Research Paper Example: Negative Effects of Video Games

While gaming is a widespread form of entertainment across the globe and is viewed as a generally positive activity, not everyone agrees. In the article, “Video Game Addiction: Why the Mental Disorder, Now Recognized…”, Kate Whitehead writes about Cam Adair, a young man from Calgary, Canada who says that his time playing video games caused a severe addiction. Adair says his addiction has led to him losing jobs, and even pretending to have jobs and not work. He even claims to have even had suicidal thoughts and planned his own death. Fortunately, work is being done to ensure that young people do not end up in Cam Adair’s situation, in the summer of 2018, the World Health Organization (WHO) officially classified gaming addiction as a diagnosable condition in the 11th edition of its International Classification of Diseases. (Whitehead) This means that healthcare providers from around the world could begin to diagnose video game addiction as a mental health disorder. Many people disagree with the WHO’s decision, saying video games have positive as well as negative effects. But despite the fact that video games can enhance cognitive abilities, they can negatively affect other parts of the body; video games cause depression and anxiety, release dopamine similarly to drugs and alcohol, and distract people from basic daily activities such as sleeping and eating.

Video games can negatively affect the brain, causing depression and anxiety. Charles Hymus wrote an article titled “Warning over Link Between Depression and Video Game Addiction…”, in which his research shows that 40% of twelve to fifteen-year-olds had seen something hateful online, and 12% said they had been bullied (Hymus). There is no doubt that video games lead to bullying and hateful behavior which leads to the mental worsening of the people who fall victim to this repeated abuse. According to doctors and psychiatrists that Hymus interviewed, MRI scans have revealed the signals between different parts of gaming addicts’ brains were disrupted, driving them to continue playing but also worsening their depression (Hymus). The medical community has proven with these images that the brain’s chemical signals were unbalanced in the brains of those who play video games on a daily basis. The emotional part of the brain, responsible for feelings of depression, was shown to be overriding the executive part of the brain that could rein in their addiction (Hymus). 

Furthermore, in Doreen Dodgen-Magnee’s article “We Need to Take Tech Addiction Seriously” it is shown that research from the University of Pittsburgh found higher rates of depression and anxiety among young adults with several social media platforms rather than those with just one. On top of this, the University of Pennsylvania published the first experimental data linking decreased well-being to Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram use in young adults (Dodgen-Magnee). Although video games can cause depression and anxiety, the brain continues to want to engage in them because they are designed to be addictive. 

Video games are not only comparable to drugs and alcohol but are designed to be that way. 50% of adolescents reported already feeling that their use has become addictive and 27% of parents reported the same (Dodgen-Magnee). Clearly, these people are aware of their addiction, so why don’t they do anything about it? Because their brain doesn’t allow them to. Games are designed to hook people-just challenging enough to keep people coming back more but not so hard that they throw in the towel (Whitehead). It is clear that people who play video games can become easily addicted even though they are aware. The chemicals in the brain become unbalanced due to the playing of video games, similar to drugs and alcohol. Dopamine, a neurotransmitter, and chemical responsible for feelings like happiness, love, satisfaction, and pleasure, is surged throughout the brain when video games are played, drugs are taken, or alcohol is drunk. Whether the person is a meth addict, alcoholic, or video game addict-what they are actually addicted to is dopamine. The first time a video game addict uses a computer they get excited the same way an alcoholic would in a bar (Whitehead). Dopamine releases in the brain the same way it does in drugs and alcohol, and there is no debate that drug addiction and alcoholism is a serious problems. In Targeted News Service’s article “Video Game Addiction: Signs, Effects, Treatment.'' it is claimed that a vast majority of people who enjoy video games do not suffer from a video game addiction, just as the vast majority of people who drink alcohol aren’t alcoholics (“Video”). While a majority may not suffer from the disease, there are still high percentages of people suffering from these addictions 

Even more so, because their brain loves dopamine and doesn’t let them stop gaming, they miss out on things important to real life. In Cam Adair’s article “The Negative Effects of Video Games - 12 Symptoms” he describes how video gaming can distract people from basic daily activities and affect the body physically. When you spend most of your time sitting in front of a screen absorbed in games, it is easy to forget to eat regular meals, drink water, exercise, and take care of your overall health (Adair). If you forget to eat meals and drink water it can lead to malnutrition and dehydration, and lack of exercise can lead to obesity or weak muscles and bones.

Gaming also leads to poor sleeping habits. Hours of gaming daily often result in less sleep, especially if people play later at night or with friends from different time zones. It’s easy to play “just one more game,” which results in “just one less hour of sleep.” Excessive gaming can lead to poor sleep hygiene and other adverse physical health effects (Adair). Inadequate amounts of sleep or no sleep at all is a common occurrence in addicted video gamers, no matter how tired they are they continue playing, but these actions have consequences. Sleep deprivation can not only affect people’s ability to focus in school, work, or at home, but it can also lead to impaired memory and relationship stress, significantly diminishing their overall life (Adair). Losing memory obviously can wear down the ability to interact with other people. 

According to Japan News’ article “All of Society Should Be Aware of the Dangers of Gaming Addiction.”, although people are negatively affected, they still spend hours on end playing video games. 40% of people who spend 6 or more hours playing video games said they continued to play despite them creating headaches or sleeping disorders (“All”).  It is clear that video games are addicting as people go through pain just to play them. Consequences of a video game addiction include wrist, neck, and elbow pain, skin blisters, calluses, sleeping disorders, long-term obesity, blood clots, or numbness in the hands. Signs include ignoring previously enjoyed activities and withdrawal when not playing (“Video”). Despite video games causing mental and physical problems, people still claim they can do more good than harm.

On the contrary, the article "Is Gaming Good for Kids?" by John Velez, claims that video games are not as bad as they seem, stating gaming can increase eye and brain functionality. Research has shown that people who play video games such as Fortnite or Rocket League have higher visual acuity. Your brain loves the challenges that video games contain-and it can actually grow from playing video games, when you keep an eye on your enemies, grab the best loot and change your inventory all without even looking at the controller, you are essentially flexing your brain. Some doctors even play video games to warm up before big surgeries (Velez). All of these things come at a high cost; psychological practices are often used to teach individuals to recognize and modify inaccurate thought patterns to help cope with varying life situations as pathological gamers are at high risk of having lower social competence and greater impulsiveness (“Video”). While video games can help people observe patterns, they negatively affect their ability to deal with these patterns so this affects their problem-solving skills as well as social skills. These benefits are not enough to outweigh the terrible way they affect people’s lives.

In conclusion, video games negatively affect people’s lives by causing depression and anxiety, releasing dopamine similar to drugs and alcohol, and distracting people from basic daily activities such as sleeping and eating; even though they can enhance some parts of their brain and eye functions. Today, Cam Adair is a grown man who actively works to help addicted gamers recover. He even created an organization called “Game Quitters”, whose number one objective is to ensure no more gamers end up in his situation as a young man.