By: Hyde Moua

I think that video games are beneficial and will have a positive effect as long as you don’t play for more than 4 hours every day because I also enjoy playing video games a lot and I think they have clearly helped me in my basic everyday life.

Some positive effects of playing video games are that your memory and learning abilities are enhanced. Your reaction time can also be enhanced if you play video games like first person shooters that are necessary to have faster reaction times to beat the opposing players.

Some more positive effects of playing video games are increased problem solving skills, decision making, and multitasking capabilities. Video games positively affect the brain by boosting cognitive functions which will also improve your hand eye coordination along with your spatial awareness because most games will need you to be aware of your surroundings. In a way, video games can be a workout disguised as fun because video games regularly increase and boost brain connectivity.

Some negative effects of video game addiction are vision problems. The most common type of vision problem is eye strain, which can lead to headaches or poor concentration. Video game addiction can also lead to seizures and psychological problems that will occur over time.

Some more negative effects are when video games are overused as a coping mechanism. This really becomes a problem when video games disrupt your normal and healthy life. Excessive video game addiction can also lead to mental health problems such as depression, social anxiety, and a lack of motivation. Video games will worsen the symptoms of a person who already has depression because excessive gaming removes a person from their real life responsibilities, relationships, and emotions, which can result in feeling numb and socially isolated from your life.

Personally, I think that video games are enjoyable every once in a while because I have gone through some of these symptoms due to excessively playing during the weeks. Overall, I think everyone should play video games, even if it’s just a little bit, because this way you can have the benefits of better problem solving, and decision making during stressful situations, and faster reaction times which could potentially benefit you in work or future situations.