The Effects of Video Games on Society Essay Example for Free

The Effects of Video Games on Society Essay Perhaps the most positive way video games are being used these days are in the classroom. Video games challenge students to think and solve problems (Vlasak and Ranaldo 36). These educational games must take on an approach that involves gaming and must also be â€Å"fun. † Suggestive evidence includes that spatial visualization skills improve with video game playing. These skills are the ability to rotate mentally, manipulate and twist two and three dimensional objects. Students with a high degree of spatial visualization are high achievers in mathematics and science. Improving spatial visualization may have a corresponding effect on student mathematics (Dorman 133). Students these days are referred to as the Net generation. Their environment is saturated by media as they spend an average of 6. 5 hours per day engaged with various types of media (Annetta 233). Creating educational games that are centered on human interaction is no easy task. Designing today’s educational video games includes blended motivation and self-regulated learning (Annetta 233). Educational games enable students to learn by doing, experience situations first-hand, and role-playing. â€Å"Gee (2003a) stated that the practice of learning a video game is an enculturation practice that involves not only learning the mechanics of game play, but learning how to negotiate the context of play, the terms and practices of a game’s players, and the design choices of its developers† (Annetta 233). Studies for the negative effects of video games on society highly outweigh the positives. Research has shown increases in aggressive behavior associated with the amount of time teenagers are allotted to play video games. This rise in aggression seems to be due to the parents not regulating the amount of time teenagers play their video games. In a study, teenage girls played video games for an average of 5 hours a week, where boys played for an average of 13 hours a week. The study also showed that teens who played violent video games for extended periods of time are more prone to aggressive behavior, teacher/student confrontation, fights with peers and a decline in academic achievement (Fritz 1). Tips from the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) include managing your teen’s media consumption, limit how long and how often they play video games, and know the rating of your teen’s video games. â€Å"Video games share much in common with other pursuits that are enjoyable and rewarding, but may become hazardous in certain contexts. Parents can best protect their children by remaining engaged with them and providing limits and guidance as necessary† (Harvard Mental Health Letter 3). Boys, more often than girls, tend to play video games for a means to compete and win. The violent games may be similar to the rough-housing that boys are prone to when growing up (Harvard Mental Health Letter 3). In conclusion these video games represent a fad that is extremely unlikely to fade anytime soon. In fact, technology is something that is getting more advanced every day. With advancing technological video games comes more opportunities for positive and negative effects on society as a whole. The key to this advancing technology is education. Get out there and educate yourself about the possibilities of video games.