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7 reasons adults should play video games!

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7 reasons adults should play video games!

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Some adults love them, some hate them! Convince the adults in your life why they SHOULD play video games with this article.

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Seven reasons why grown ups should play more video games

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Often seen as the pastime of friendless teenagers or a guilty pleasure, there are many huge benefits to playing video games

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Video games make you live 10 years longer!

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Video games make you live 10 years longer!

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Is it true? Are video games changing the world and making people live longer?

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David Iwanowski, a part of Ashoka's Youth Venture and avid gamer, sent us this dispatch from the Games For Change conference, where developers and fans got together to discuss how gaming can save the world.
This past month at the Games for Change conference in New York, I had the opportunity to hear Jane McGonigal, Fast Company's top 100 Creative people in business and author of Reality is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World, talk about how playing games is one of the greatest ways to make life happier and can even lead to a longer life.

Experiencing the power of games first-hand when recovering from a concussion, McGonigal argues that games call for a mental change in people. They make people more willing to take risks and they change player's moods. They feel more confident and are more comfortable with their self image, which suggests that people also feel social resilience when playing games.

McGonigal argues that the journey of physically playing the game brings more happiness than the concept of beating the game. Although most game players, including myself, get very frustrated from failure in games, gaming teaches young people to move on from failures. This process, McGonigal believes, benefits gamers as they find enjoyment in the "happiness of pursuit", rather than the "pursuit of happiness." Additionally, according the McGonigal, will power is a muscle that is best exercised while playing games, and the resilience stemming from games can make a person live 10 years longer, about a 12% increase to life span!

As the gaming market grows and research validating the consumption of games shows the positive benefits of playing, a growing pool of developers like McGonigal are leading the way. In 2012 McGonigal created SuperBetter, a program that gives tips and helps youth live healthier and happier. Games, such as Bubble Ball, are a great way for the youth to stimulate their brains and express innovative ideas on changing the world.

We sit at a pinnacle place in this emerging industry that seeks to harness the technology and gaming philosophy that has long existed to create games that can catalyze positive change. Only time will tell where the industry goes and, if McGonigal is right, how long our lives could be expanded because of it.

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How Gaming Can Save The World And Add 10 Years To Your Life

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David Iwanowski, a part of Ashoka's Youth Venture and avid gamer, sent us this dispatch from the Games For Change conference, where developers and fans got together to discuss how gaming can save the world. Jane McGonigal on stage at the Games for Change conference. Photo: Jeff Ramos This past month at the [...]

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One of the media's favorite cliches and a recurrent "urban legend" is that computer games are destroying our children's intelligence. The assumption, based primarily on techno- phobia and nostalgic dis-interest for novelty (especially computers), has yet to be supported by any empirical research, though there are of course common sense arguments underlying this reasoning.

First, children are getting fat, which we blame on insufficient exercise (this is why so many game consoles have shifted from a more static gamer to a physically mobile and active one). Second, the time spent playing computer games is arguably "stolen" from other activities-reading philosophy, solving complex mathematical problems, and writing poetry-these activities, like playing football, are deemed "superior" to virtual games. Third, the nature of most computer games, at least the popular ones, is believed to promote violence: from "Call of Duty" to "Angry Birds," the most popular games have an important component of violence and children may be turning into Tarantino characters.

Yet there are counter-arguments to each of those points. For instance, an unhealthy diet is in fact much more detrimental than lack of physical activity (and in the past 50 years diets have deteriorated much more than physical activity levels declined). Then, there is the issue of what children find interesting: Do you really think kids would be spending time on Wikipedia or Google Scholar if computer games didn't exist? That is like thinking that in the absence of easy temptations (be it food, women, or men), people would "be good" and control themselves. Finally, virtual violence is just a reflection of real-life violence and the games are designed to appeal to children-true, there is "violence inflation" as kids want more and more intense sensations and they habituate to violence levels; but let's not forget that games enable kids to "act out" violence and do catharsis (without actually hitting or injuring other "real" people). Besides, it is more dangerous to do most sports.

To be clear; I'm not attempting to promote computer games here, but their drawbacks have probably been exaggerated, and few have spoken about their advantages. First, computer games have made kids techno-savy in a way adults are not, and they appeal to their vivid imaginations with a fantastic alternative to reality (enabling them to "escape" their boring life routines). Second, computer games require skills, and those skills are clearly transferable to other tasks. In fact, there is evidence that in the past 50 years IQs have been increasing in all industrialised nations, and technology clearly plays a part here as increases are found in computational intelligence (abstract reasoning skills and speed of processing). It is true that we are also becoming more ignorant, but who cares about memorising the capital of Serbia or the names of the human bones when you have internet access 24/7?

In our latest study, we also look at a previously unexplored issue, namely how computers are affecting social relationships and family dynamics. In particular, we want to assess what parents think of computer games, and whether parents who promote and even participate in their children's computer game playing report any benefits-for instance, it is quite feasible to expect that parents who spend time playing computer games with their kids have better, closer, healthier relationships with their children (than those who just condemn games). If you have any children, please take part in our survey and get instant feedback on your psychological profile, for free, in just 10 minutes! Here is the test link.

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Are Computer Games Making Children Stupid?

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One of the media's favorite cliches and a recurrent "urban legend" is that computer games are destroying our children's intelligence. The assumption, based primarily on techno- phobia and nostalgic dis-interest for novelty (especially computers), has yet to be supported by any empirical research, though there are of course common sense arguments underlying this reasoning.

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Taking out terrorists or shooting up zombies in video games could be more than just an adrenaline rush. It may actually make you smarter.

A new study out this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences demonstrates for the first time that people who played action games like "Call of Duty" and "Unreal Tournament 2004" showed greater capacity to learn than those who played non-action games. Those improvements on a range of tasks were still with them when they were tested again a year later.

"Prior research by our group and others has shown that action gamers excel at many tasks. In this new study, we show they excel because they are better learners," said Daphne Bavelier, a research professor in brain and cognitive sciences at the University of Rochester. "And they become better learners by playing the fast-paced action games."

Bavelier said our brains keep predicting what will come next - whether when listening to a conversation, driving, or even preforming surgery. "In order to sharpen its prediction skills, our brains constantly build models, or 'templates,' of the world," she said. "The better the template, the better the performance. And now we know playing action video game actually fosters better templates."

Ohio State professor Brad J. Bushman, who has done extensive research into the effects of violent video games on players, called it a "cool paper" but questioned whether the violence was necessary to produce learning.

"I believe the findings. What I fear, however, is that people will use such findings to justify playing violent action games," Bushman said. "I would love to see studies test three types of video games: (1) violent action, (2) nonviolent action, and (3) non-action. Action and violence are confounded in many video games. My hypothesis is that it is the action that produces the learning rather than the violence. The key is to develop exciting, action-packed nonviolent games."

In their study, Bavelier and her team of researchers first compared the visual performance of 10 gamers who played titles like "Call of Duty" with that of 10 individuals who played non-action games like "Restaurant Empire" and "The Sims 2," a life simulation video game. The researchers gauged this by measuring the players' ability distinguish one set of black and white lines from another that were presented in rapid fashion.

After playing the games for 50 hours over nine weeks, researchers found that the action gamers outperformed the non-action gamers.

Then, researchers turned to neural modeling to understand why the action gamers performed so much better. The key to the action gamers' success, the researchers found, was that their brains were better able estimate what various pattern of lines would look like before they appeared and then match to those expectations to what they saw. And they did so on the fly as they engaged in the task.

"When they began the perceptual learning task, action video gamers were indistinguishable from non-action gamers; they didn't come to the task with a better template," Bavelier said. "Instead, they developed better templates for the task, much, much faster showing an accelerated learning curve."

Bavelier's team is now investigating which characteristics in action video games are key to boosting players' learning. They acknowledged, as Bushman pointed out that, "games other than action video games may be able to have the same effect."

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Could playing video games make you smarter?

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A new study finds that spending hours playing action-packed games like "Call of Duty" may actually improve your learning skills

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Good for your eyes or bad for your eyes? Let's find out!

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Is Gaming With Lights Off SAFE for Your Eyes?

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Video games are good for you. They work on your hand-eye coordination.

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The negative side effects of video games have constantly been debated since their inception. In fact, in the early 1990s, congress had hearings about violence in video games. Psychological implications aside, are your eyes being negatively affected by video game use? As a top eye doctor in Orange County, Dr. Ghosheh wants you to have the best vision possible. Here are the facts about computer vision syndrome and whether or not video games can damage your eyes.

Computer Vision Syndrome

The short answer to the video game question is: yes, potentially video games can have a negative impact on eyesight. However, this is an unfair declaration because video games are not the only thing that can damage your eyes. Computer vision syndrome is the term for using devices with screens too frequently. In today's world, what doesn't have a screen? There are phones, tablets, computers, and televisions all around us. In fact, sometimes we use our phones while watching TV. Long-term use of any of these devices can strain your eyes.

The difference between watching a movie, scrolling through social media, and playing a video game may seem small. However, video games are the one thing that requires the most attention. Unlike social media or watching a movie, video games require your attention due to your direct contact with the outcome of the game. This can lead to longer times of your eyes being glued to the screen. Usually while using devices with screens, we can look away, but that's harder to do with video games. So, damaging your eyesight is more linked to screen time rather than exclusively playing video games. But the fact is that video games have a higher probability of damaging your eyes than watching a movie would.

Ways to Prevent Eyestrain

Now more than ever, we need to proactively protect our eyes from the screens we use. Taking screens out of your life altogether is impractical, and usually impossible due to our job requirements. Even if you never play a video game, your exposure to screens is most likely high. No matter what type of activity, it is important to follow the 20-20-20 rule when using screens. This rule states that every 20 minutes, you should look at something else that is at least 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds. This will help prevent the light glare from screens damaging your eyes. Many of us may get busy and forget to do it every 20 minutes. Set an alarm on your phone to go off every 20 minutes as a helpful reminder. This little exercise could save your eyes from becoming damaged.

For jobs that require very frequent and long-term use of screens, use glare-reducing products. There are covers for screens that reduce glare. There are also glasses you can buy that are anti-reflective to help with eyestrain. In fact, many computers and screens now have settings for color and glare to reduce eyestrain.

The Positive Side of Video Games

Now that we've concluded that long-term use of any screen will cause eyestrain, there is a positive to playing video games. As long as you can play video games in moderation, you could improve your eyesight. National Geographic reported on a study that says playing action games can improve your vision for reading and driving at night. Contrast sensitivity function is one of the first things to decrease as you get older. Short-term video game use can help keep that function strong for longer. The biggest thing to remember is that the benefit is negated if you play too long. If you are wondering about other ways to keep your vision strong as you get older, talk to the experts at Advanced Eye Medical today!

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Can Video Games Damage Your Eyes? | Computer Vision Syndrome

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The negative side effects of video games have constantly been debated since their inception. In fact, in the early 1990s, congress had hearings about violence in video games. Psychological implications aside, are your eyes being negatively affected by video game use? As a top eye doctor in Orange County, Dr. Ghosheh wants you to have the best vision possible.

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AH! An average gamer spends about 8 hours and 27 minutes each week in front of the monitor.

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By: Peter Grinspoon, MD, Contributor

More than two-thirds of Americans play video games, also known as gaming. While gaming can be a fun distraction or hobby (and is even becoming a competitive sport on many college campuses), there are health risks that come from too much gaming. What are these harms, and what can be done about them?

Is there anything good about gaming?

Before discussing the harms of gaming, it is only fair to mention the benefits. Aside from being entertaining and a fun pastime, gaming can provide a way for people to interact with each other - a virtual community - as they work together toward completing common tasks. Our society suffers from an epidemic of loneliness, and gaming can be a vehicle to connect with others, including otherwise difficult-to-connect-with people in your life, such as kids, grandkids, or (I've seen this be quite helpful) with autistic children, who can have challenges with traditional modes of communication.

There is mixed research that there are some cognitive benefits to gaming, such as better control of one's attention and improved spatial reasoning, though it isn't entirely clear how much these benefits extend outside of the video game sphere into the real world. Finally, video games have medical applications, such as training people with degenerative diseases to improve their balance, helping adolescents with ADHD improve their thinking skills, or training surgeons on how to do technically complicated operations.

Gaming injuries

Repetitive stress injuries, or overuse injuries, are injuries that come from activities that involve repeated use of muscles and tendons, to the point that pain and inflammation develop. If these injuries are allowed to progress, numbness and weakness can develop, and permanent injury can result. Overuse injuries of the hands and arms are rampant among gamers.

One common example is carpel tunnel syndrome, which many gamers develop. Carpal tunnel syndrome, often seen in office workers, involves inflammation of a nerve in the wrist, which causes pain and numbness.

"Gamer's thumb," which was previously called "PlayStation thumb" (or "nintendinitis" or "nintendonitis" when Nintendo was popular), occurs when the tendons that move the thumb become inflamed. The medical term for this is de Quervain's tenosynovitis, and it can lead to swelling and limited movement. Gamers are also at risk for trigger finger, or stenosing tenosynovitis, which is when a finger gets stuck in the bent position due to chronic inflammation. Gamers can also get tennis elbow, a painful inflammation of the place where the tendon inserts into the bone on the outside of the elbow.

Gaming is also associated with obesity in teens and, plausibly, the same would be shown in adults, if studied. This is due to the obvious phenomenon that if a teen is sitting in front of a screen for hours every day, he or she isn't getting much exercise. The obesity is also thought to be due to increased food intake while playing video games. According to a study in the Journal of Clinical Nutrition, "a single session of video game play in healthy male adolescents is associated with an increased food intake, regardless of appetite sensations." The proposed mechanisms are that either the signals that indicate satiety (fullness) get impaired, or that the mental stress involved with playing video games activates the reward centers, which leads to increased food intake.

Vision problems are common complaints of gamers. The most common vision problem is eye strain, which can lead to headaches and poor concentration. Gaming has been reported to result in seizures, leading to warnings on the packaging.

Gaming addiction

Gaming has also been associated with psychological problems. It is still an open question whether video game addiction, or internet gaming disorder (IGD), is a unique syndrome. According to the American Psychological Association, IGD is defined as experiencing at least five of the following nine criteria over a 12-month period:

gaming preoccupation

withdrawal

tolerance

loss of interest in other activities

downplaying use

loss of relationship, educational, or career opportunities

gaming to escape or relieve anxiety, guilt, or other negative mood states

failure to control

continued gaming despite psychosocial problems.

According to one study from the American Journal of Psychiatry, between 0.3% and 1.0% of Americans might have an internet gaming disorder. Treatments for this problem are a work in progress, as the disorder isn't fully understood or agreed upon, but can include public health approaches such as education and harm reduction, stricter labeling on the packaging, as well as cognitive behavioral therapy. There are even support groups, such as Computer Gaming Addicts Anonymous, which leverage the power of group support - also helpful in the treatment of other addictions - to the realm of gaming addiction.

Gaming has also been associated with sleep deprivation, insomnia and circadian rhythm disorders, depression, aggression, and anxiety, though more studies are needed to establish the validity and the strength of these connections. There has also been concern that exposure to the extreme violence that is commonly found in video games can desensitize teens and young adults to such violence, causing emotional problems and even leading to young people committing acts of violence.

Gaming in moderation

As with many other activities that have potential benefits and harms, moderation is the key. Most of the harms that come from gaming can be improved, if not avoided altogether, by limiting the number of hours spent in front of the screen, and by engaging in healthy activities like exercising, or socializing in the real world instead of the virtual game world.

Education is an essential key to injury prevention. Gamers need to be educated on how to protect their thumbs, wrists, and elbows, their waistlines, their emotional state, their sleep, and their eyes. Simple education around taking breaks, stretching, eating healthy snacks, and resting and icing your thumb, wrist, or elbow when it starts hurting can address injuries early, before they become significant. For the eyes, gamers can try the 20-20-20 rule: every 20 minutes, try to look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds.

In short, playing video games can be fun and a social activity when integrated into a healthy lifestyle that includes plenty of sleep, exercise, and good nutrition, rather than letting the game become your life.

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The health effects of too much gaming - Harvard Health

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While playing video games can be a fun pastime, and there are some potential benefits, there are health risks associated with too much gaming. They include repetitive stress injuries, vision problems, sleep deprivation, depression, and possibly addiction to playing.

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You know all those people that told you that video games are bad for you? They were wrong. Read this to find out more.

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10 Reasons Why Playing Video Games is Good for Your Brain - Record Head

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The positive effects of video games are numerous, from better memory & problem-solving to improved mood & social skills. Learn the Top 10 Reasons Video Games are Good for You!

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Benefits of Video Games For Kids & Adults