Why Do Teens Spend So Much Time Playing Video Games?

Why Do Teens Spend So Much Time Playing Video Games? 

Over the years gaming has become a widely popular aspect of present-day culture. Nearly six decades ago the first forms of arcade video games became available to the general public. The initial aspect of gaming that made it such a big success was the ability to interact with the system. Creating different outcomes(scores) every time you pressed “start game” supplied players with a revolutionary way of connecting with the gameplay; it allowed people to experience the digital world before the internet era had even begun. In modern society, video games are common leisure that many generations partake in, the reason for such widespread popularity has a lot to do with our neurology.

The gaming industry started in 1972 when Magnavox released the world's first home video game console, the Magnavox Odyssey. In the beginning, it only sold approximately 350,000 units due to poor marketing and the dominance of other forms of entertainment such as board games and television. The market stayed dormant for another decade until 1989 when Nintendo released its revolutionary hand-held gaming device, the Game Boy. The 8-bit system was an instant success amongst every generation, sales reached billions of dollars worldwide, making it the best-selling gaming device up to date! The Game Boy’s main reason it was so successful is that it brought portable video gaming before the term “portable” was even a thing. It was the ancestor of modern-day smartphones and it provided kids with an entertainment source no matter where they were. Even now, the gaming industry is performing better than ever in the pandemic, with modern gaming consoles such as the Xbox and Playstation grossing over $100 billion annually, with their target demographic being mostly teens and children under the age of 18. The popularity of video games has increased so dramatically that certain players stream and upload videos of themselves playing games at home and make hundreds and thousands to even millions of dollars by doing so! The number one factor in this sudden spike of gaming popularity and why some people enjoy it while others dislike it is mainly caused by our natural distinction as humans.

All people have an organic neurotransmitter called dopamine in their brain, it plays several important roles in your body but is widely known as the “reward chemical.” This is because it creates feelings of reward and pleasure, which motivates you to repeat a specific behaviour; it’s basically what makes you develop certain habits and disregard others. This ties in with gaming because video games allow you to experience excitement and danger all from the safety of your chair; they virtually induce dopamine which is why gaming has become so popular. Whenever you gain an achievement or get a new high score, more dopamine is released, inducing more pleasure. Many parents argue that violent video games can cause aggressive behaviour in their kids and endanger their dopamine receptors, but this is proven completely false based on a 2019 study published by a reputable site. In the experiment, 50 people ages 13 - 40 are told to play a belligerent video game for 1-3 hours and the researchers would then record the behaviour of the volunteers afterwards. Based on the results, whenever the participants got irritated, their amygdala would light up, causing short-term anger. This, however, improved their anger responses by frequently “training” the amygdala; participants learned to suppress their temper through the experience rather than letting it cause harm to their mental state. “When we experience fear, anger, pain, frustration, or sadness, our amygdala lights up. However, fMRI studies have shown that if we start playing a video game when we experience these emotions, the amygdala starts to calm down, inducing control over particular emotions.” 

More research on the topic has also proven that gaming significantly reduces reaction times without sacrificing accuracy. Improved reaction time allows us to be efficient and agile when it comes to responding to situations and stimuli like driving, playing sports, having a conversation, etc.; it benefits us in a variety of ways, even improving the time we take to process information. Other studies have also shown that players gain improved hand-eye coordination, visual-spatial skills, cognitive problem solving, social connections, and many more. In general, most video games help train your mental abilities while providing you with enjoyable entertainment. However, scientists do advise parents to set time limits to their children’s gaming sessions because overstimulating our brains could cause potential side effects. On the website sciencedaily.com, it states, “The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests time allotted should be under 30 to 60 minutes per day on school days and 2 hours or less on non-school days.” 

Overall, gaming can be an enjoyable and beneficial hobby or career if utilized effectively. Millions of people rely on it daily as an alternate reality to escape from their stressful environments. The industry provided countless opportunities for content creators and streamers to express themselves through the internet and rise to fame. Our brains are evolving with modern technology faster than ever and gaming will help as a managing mechanism that will surely ease the process.