ISSUE
As technology advances, it is more accessible for anyone to purchase or hear about the next big game. The community for games is large and at a young age, you are more entitled to play in your free time with friends. It's a good way of staying connected and sharing some of the best moments, but it can also affect them mentally. Popular games right now such as Call of Duty are involved around shooting others and trying to survive. As much fun as it might be, little do the kids know that it can change their way of thinking and perceiving. The games can instill bad habits for the kids and even numb their senses to the severity of certain situations. It doesn't just make kids more violent but also can prevent progress in education. Their mind can be thinking about the game all day during school and go home to play for hours, neglecting study time or homework sessions.
RESEARCH
Rather than enjoying the sun outdoors, most kids would rather sit inside with the A/C on their iPads or phones playing online games. This generation is filled with the latest and greatest technology with gaming and how easily it is to connect online. Growing up, they inherit these bad characteristics of hiding behind a computer screen. Through these times, kids will experience the good and bad times of the game. Either they can’t pass a certain level no matter how many times they try and end up frustrated or earn the satisfaction of defeating the final boss. It is what brings the kids back for more, as more new games are released it has become more realistic and more violent with the cinematics. Certain kids may understand the difference between virtual and reality, however, others won’t and in co-operating certain traits through “playing violent video games may increase the risk of aggression in players more often”. Although this may be the case, in the studies it shows that there is no correlation between aggression and playing violent video games. It goes over how it affects the cognitive function of one’s brain and how it shows a slight improvement from it. Although it may not show through this experiment, from my personal experience I believe that it wasn’t from the game's violence itself, but when my frustration overwhelms me making me be more aggressive as I grew up.
When getting into games, it starts off basic as it would single player and eventually moved on to multiplayer. However, as each year kids continue to play the more exciting they are for new releases and expect great content. However, video game designers know this and give great content through action scenes and ensure satisfaction through violence. As an example, games such as God of War is popular and is supposed to be age-restricted although parents break the rules for their kids occasionally. They don’t know what happens in these games as it is packed filled with violent scenes and rewards the player for the violent actions. It makes them numb to the point where they expect violence in the games and draws them back wanting more. In a study conducted by Nicholas Carnagey & Craig Anderson, the Effects of Reward and Punishment in Violent Video Games on Aggressive Affect, Cognition, and Behavior they "examined the effects of rewarding and punishing violent actions in video games on later aggression-related variables." Through their studies, they published that they found that games with dominant characteristics games are more entitled to reward the player for violent actions. The report also talks about how playing games directly affects the player since it is more rewarding when playing oppose to watching violence on TV or online.
As technology advances, it is more accessible for anyone to purchase or hear about the next big game. The community for games is large and at a young age, you are more entitled to play in your free time with friends. It's a good way of staying connected and sharing some of the best moments, but it can also affect them mentally. Popular games right now such as Call of Duty are involved around shooting others and trying to survive. As much fun as it might be, little do the kids know that it can change their way of thinking and perceiving. The games can instill bad habits for the kids and even numb their senses to the severity of certain situations. It doesn't just make kids more violent but also can prevent progress in education. Their mind can be thinking about the game all day during school and go home to play for hours, neglecting study time or homework sessions.
RESEARCH
Rather than enjoying the sun outdoors, most kids would rather sit inside with the A/C on their iPads or phones playing online games. This generation is filled with the latest and greatest technology with gaming and how easily it is to connect online. Growing up, they inherit these bad characteristics of hiding behind a computer screen. Through these times, kids will experience the good and bad times of the game. Either they can’t pass a certain level no matter how many times they try and end up frustrated or earn the satisfaction of defeating the final boss. It is what brings the kids back for more, as more new games are released it has become more realistic and more violent with the cinematics. Certain kids may understand the difference between virtual and reality, however, others won’t and in co-operating certain traits through “playing violent video games may increase the risk of aggression in players more often”. Although this may be the case, in the studies it shows that there is no correlation between aggression and playing violent video games. It goes over how it affects the cognitive function of one’s brain and how it shows a slight improvement from it. Although it may not show through this experiment, from my personal experience I believe that it wasn’t from the game's violence itself, but when my frustration overwhelms me making me be more aggressive as I grew up.
When getting into games, it starts off basic as it would single player and eventually moved on to multiplayer. However, as each year kids continue to play the more exciting they are for new releases and expect great content. However, video game designers know this and give great content through action scenes and ensure satisfaction through violence. As an example, games such as God of War is popular and is supposed to be age-restricted although parents break the rules for their kids occasionally. They don’t know what happens in these games as it is packed filled with violent scenes and rewards the player for the violent actions. It makes them numb to the point where they expect violence in the games and draws them back wanting more. In a study conducted by Nicholas Carnagey & Craig Anderson, the Effects of Reward and Punishment in Violent Video Games on Aggressive Affect, Cognition, and Behavior they "examined the effects of rewarding and punishing violent actions in video games on later aggression-related variables." Through their studies, they published that they found that games with dominant characteristics games are more entitled to reward the player for violent actions. The report also talks about how playing games directly affects the player since it is more rewarding when playing oppose to watching violence on TV or online.
This issue means a great deal to me because I was one of those kids who loved playing games but suffered the consequences of doing so. I wish someone or myself could've realized how the games really affected me in a negative way. Staying home and having no responsibilities as a kid allows you to do things like this since we worry less about the world and start figuring out ourselves more than anything at a young age. I was a very outgoing kid and love to play sports and be outdoors for most of my life, however, it really changed when I first obtained my GameCube. Immediately I fell in love with the online world of gaming and started to focus all my time and attention towards it. I realized now that all the time invested in these games made me into an introvert and have a bad temper when it comes to certain things.
I choose this specifically because I see how quickly these games can turn a kids life around in a negative light. I work at a restaurant, so I often see families come with their kids and once they sit down, the kids would instantly go on their phones and play games while they wait. It makes bad habits for them once they become older their connection and conversations with others won't be as easy as for others. I struggled with this first hand, as my social skills started to lack once I grew older. Not sure what to say and feel more comfortable talking and socializing through a computer screen. There should be a balance of games and real-life activities that kids should part take in.
"It may be hard for parents to stop their kids from playing games, but limiting it should be the first step if you want kids to stop playing". - Raymond Guan
"Prevent the addiction of playing games at an early age by signing them up for camp or outdoor sports that can benefit their health and cognitive function early on".- Kevin Lam
REFLECTION
Upon doing this project, it has changed my perspective on how I view civic engagement. There is more than an individual can do to make a movement possible. As a city, we have the abilities to have change that would benefit the residents. Posting a blog also helps as it might motivate or support those that believe in the same values. It was fairly common to hear that others felt the same since not only has this generation been filled with the most advanced technology. Games can become virtual realities and not only have I shared this, but one of my classmates experienced the same fate of being consumed by video games. If I was to redo about this project, I would like to focus more on how video games can affect an individual's health. I believe that my post is well enough to keep others motivated for a change in video games and to have stricter restrictions upon them.
Reference
I choose this specifically because I see how quickly these games can turn a kids life around in a negative light. I work at a restaurant, so I often see families come with their kids and once they sit down, the kids would instantly go on their phones and play games while they wait. It makes bad habits for them once they become older their connection and conversations with others won't be as easy as for others. I struggled with this first hand, as my social skills started to lack once I grew older. Not sure what to say and feel more comfortable talking and socializing through a computer screen. There should be a balance of games and real-life activities that kids should part take in.
"It may be hard for parents to stop their kids from playing games, but limiting it should be the first step if you want kids to stop playing". - Raymond Guan
"Prevent the addiction of playing games at an early age by signing them up for camp or outdoor sports that can benefit their health and cognitive function early on".- Kevin Lam
REFLECTION
Upon doing this project, it has changed my perspective on how I view civic engagement. There is more than an individual can do to make a movement possible. As a city, we have the abilities to have change that would benefit the residents. Posting a blog also helps as it might motivate or support those that believe in the same values. It was fairly common to hear that others felt the same since not only has this generation been filled with the most advanced technology. Games can become virtual realities and not only have I shared this, but one of my classmates experienced the same fate of being consumed by video games. If I was to redo about this project, I would like to focus more on how video games can affect an individual's health. I believe that my post is well enough to keep others motivated for a change in video games and to have stricter restrictions upon them.
Reference
Carnagey, N. L., & Anderson, C. A. (2005). The Effects of Reward and Punishment in Violent Video Games on Aggressive Affect, Cognition, and Behavior. Psychological Science, 16(11), 882-889. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9280.2005.01632.x
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