Video games and its positive effects Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Video games and its positive effects - Essay Example A lot of research has been conducted in this regard and there exists useful information from psychologists that point to the relationship between video games and intelligence. According to Carmel et al. (2009), video games are a great avenue for learning and developing skills and expertise as individuals commit their time in the play. Scholars from different fields have recognized video games as being very beneficial to players. In as much as the video games have negative effects on the players, there are a wide range of positive effects that people can get from playing these games. This essay will seek to address the positive impact of video games on individuals in terms of their intelligence and social interaction among other benefits. Renowned psychologist Shawn Green from the University of Wisconsin supported the claim that video games are in fact useful in brain development of players, thereby improving their intelligence (Green, & Bavelier, 2004). He acknowledges that the video games alter the physical structure of one’s brain in as much as reading and learning to play a piano does to an individual. He compares the effect of a combination of concentration and the rewarding surges of neurotransmitters such as dopamine to the brain to the effect that physical body exercise has on building muscles (Olthouse, 2009). Video games help to strengthen the neural circuits which lead to brain development among the video game players. Video games help to enhance a wide range of skills among the players, which in turn improves the intelligence of the players (Green, & Bavelier, 2004). Some of the skills developed by video games include the aspect of following instructions, problem solving skills and logic, hand-eye coordination, fine motor and spatial skills, multi tasking, quick thinking and decision making, strategy and anticipation, estimating skills, memory and concentration, situation awareness among other skills. Video games are enjoyable to play as well as being addictive and the players play the games in order to become victorious over the opponents or to successfully complete missions in a specific game. This requires good decision making, strategizing and concentration on the part of the players. The video games enhance the ability of the players in following instructions. The games require players to perform various things in order to achieve specific goals in the game. By following these instructions, the players get to develop their intelligence in terms of following instructions whenever they want to complete a task or achieve certain objectives. The players, through coming up with strategies to complete their missions and achieve their objectives in the game, they learn how to develop their problem solving skills and development of logic (Green, & Bavelier, 2004). Games such as Angry Birds and The Incredible Machine are very great in developing problem solving skills since they require players to solve some challenging task s in the game. Other games, such as the shooting games, help to develop the players’ hand-eye coordination. In the shooting games, the character can be engaged in both shooting and running and the player needs to ensure both are done simultaneously in order to be successful in the mission. This process also requires great coordination between the players’ hands and eyes as they play. This in turn works on developing the mental skills of the players. Research has shown that