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Gaming the Stigma: Why Video Games Are Not Bad
Video Games have grown to be part of the contemporary culture boasting of more than
three billion members globally. However, despite the widespread belief that video games
cause addiction, violence and antisocial tendencies, scientific studies demonstrate that
contrary to the above, games are beneficial to mental development, emotional health and
social interaction. The society needs to learn how to embrace the concept of games not as
something destructive but as a strong source of learning, connecting, and healing.
The video game adversaries always cite examples of how video games promote violence,
withdrawal to the virtual world and indifference. But these opinions disregard more than
a mass of scientific and normal knowledge to the contrary. Video games can be
educative, motivating, and heartwarming just as books and films. The modern games
provide individuals not only with the opportunity to have fun: they help to develop
creativity, collaboration, and promote mental health.
This paper discusses the general criticism that has been made towards gaming and
presents strong evidence to the cognitive, social, and emotional skills that video games
have. Busting this myth about video games causing violence in real life, it is evident that
gaming is a good and additive element in the modern life.
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Cognitive Growth and Critical Thinking
Among the most common myths, there is one concerning video games in question, more
precisely, that video games are those that dumb down people who play them. In fact, the
opposite is true. Most video games allow people to think in critical ways, solve puzzles
and move through complicated systems. Games that are based on strategy such as Portal
or The Legend of Zelda expect the player to engage in logical thinking and problem
solving on the fly. These are disposable skills applicable in both academic and career and
everyday life.
Science has demonstrated that, as far as gamer tasks are concerned, one always tends to
make better decisions and to act quicker. Indeed, a study conducted by the University of
Rochester discovered that action game players retrieved decisions in 25 % shorter time
than non-gamers and it did not compromise accuracy (Dye et al. 324). According to other
research, video games help surgeons in making fewer surgical errors since they are well
cooperated to coordinate their eyes and hands (Rosser et al. 182).
The strategy of several resources management games like StarCraft trains the working
memory and strategy creation. With the gamers being used to the hubbub, their
concentration power and multitasking skills rise as well. Such mental benefits are
necessary in a society where the technology use and flexibility is becoming very
common.
Building Social Skills and Relationships
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Gaming is no longer a solitary hobby. The game Minecraft, Among Us and Fortnite are
multiplayer games, which has made gaming a team effort. Communication, leadership
and cooperation skills are required in schools, workplaces and communities and this is
something that these games need.
Communities are emerging on sites like Discord and Twitch where people can unite
based on what they have in common. The digital space may be largely useful in
addressing the needs of the marginalized or introverted people who cannot find a
connection in real life. The online relationships provide feeling of belonging and support
which lessens isolation.
A study published on Computers in Human Behavior has shown that adolescents
experiencing prosocial video games showed better cooperation and empathy (Gentile et
al. 759). Social phenomena of gaming, on the contrary, tend to increase the capacity of
results to relate and communicate with people and do not lead to withdrawal.
Emotional Resilience and Mental Health
In addition, video games also enhance emotional well-being besides cognitive and social
advantages. Casual games such as Stardew Valley provide mild stress-free atmospheres
that give a calming effect and improve mood. The games will also give people an
opportunity to engage in a tranquil, purpose-focused experience that is of digital
mediation.
Even clinical aspects of video games have not been left out. SPARX is a New Zealand-
developed role-playing game that is advised as a therapeutic instrument to guide
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teenagers to cope with depression. Research indicates that interactive games are at least
as effective as conventional therapy especially due to the non stigmatizing nature of
games, and greater accessibility (Merry et al.).
This is because of the availability of games that were created based on narratives that
touch on grief, identity and trauma like in the creation of Life is Strange which promotes
empathy and self-reflection. Such emotional experiences support a person in his/her
growing process and can become a support mechanism to other players going through
these issues.
Debunking the Myth of Violence
Possibly the most controversial of all the accusations is that video games encourage real
life violence. Media brouhaha, outrage and censorship suggestions have been made
several times over, high profile incidents especially against games such as Grand Theft
Auto. But a connection between video games and violent behavior have no real scientific
evidence to back it up as being causal.
There are a lot of studies, as well as a similar critical review conducted by the American
Psychological Association, which have not proven significant association between video
games exposure and long-term aggression (American Psychological Association). Just
because someone plays violent video games does not mean that he will be violent.
Furthermore, some of the biggest videos games consumers including Japan and South
Korea usually have the least cases of violent crimes in the world. This contradiction is
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what calls to consider the issues beyond gaming and align toward more fundamental
factors, including low-quality mental health care and lenient gun control policies.
Through the blame of the video games, society tends to overlook more far-reaching
causes of violence. This scapegoating takes away the efforts to solve real social issues
and redirects people to follow a wrong path.
Conclusion
Video games are not as mindless and as dangerous as one may think. Rather they are
moving devices which add value to mental development, social-networking, and
emotional recovery. Games enhance memory, problem-solving, and decision-making.
They foster collaboration and build meaningful relationships. They alleviate stress and
make a person adjust to the real world. What is most important is that the notion that
video games lead to violence is nowadays quite disproved.
Video games are not enemies of efficiency and calm in the contemporary world, where
everything has gone digital. They are instruments for education, self-expression, and
support. Instead of blaming gamers entirely, society ought to consume the positive power
of gaming by using it to change things to the better.
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Works Cited
American Psychological Association. Violent Video Games and Aggression: Causal
Relationship or Media Myth? APA, 2020,
www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/2020/video-games.
Dye, Matthew W. G., C. Shawn Green, and Daphne Bavelier. “Increasing Speed of
Processing with Action Video Games.” Current Directions in Psychological Science, vol.
18, no. 6, 2009, pp. 321–326.
Gentile, Douglas A., et al. “The Effects of Prosocial Video Games on Prosocial
Behaviors: International Evidence from Correlational, Longitudinal, and Experimental
Studies.” Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, vol. 35, no. 6, 2009, pp. 752–763.
Merry, Sally N., et al. “The Effectiveness of SPARX, a Computerized Self-Help
Intervention for Adolescents Seeking Help for Depression: Randomized Controlled Non-
Inferiority Trial.” BMJ, vol. 344, 2012, e2598. www.bmj.com/content/344/bmj.e2598.
Rosser, James C., et al. “The Impact of Video Games on Training Surgeons in the 21st
Century.” Archives of Surgery, vol. 142, no. 2, 2007, pp. 181–186.
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