How video games affect the brain

The Impact of Video Games

Video games are a unique form of entertainment because they encourage players to become part of the script. Although video games have been available for more than 30 years, today’s sophisticated options require players to pay constant attention to the game. Players engage on a deeper level physically and emotionally than people watching a movie or TV do.
In a 2018 report, two-thirds of U.S teens age 13 or older considered themselves gamers. According to 2017 data, children ages 12 to 15 spend about 12.2 hours a week gaming. For older teens that number is much higher.

Benefits of Video Games

Many psychologists and scientists believe that playing video games offers some benefits, particularly by teaching higher-level and abstract thinking skills.
Playing video games changes the brain’s physical structure, similar to the way the brain changes when a person learns to play the piano or read a map. The brain is a muscle and can be built up with exercise. The combination of concentration and neurotransmitter surges when playing games helps to strengthen neural circuits, giving the brain a real workout.
Video games can improve mental skills, such as:

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  Problem solving and logic.
  
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  Hand-eye coordination, spatial skills and fine motor coordination.
  
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  Logistics, resource management and planning.
  
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  Speedy analysis and decision making.
  
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  Accuracy.
  
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  Math and reading skills.
  
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  Cooperation and teamwork with multiplayer games.
  

Negative Effects of Video Games

Many parents worry about violent video games’ effects on kids. Is the concern justified?
A small 2017 study found no long-term negative effects on empathy even in “excessive” users of violent video games. However, the American Psychological Association (APA) finds a “consistent correlation” between playing violent video games and aggression (though not enough evidence to associate gaming with criminal violence).
In 2018, four large countries, including the United States, analyzed 24 studies involving 17,000 children and concluded that children who played violent video games tended to manifest violent behavior, such as fighting or hitting. In June 2018, the World Health Organization (WHO) named gaming addiction as a mental health disorder. Kids can and do become addicted to video games.