Name:
Date:
Harrison
2/4/15
Persuasive Research Essay
When a person thinks of video games, they would think of one of two things. A. ‘Oh
yeah! I love video games they’re awesome!’ or B. ‘They destroy the minds of young creative
children, and prevent educational productivity. I will not permit them in my field of view, I
say eradicate them!’ Many young children often think A. and more strict parents and elders
think like B., though really, the truth of the matter is the B. is false, and A. is often the right
way to think about video games. After conducting scientific research on the effects of
video games on the human mind, and the body and attitude. Though same studies have
showed negative side effects, they are very rare, and video games, in general, are extremely
beneficial to the human mind and body. Essentially, video games do not harm the human
brain in any way, I think that video games can prevent brain deterioration, can improve
strategic thinking, and can help relieve stress and anger.
To start this off, one should know about brain deterioration, for it is an important
factor in this article. As the human brain gets older, it becomes a bit more inactive, and
starts to breakdown, causing a variety of conditions including alzheimer's. A way to stop
this is, and that many people has proven to be effective, is video gaming. Video games
cause the brain to be very active, and without using up too much energy. “Playing video
games can prevent and even reverse deteriorating brain functions such as memory,
reasoning and visual processing, a study says,” (Video games are good for your brainresearch). This backs up exactly what I’ve been saying. As said that playing video games
can help prevent or reverse a deteriorating brain. “The researchers found those who played
Road Tour scored far better than the crossword puzzle group in functions such as
concentration, nimbleness with shifting from one mental task to another and the speed at
which new information is processed.” This is simple really. People who played a certain
video game had better brains. This activity, or as the article calls it, mental nimbleness, is
what's helping your brain not turn into a pile of mush, and keeping it healthy, and working.
This is just saying that ‘yes, video games do help your brain’ and we can deduct that this
activity leads to a less deteriorated brain. Overall, video games helps you fight brain
deterioration by literally making your brain exercise, and making it stronger instead of
weaker. So the next time your father says, “get off the Xbox, your rotting your brain” you
can say,” Dad I’m on the Xbox so my brain doesn’t rot!”
Continuing on, video games don’t just help people with the physical part of their
brain. Video games can also help calm people down, relax, and avoid letting out
exaggerated emotions out in the real world. “2009's Annual Review of Cybertherapy and
Telemedicine included a study that found that gamers who suffered from mental health
issues such as stress and depression were able to vent their frustration and aggression by
playing video games — and showed a noted improvement,” said theweek.com on their top
7 health benifits of gaming. People who have unnaturally high amounts of stress in their
life, or people who are just stressed out i general, often gain a bit more relaxation when
engaged in a gripping video game. “Young adults—male and female—who play violent
video games long-term handle stress better than non-playing adults and become less
depressed and less hostile following a stressful task, according to a study by Texas A&M
International University associate professor, Dr. Christopher J. Ferguson.” (From
tamiu.edu) As seen, even violent video games, accused of causing violent tendencies,
actually do the opposite. These video games can help relieve stress, and when a stressful
task, or situation does occur, these video games tend to help one cope with said task or
situation. Overall, video games can not only reverse dangerous brain deterioration, it can
also help reduce stress, in even rare cases such a disease. On top of this, video games can
additionally prevent violent tendencies to leak into a person's social life, and helps the
violence stick to the gaming world.
Rounding this up, one of the other important benefit that gaming has for the gamer
is a more advanced strategic mind. A more advanced strategic ming, referring to a
stronger, more tactical thinking brain. “Video games help someone to strategize. In Rise of
Nations, you need to keep growing your city and advancing your technology to develop.”
says Nicholas Bendeich in his article, ‘Video Games make bigger, and better brains’. The
fact that people gain a more strategic mind, being confronted with situation, like seen in the
quote, that require a substantial amount of stratization. If that key idea of tactics, and
strategy is not present in the gamer, the game will prove to be too difficult and that forces
people to start using a more cunning mind set. “Since most of the computer or video games
are built around step by step approach to reaching the target, they seem to help in kids’
planning and strategizing skills” dailytipsblog.com states in one of their web pages called,
Positive Effect of Videogames on Children. This backs up the fact of gaining strategic
thinking during playing videogames. As said, “they seem to help in kids’ planning and
strategizing skills”. That there is rounding up the fact that video games help with
stratization, and related to that, planning. Wrapping this up, the difficulty, or at least
needed stratization in video games, factually causes people, and young children especially,
to have a significantly, more advanced, strategic mindset.
To finish this all up, Video games do not harm the human brain in any way, video
games can prevent brain deterioration and reduce the chances of alzheimer's, can improve
brains to be more cunning and strategic, and can help relieve stress and anger, and prepare
one for a stressful situation later on. Overall brain deterioration can be easily avoided by
playing video games, because video games can allow people to “exercise” their brains with
minimal effort. Stress can easily leave a gamer once their mind is immersed in the video
gaming world, and gamers can let out hissy fits that would've been for their family or
colleagues, on AIs, generally reducing violent behavior. Lastly, the difficulty, and needed
strategy forces the gamer to gain a more cunning, tactical, strategic mind. The harder the
difficulty, and the more thought the gamer puts into the game, the more his mind will
improve. Come on now, you cannot tell me that you still don’t want to run home, and relax
to a good game. Now that you know these facts, be comfortable enjoying a new game, while
being less stressed out, smarter, and know in fifty years, chances are, you won’t be
suffering from alzheimer’s. SPREAD THE WORD. MAny people still think that videogames
are a waste of time, are that they are rotting your brain, because you now know the true
facts about the Benefits of Gaming.