Interrogating the issue of video gaming in the society

Most research by psychologists in the field focuses on the negative impact of video gaming such as depression, addiction, and violence. As much the findings of their research hold sense, it is imperative to pursue a more balanced approach on the issue, one that not only puts the negative effects on the limelight but also the positivity of playing the video games. Analyzing the benefits of playing video games is critical, considering the dramatic shift that in the nature of the games realized in the last few decades, taking a more genuine, social, complex and diverse nature. Despite the negative view by the society about video gaming, if used and monitored correctly, it offers mental, motivational, psychological and social benefits, demystifying why the society should not look it down.

With the increasing popularity of video gaming, its uses have become diverse and medical professionals use it to help divert the focus on pain; it helps teach child cancer patients to adhere to treatment. Still, in the clinical setting where obesity is cited as a serious health issue, children are encouraged to engage in physically active video gaming. Such a move has been implemented in public schools at West Virginia through the installation of “Dance Dance Revolution”, which is an active video game. The video game offer participants with an opportunity to actively expend their energy and shed excess weight (Primack, et al. Although the move must be implemented selectively, it would be a misplaced idea to attribute no benefits to video gaming.

Stable emotions are considered crucial towards maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Further, teachers understand the importance of using diverse media in classroom teaching because through this approach, they can impart knowledge on students whose learning process takes shape through images. However, it is worth noting that the exposure to video gaming must be controlled to avoid adverse impact on students. Video games are addictive, and when school going children are exposed to such without imposing limitations, then it destructs the normal learning process because the students would want to spend more time playing the video games. In their research, Weis and Cerankosky (2010) reveal that boys who received a video game as a reward immediately after participating in a study spend more time in gaming as opposed in academic work.

The results highlight the need to control the amount of exposure to video gaming activities (Weis & Cerankosky, 2010). For example, shooter video games help players to learn how to constructively and accurately hit a target. As Uttal et al (2013) postulates, the spatial skills the participants acquire during the video shooting corresponds to the effect of high-school and tertiary education, which aim to enhance the same skills. According to the same study, once the spatial skills are taught through video gaming in brief periods, it has a spiral effect in the long-run to other areas of human development, such as education and career development. The study by Wai, Lubinski, Benbow, & Steiger(2010), asserts the same position because it established that spatial skills are predictive of one ability to succeed in technology, science, engineering, and mathematics.

Persons with expertise in such areas are deemed to exhibit career prowess. Also, adolescent age is marked by a crisis where individuals face limited ability to make choices due to their underdeveloped cognitive capabilities. However, people with experience with video gaming will stand a better chance to make better and informed decisions when faced by challenging situations. Similarly, video games enhance the element of multitasking since participants must remain observant. For example, a player is required to move a joystick or gadgets keys while at the same time been watchful of particular features on the screen, which may include, oncoming adversaries, energy levels, the number of ammunitions left, and available time left, to name a few, which determines whether the player wins.

In such instances, the payer has to react real-time to meet the requirements of the game. such a context helps a player to internalize prosocial behavior and interactive skills, which can be extended to peer and family relations away from the play context (Granic, Lobel, & Engels, 2014). According to Ewoldsen et al (2012), prosocial skills develop when players are exposed to games designed to encourage support, cooperation and lending others a helping hand. Similar helping behavior is observable from people playing violent games cooperatively as opposed to competitively. The argument that exposure to video games is unharmful when done in a controlled environment and moderation, disregards the harmful effects caused to users because it is not possible to monitor every individual engaging in the activity.