Persuasive Essay: Video Games Are Beneficial

According to research released by the Entertainment Software Association over fifty percent of parents believe video games are a positive part of their child’s life (ESA). Video games are beneficial, because they aid in childhood development, have the ability to relieve stress in people, and their aid in the reduction of cognitive decline in older aging adults.

Video games were first introduced in the 1970s in the form of arcade games but became more common during the 1980s with the introduction of the Atari 2600. During this time parents believed that video games would be atrocious for children’s minds. Their main concern was the violent influence of video games that more commonly appeared in the early-2000s with games such as Call of Duty. Video game systems became very prevalent inside the home during the mid-2000s with Nintendo’s introduction of the Wii. This system changed the view of gaming because the Wii was advertised as a whole family system. After all, the whole family could play together or each family member individually. This system also became the most popular gaming system since it sold many different accessories and games such as the Wii Fit with the Wii Balance Board, this was an exercise-based game that is now generally known as exergaming.       

Currently, we as a civilization are looking to research this topic every day.“Important research has already been conducted for decades on the negative effects of gaming, including addiction, depression and aggression, and we are certainly not suggesting that this should be ignored,” said lead author Isabela Granic, in The Netherlands. “However, to understand the impact of video games on children’s and adolescents’ development, a more balanced perspective is needed.” (American) We have had many debates on this topic and have concluded that video games are not bad for kids and they help them grow as an individual, video games despite good it’s not a one size fits all thing, some games are not appropriate for a certain demographic such as violent bloody games for example call of duty wouldn’t be given to a toddler. Currently, the views from parents and society are that games can help a person develop and it is a great pass time for kids. Video games have a lot more benefits than disadvantages when played safely and in moderation.” In the end, gaming doesn’t have a negative connotation, it is the society that gives it a negative vibe. It has been proven to help better surgeons and military soldiers on countless occasions" (Caviston).Video games are beneficial. because they aid in childhood development, ability to relieve stress in people, and their aid in the reduction of cognitive decline in older aging adults.

One reason why video games are beneficial is they aid in childhood development. Early childhood development is the foundation of whom a person will become and what skills they will possess in the future. According to a blog post from a group at Penn State, there are many skills children can acquire from gaming such as following instructions, problem-solving, resource management, multi-tasking, perseverance, and the introduction to technology (Caviston), which they will need in our ever-changing society.

The second reason why video games are beneficial is their ability to relieve stress in people of all ages. Stress is something everyone of all ages goes through, stress can be from many different things such as an assignment due date, test, the feeling you said something wrong, the worry of fitting in a group or place. Stress comes from many different things and people choose to relieve stress in various ways, some people like to go to a library and read a book, some people like to sleep, some people eat there stress away, and some people like to play video games. Video games have and continue to help people relieve stress and help people prevent stress.

The third reason video games are beneficial is the reduction of cognitive deterioration in older aging adults. As people age, along with the body, one’s mind becomes older too, they begin to be forgetful and may need longer to remember things such as names or information. There are many ways to help prevent cognitive decline and one of those is gaming. Gaming systems such as the Nintendo Wii, the Wii were used in rehabilitation programs to build cognitive skills including memory (Brain Games). According to a study held by the University of Santiago de Compostela, they found in there data “The meta-analyses indicated that the interventions were associated with significant improvements in speed of processing” (Casa). 

The final benefit of video games is they help produce well-rounded individuals. “According to a review of research in American Psychologist, Playing video games, including violent shooter games, may boost children's learning, health, and social skills” (Bowen). In recent research in doctors, in most small surgeries they use robotic tools that have controllers similar to video game controllers and they found that doctors with more experience with video games have a decreased failure rate and faster completion times compared to surgeons without prior videogame experience (Can Video Games...).

Based on findings above, the majority of research concludes video games are beneficial. Their are always cavaouts with these claims, not every game is made the same and thus will not be beneficial for all people such as children and older adults. Video games will olny be effective when used in modoration and when used properly. Do you think video games are beneficial?

Work Cited

"ESA: Majority of Parents Say Video Games are a Positive Part of Kids' Lives." Entertainment Close-up, 30 Apr. 2014. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A366377832/GPS?u=nclivemdtcc&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=b78f669a. Accessed 8 Nov. 2021.

Caviston, Andrew Montgomery, et al. “SIOWFA15: Science in Our World: Certainty and Controversy.” SiOWfa15 Science in Our World Certainty and Controversy, 7 Oct. 2015, https://sites.psu.edu/siowfa15/2015/10/07/why-gaming-is-beneficial-for-you/.

Casa, Antonio Garcia, and Fernando L Vázquez. “Efficacy of Video Games for Cognitive Decline Prevention: A Meta-Analysis.” ResearchGate, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/329311318_EFFICACY_OF_VIDEO_GAMES_FOR_COGNITIVE_DECLINE_PREVENTION_A_META-ANALYSIS. 

American Psychological Association. Video games play may provide learning, health, social benefits. http://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2013/11/video-games.