and Sega Genesis Center, is violence.

Any game played by children via the computer does not have anything new other than violent content. The companies specializing in selling computer games would convince parents that the games are non-violent but in the real sense, they are not.

A study conducted in 1998 confirmed that many children, over 80%, were familiar to a violent game referred to as Duke Nukem. Unfortunately, only 5% of parents were aware of the game meaning that children are access even those games that are supposed to be accessed by only the adults.

This trend affects the social life of children. In 1999, students at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado engaged in a destructive demonstration mainly because of the influence of computer games.

Students shot at their fellow teens and other people because they experienced it through video games. Such kind of behavior is destructive because it could lead to social anomy (Griffith, 1999).

Studies across the world indicate that violent video games increase an individual’s hostility and aggression. Aggressive games would lead to a habit whereby students prefer to play the games rather than engage in physical exercises.

This is even related to overweight. Children who are used to video games tend to be indifferent and unresponsive to the sufferings of other children. They would easily bully their fellow students without mercy.

Finkel, S. (1995). Causal analysis with panel data. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage

Griffith, M. (1999). Violent video games and aggression: A review of the literature. Aggression and Violent Behavior , 4(2), 203-212.

Sakurai, S. (1984). Construction of the Social Desirability Scale for Children. Japanese Journal of Educational Psychology , 32(2), 310-314.

Wiegman, O., & van Schie, E. (1998). Video game playing and its relations with aggressive and pro-social behavior. British Journal of Social Psychology , 37(2), 367- 378.

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Screen Rant

Why ncis star cote de pablo almost didn't play ziva.

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NCIS' Most Lethal Villain Actor Received Audition Requests For Spinoffs

Four years later, i still can't believe how empire's series finale was handled, this dungeons & dragons series would be the perfect replacement for amazon's vox machina.

• Cote de Pablo almost lost the role of Ziva to someone who auditioned over 15 times.
• De Pablo got the NCIS role after 1 test read with Michael Weatherly.
• NCIS showrunner Donald P. Bellisario revealed the news to Cote de Pablo himself.

Cote de Pablo was a key figure on NCIS , but while it's impossible to imagine the shared NCIS universe without her, she almost didn't play Ziva David. De Pablo would go on to portray the character from NCIS seasons 3 to 11, staying with the series several years beyond her initial six-year contract with the show. Ziva David would become one of the most beloved characters in NCIS history , inspiring the franchise to bring her back for a new series centered on her life: the spinoff NCIS: Tony & Ziva .

The original NCIS characters , Ziva David and Anthony DiNozzo, warranted their spinoff because their chemistry on the flagship series was magnetic. Their relationship built over many NCIS seasons, but it was revealed in the new podcast hosted by the NCIS stars, Off Duty: An NCIS Rewatch, that some pivotal moments happened outside the series and defined how the characters would interact with each other. Off Duty also revealed that Cote de Pablo thought her chances of getting the role were impossible , which would have changed the entire course of NCIS history.

Cote de Pablo Almost Lost The Role Of Ziva To Someone Who Auditioned Over 15 Times

Cote de pablo traveled to los angeles to audition for the role of ziva david.

In the Off Duty: An NCIS Rewatch podcast, in which de Pablo and Michael Weatherly revisit essential Tony and Ziva NCIS episodes , de Pablo recalled the events of her test screening. When she got to the theater, another actor was there to audition. The other prospective Ziva actor said that she had auditioned for the role 15 or 16 times , and de Pablo felt that the part already belonged to the other woman. De Pablo remembered hearing laughter among the other actors and those in the room before it was her turn to audition, thinking that there was no way she would be chosen.

Off Duty: An NCIS Rewatch is available on Spotify .

Cote de Pablo said she was in national commercials at the time , but a wake-up call had pushed her to audition for several TV roles. She got a call about the role on a Friday, suggesting there might be a test screening, but her manager didn't think it would go through. It was to de Pablo's surprise that she was flying to Los Angeles later that weekend to audition for the role of Ziva. She assumed they had brought her to California to be sure of their decision and that it wouldn't be her.

Cote de Pablo Got The NCIS Role After 1 Test Read With Michael Weatherly

Ncis showrunner donald p. bellisario revealed the news to cote de pablo himself.

On Off Duty: An NCIS Rewatch, de Pablo remembered a pivotal moment when NCIS showrunner Donald P. Bellisario had de Pablo laugh at Weatherly in the audition to disarm his antics. It was a suggestion that would lay the foundation for Tony and Ziva's NCIS romance , establishing their dynamic. Ziva had a balanced relationship with Tony because of her ability to intimidate him where other women could not. De Pablo recalled when she headed home that evening, she was waiting to catch a cab when Bellisario caught up with her outside, ultimately revealing that she got the role after one screening .

Cote de Pablo called the moment Don Bellisario announced she had the role "the quintessential Hollywood moment."

NCIS history happened when de Pablo read for the role of Ziva David. Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo recalled an infamous moment in the Off Duty: An NCIS Rewatch podcast when Weatherly went off script , touched de Pablo's face, and told her she looked like Salma Hayek. De Pablo remembered that it made her angry and that something in the room changed when she adjusted her character's approach to something fierce and composed. The room's energy shifted at that moment, and they knew they had won their audience over.

Cote de Pablo picked up her life in New York and moved to California to immediately begin filming for NCIS season 3.

After it was revealed that she had gotten the part, Cote de Pablo picked up her life in New York and moved to California to begin filming for NCIS season 3 immediately. The chemistry established in the room that day between Weatherly and de Pablo was a significant touchstone for NCIS history , and it set the tone for an NCIS relationship that fans could get behind . While things will be different for off-duty agents in their new spinoff series, the dynamic wherein de Pablo keeps Weatherly in check, which won de Pablo her Ziva NCIS role despite all odds, will undoubtedly feature.

Source: Off Duty: An NCIS Rewatch / Spotify

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NCIS (Naval Criminal Investigative Service) focuses on the sometimes complex and always amusing dynamics of a team forced to work together in high-stress situations. Special Agent Alden Parker, a quirky former FBI agent who solves his cases with calm professionalism and sharp, sarcastic charm, leads the NCIS team, which includes NCIS Special Agent Timothy McGee, an MIT graduate with a knack for computers who has now graduated to senior field agent; the charismatic, unpredictable and resilient NCIS Special Agent Nicholas “Nick” Torres, who has spent most of his career on solo undercover assignments; and sharp, athletic and tough NCIS Special Agent Jessica Knight, a formidable REACT agent who specializes in hostage negotiations and high-risk operations. The naïve Jimmy Palmer is assisting the team, who graduated from assistant to fully licensed medical examiner and now runs the morgue; and forensic scientist Kasie Hines, Ducky’s former graduate assistant. Overseeing operations is NCIS Director Leon Vance, an intelligent, highly trained agent who can always be counted on to shake up the status quo. From murder and espionage to terrorism and stolen submarines, these special agents investigate all crimes with Navy or Marine Corps ties.

More From Forbes

Why an extension of trump's tax cuts should concern long-term investors.

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Tax cuts for billionaires are a bad deal for the vast majority of investors.

The announcement seemed to come at the right time—and the right place. At a spring campaign dinner with billionaires and other wealthy donors who gave a record $50.5 million, former president and presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump reportedly promised to renew the tax cuts for billionaires and billionaire corporations that are set to expire in 2025, according to NBC News. In the weeks since, as Trump has increasingly used fundraisers to offer tax giveaways to donors, the House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) has proposed using the budget reconciliation process to renew expiring tax cuts without the need for a 60-vote Senate majority or bipartisan consensus, The Hill reported.

That Trump wants to extend his 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act should come as no surprise. The TCJA was a legislative priorities he accomplished during his term in office. But it dramatically increased the national debt and was arguably a senseless giveaway to foreign investors , a topic I wrote about in March . Another one of the law’s troubling elements was a new deduction for owners of so-called pass-through businesses. The provision was 50 times more likely to help the top 1% of earners—those who are more likely to have these types of businesses—than those in the bottom 50% of the income spectrum, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities .

From the investor perspective, this isn’t about liberal or conservative policies. It’s about policies that grow the economy for the long term versus policies that don’t.

Tax cuts for billionaires are a bad deal for the vast majority of investors. Extending the TCJA in full would cost more than $3.3 trillion—$3.8 trillion with interest—through 2033, by one estimate from the Committee for a Responsible Budget. Drilling down, extending the pass-through deduction in 2025 for companies favored by hedge funds and private equity firms would increase the debt dramatically, by an estimated $700 billion , per the CRFB—with little to show for it in terms of net new economic activity.

Look at 2023. The level of deficits and revenues were unusual given the strength of the economy and low unemployment last year, according to the Council of Economic Advisors . The CEA analysis related this back to the “revenue-reducing impact” of the 2017 tax cuts. That means the economy was otherwise healthy, growing and creating jobs in the short term.

However, the one-two punch of high-interest payments on the debt and reduced revenues resulting from the 2017 tax cuts left less to invest in the years that followed. Proven drivers of sustained and broad-based economic growth, like investments in critical infrastructure and innovation, help the vast majority of investors.

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Best 5% interest savings accounts of 2024.

While the 2017 tax cuts benefited billionaires in the short run, over the long term, the picture is different. The U.S. Treasury has already taken out more than $34 trillion in debt . The CRFB says that Americans effectively service that debt through higher future taxes, lower future spending, lower wages, and an increasing share of their tax dollars paying interest to cover past consumption. Of course, there are times and places for countries to take on debt—especially for productive investments that power the economy and create equitable growth.

But now the evidence is in: extending tax giveaways for the wealthiest political donors is not a smart policy. In addition to hurting the U.S.’ potential for economic growth, giveaways to billionaires increase the hyper-concentration of wealth that contributes to long-term political instability. Again: it’s bad for the majority of investors—including patriotic billionaires—and that should matter.

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Home — Essay Samples — Entertainment — Video Games — The Benefits Of Video Games

Video Games and Its Positive Effects

• Categories: Advantages of Technology Impact of Technology Video Games

About this sample

Words: 1248 |

Published: Jun 20, 2019

Words: 1248 | Pages: 2 | 7 min read

Table of contents

Introduction, positive effects of video games, works cited.

• Ferguson, C. J. (2015). Do angry birds make for angry children? A meta-analysis of video game influences on children's and adolescents' aggression, mental health, prosocial behavior, and academic performance. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 10(5), 646-666.
• Granic, I., Lobel, A., & Engels, R. C. (2014). The benefits of playing video games. American Psychologist, 69(1), 66-78.
• Green, C. S., & Bavelier, D. (2012). Learning, attentional control, and action video games. Current Biology, 22(18), R197-R206.
• Kühn, S., & Gallinat, J. (2014). Amount of lifetime video gaming is positively associated with entorhinal, hippocampal and occipital volume. Molecular Psychiatry, 19(7), 842-847.
• McGonigal, J. (2011). Reality is broken: Why games make us better and how they can change the world. Penguin.
• Russoniello, C. V., Fish, M., & O'Brien, K. (2013). The efficacy of casual video game play in reducing clinical depression: A randomized controlled study. Games for Health Journal, 2(6), 341-346.
• Subrahmanyam, K., & Greenfield, P. (1998). Effect of video game practice on spatial skills in girls and boys. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 19(3), 463-472.
• Van Rooij, A. J., Ferguson, C. J., Colder Carras, M., Kardefelt-Winther, D., Shi, J., Aarseth, E., ... & Saunders, J. (2018). A weak scientific basis for gaming disorder: Let us err on the side of caution. Journal of Behavioral Addictions, 7(1), 1-9.
• Wang, H. Y., & Peng, W. (2017). The benefits of playing video games. In Media Exposure and Risk (pp. 197-210). Springer.
• Yee, N., & Bailenson, J. (2007). The Proteus effect: The effect of transformed self-representation on behavior. Human Communication Research, 33(3), 271-290.

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ESPN broadcast shows Texas A&M fan getting kicked out in second inning of CWS showdown vs Florida

The thing about a 10 p.m. start time in the College World Series: Fans have a lot of time to stew.

As such, Texas A&M couldn't make it two full innings without getting a fan ejected from the Aggies' first game in Omaha, as the ESPN broadcast showed the fan getting into it with the Florida dugout.

LIVE: Texas A&M baseball vs Florida live score, updates, highlights for College World Series game

The cameras cut away as security charged in and the fan was ushered from the scene.

Don't know what happened here but a Texas A&M fan was getting escorted out for yelling at the Florida dugout pic.twitter.com/X0hjIDiMIQ — CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) June 16, 2024

The incident occurred moments after Texas A&M scored the first run of the game on a ground ball down the third base line. According to Gators Online's Nick de la Torre , a second fan was also ejected in the incident.

Texas A&M's fanbase, dubbed in football as "The 12th Man," has gained notoriety over the years. This incident, however, is rare as it seemed to directly and personally involve someone in the Florida dugout.

This is Texas A&M's fourth CWS appearance since 2011, as the Aggies look for their first appearance in the championship series. Though things got off to an inauspicious start in the stands Saturday, on the field the Aggies found themselves up 2-0 coming out of the second inning.