Liam Vasey

ENG 1201

Professor Bell

10/25/20

“Do video games affect mental and physical wellness?”

Video Games have become a common hobby for billions of people throughout the world. Since

it is relatively new and hasn’t been around for more than 30+ years we are just beginning to

figure out the pros and cons of playing video games. Research has been conducted since then,

talking about how video games portray mental illness in negative ways, as well as the sheer

violence that takes place in some games. Video games however are a very enjoyable way to

spend your free time, however they might not be as innocent as they seem which is why we are

researching constantly.

Often people look at video games as a harmless hobby. However, there are people that look at

them otherwise. In an article written by Dr. Alok Konoja really splits the pros and cons of

gaming into two. It shows how yes, video games can be related with positive emotions and create

strong social relationships. But, there also is a downside to it as well. It talks about how it can

act as a distraction and causes negative effects in academic performances. It can also cause

negative emotions and attitudes that can carry on throughout the day. In a scientific research

article “Effect of Addiction to Computer Games on Physical and Mental Health of Female and

Male Students of Guidance School in City of Isfahan” they found a direct relationship between

computer game addiction and social dysfunction. There was also a direct relationship between

computer gaming and physical disorders such as anxiety, sleep disorders, and depression.

There are many common misconceptions about video games that people do believe. In an article

written by Dr. Craig Anderson “Violent Video Games: Myths, Facts, and Unanswered

Questions” he talks about when trying to correlate video games with violence directly is almost

impossible, since there are other underlying things that can happen in someone's life to cause an

act of aggression. Conversely when combining all relevant empirical studies using meta-analytic

techniques, video games are significantly related to increasing aggressive behavior, thoughts, and
beliefs. So it all depends on how you look at the data. The best way to explain it is how smoking

studies are unable to find direct correlation to lung cancer, but when looking at all data it is

almost directly related with lung cancer.

The history of videogames is relatively short since the first game came out in 1972. Violent

video games didn’t really emerge till the late 90s early 2000s, so the data on them is still

growing. Since then people have been conducting research on the effects of video games mostly

in the psychological aspect. Since the research is growing everyday for video games we will

possibly learn more about the pros and cons of playing video games.

Video games have affected how people spend their free time, that is why we are needing to

research the effects that they can have on us. Violence, physical disorders, and negative

academic performances are a few of the negative effects that can be caused by video games.

Knowing that all the research is fairly new, we have to keep an eye open for what might be found

next. All in all, we just need to be open to all new information coming out about video games

and be knowledgeable about what we are getting ourselves into.

Ferrari1*, Manuela, et al. “Gaming With Stigma: Analysis of Messages About Mental
Illnesses in Video Games.” JMIR Mental Health, JMIR Publications Inc., Toronto, Canada,
mental.jmir.org/2019/5/e12418/.

Konoja, Alok “Video Games and Mental Health Explained.” Healthy Gamer, 7 Oct. 2020,
www.healthygamer.gg/video-games-and-mental-health-explained/.

Hart, Gordon M., et al. “Effects of Video Games on Adolescents and Adults.” Mary Ann
Liebert, Inc., Publishers, 10 Feb. 2009,
www.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/cpb.2008.0117.

Zamani, Eshrat, et al. “Effect of Addiction to Computer Games on Physical and Mental
Health of Female and Male Students of Guidance School in City of Isfahan.” Addiction &
Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, 2009,
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3905489/.