Are Video Games Unhealthy?

Three-quarters of Australian parents trust video games have a constructive effect on their children.

Of more than a thousand parents with kids aged between five and 12, half of them however, are divided on whether video games are a true social experience for children.

The survey, commissioned by video game makers THQ, shows 97% of Australian households have one or more video game consoles and 60% of parents use an average of about two hours a week playing video games with their kids.

Social demographer Mark McCrindle said four out of five video games are played as a household with the same number of parents saying they love playing video games with their children.

The positive effects of video games can be witnessed where youngsters, who are undergoing dreadful medication for diseases like cancer, can use video games to amuse themselves from the pain for long periods.

Certain video games that are used as part of a comprehensive program, can help autistic children and others with developmental disorders.

Studies have shown that video games can improve mental faculties, such as hand-eye coordination. More intelligent games such as strategy and puzzle games can also improve problem solving, and provide intellectual inspiration as well.

Some people however, believe violence in video games, promotes violent behavior among viewers. Studies show that video games can increase aggressive behavior and emotional outbursts and decrease inhibitions.

People, playing high-aggression games, were significantly more anxious than others who play only mildly aggressive games.

Akio Mori, professor at Tokyo's Nihon University, divided 260 people into three groups: those who rarely played video games, those who played between 1 and 3 hours three to four times a week and those who played 2 to 7 hours each day. He monitored "the beta waves that indicate liveliness and degree of tension in the prefrontal region of the brain and alpha waves, which often appear when the brain is resting"

The results showed a higher decrease of beta waves the more one played video games. "Beta wave activity in people in the highest amount of video game playing, was constantly near zero, even when they weren't playing, showing that they hardly used the prefrontal regions of their brains. Many of the people in this group told researchers that they got angry easily, couldn't concentrate and had trouble associating with friends"

The reduction of beta waves after the video game was switched off, leads to a lasting effect.

The study shows that a lack of use of the frontal brain, or 'video-game brain', can change moods and could account for violent and reclusive behavior. If the brain is so impacted by video games as to develop behavioral changes, does that indicate that the brain perceives the games as authentic?

The final conclusion is that video games have both positive and negative effect on health, depending on the type of game played and its frequency and the balance of a healthy lifestyle.

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