I was researching for my essay and found this article about
how video games in some cases are beneficial for a person’s health. Handheld
games can be good distractions for people with health problems and can be used
to increase hand strength, and the article states that “games focus attention away from potential
discomfort and, unlike more traditional therapeutic activities; they do not
rely on passive movements and sometimes painful manipulation of the limbs”.
Clearly articles like this have not been shown in papers etc. because it shows
video games in a positive way.
The article goes on to comment how video games can increase
aggressiveness and can be addictive especially for children and teenagers, and that’s
where I began to question the reading. However
in the conclusion the article says that if there are adverse effects then they
are rare, minor and temporary, and this is also not mentioned in articles about
violence and the link to videogames.
I have actually been wondering about this through all the lectures we've been having. I really wish they would do more research into the health benefits vs risks of playing video games. I mean, they have to be better for motor skills and cognition than any other more traditional form of media, simply because of the concentration and movements involved in play. Not to mention the developments that have occurred now with the wii and the kinect, which for the most part seem to be geared toward sports games.
ReplyDeleteExcellent article. This makes me think about the Wii Fitness being designed to improve the player's overall health, fitness and well being, it taught me how to balance and breathe properly during exercise. I suppose the appeal in sports oriented games on the Wii has a lot to do with convenience, not having to leave your living room to go to the gym or it's too much of a rainy day to go to the park and kick around a ball. The exercise elements to the Wii Fitness didn't even feel like exercise because it became a social experience for my friends and I back in the day. It's a great learning tool for BMI and all that jazz in comparison to what sometimes feels like arthritis in your wrists from clutching a Playstation controller for several hours.
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