How harmful is the influence of computer games?

The topic of computer games is so trite that you can't even believe you can say something new and clever simultaneously. Someone is looking forward to a new release of his favorite game. 

However, you will learn something new and exciting about the impact of computers and the teen patti real cash game on people today because we will explore and dispel some myths on the subject. In any case, everything is good in moderation, and computer games, too, and then their impact on the human body will not be harmful. Therefore, today we will take a multidimensional look at the effects of computer games on children, teenagers, and adults, and we will pay attention to the most common and widely circulated myths.

Why is the effect of computer games considered harmful?

2020 and beyond brought more severe problems than someone's excessive fascination with computer games. However, the topic has maintained and even multiplied its relevance because the long months of lockdowns often left people with no other occupation than "sitting at the computer" and having fun, including computer games.

What, then, are computer games "guilty" of? Why do they not like those who do not play them? We clarify at once that the most extraordinary negativity cause cases of overt game addiction. Doctors tend to point out that the game is an entirely natural process, especially for children. And adults who want to play soccer or chess on their day off also benefit themselves and their bodies. So, where is the line between just playing and being addicted to the game?

Signs of game addiction:

• Games take more than 5 hours a day.
• The player is not able to distract himself with something else.
• The player does all essential activities, including eating, without taking a break from the game.
• The player avoids real live contacts and live communication.
• When necessary to communicate, the player can only discuss computer games.
• The player spends an inadequate amount of money on buying games and gaming equipment.

The impact of computer games on the human body

Health - above all! Therefore it seems logical to begin with the topic of the impact of computer games on the human body. The more so because WHO included gaming disorder and pathological addiction to computer games in the International Classification of Diseases of the so-called 11th revision that enters into force in 2022. 

It is possible to speak about the harm of computer games to health only in the case of game addiction. That, however, does not cancel the damage to health caused by the derivatives directly following from the excessive fascination for games: sedentary lifestyle, not always a positive impact of the plot of the game on the psyche, the strain on the eyesight.

Potentially these health hazards are subject to everyone who works 8 hours a day in front of a computer. And the factors that affect the psyche incorrectly in real life even more than in virtual life. But computer games present them all at once, and, from the point of view of people who aren't keen on competitions, in a useless format of pastime that could have been avoided.

The influence of computer games on mental development

An equally fashionable topic is the alleged adverse impact of computer games on the mental development of adolescents. However, studies show the opposite strictly. In particular, it is proved that a passion for the game Super Mario causes an increase in gray matter.

Participants in the experiment played for half an hour a day for two months, after which they significantly increased gray matter in the cerebellum, right hippocampus, and right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. These parts of the brain directly affect the development of cognitive abilities, short- and long-term memory, coordination of movements, the ability to maintain balance, and the maintenance of muscle tone.

Another study found that gamers who played at least 15 hours a week have much better analytical and predictive abilities than those who are not into computer games. Thus, a group of gamers with much higher accuracy predicted the weather on the hint cards.

In addition, all participants in the experiment were examined by magnetic resonance imaging. Brain MRI revealed more robust activation clusters in the hippocampus, precuneus, cingulate gyrus, and middle temporal gyrus, as well as in occipital visual areas and areas related to attention processes.

So the effect of computer games on academic performance can only be harmful if a student spends too much time playing games and not enough time physically performing the tasks required for successful learning. It is what we do not get tired of saying over and over again: everything is good in moderation!

Computer simulation games have long been used in the U.S. Army to teach various military specialties. In principle, any computer action simulators aimed at mastering the skills of one profession - pilot, navigator, race car driver, and others - are games because they are built on the simulation of specific actions. 

The influence of computer games on aggression

And finally, such an aspect as the influence of computer games on aggression and other manifestations of mental disorders. Can a play make a person more aggressive? This question began to worry researchers in the early days of the gaming industry. 

As the saying goes, "there is no smoke without fire. Nevertheless, it and subsequent studies revealed some correlation between playing violent video games and aggressive behavior. For example, a survey of the effects of violent games on aggressive behavior found that young males were more susceptible to this effect, and their behavior was more affected when they played violent video games than when girls played violent computer games.

Considering that young males are naturally more prone to aggression than females and are more likely to have a fist fight, the findings fit in with the earlier concept that excessive gaming can trigger the development of adverse effects in people who are already prone to some mental disorder.

Much depends, however, on the choice of research method and its duration. For example, the study Does playing violent video games cause aggression? 

This study is the first to examine the effects of prolonged violent video gameplay using a large set of tests covering questionnaires, behavioral measures of aggression, sexist attitudes, empathy, and interpersonal competencies, constructs related to impulsivity such as boredom tendency, risk-taking tendency, delay discounting, depression, and anxiety.

The study tested executive control functions before and after two months of play. Groups of participants played the violent video game Grand Theft Auto V and the nonviolent video game The Sims 3 daily or not at all for two months. In the end, no significant changes were observed in the group playing the violent video game compared to either the group playing the nonviolent game or the passive control group.

Furthermore, no significant differences were observed between baseline and posttest immediately after the game, nor between baseline and follow-up assessment two months after the end of the video gameplay period. The obtained results make us question the widespread public prejudice about the influence of computer games on aggression and speak about an apparent exaggeration of the adverse effects of video games with an aggressive subject matter.