Video Gaming Effects (Guest Blog: gamingaffectsociety)

            I like to think of the psychological effects that video games have on children is similar to a football locker room. Plenty of players psych themselves up before the match. They go into that huddle and shout at each other and do other manly things. They will stay psyched up for a little while, it may last until they hit the showers, maybe it takes until they get home and go to bed. The point is, the psychological effects do not wear off right away. Video games also psych people up and that is a testament to the potential of video games. They have managed to achieve a certain level of realism. People are able to connect with video games the same way they would with real life interactions. Real life interactions are not just aggression and rage so do not be concerned too much about video games, to truly emulate real life video game designers try to include the entire range of emotions.

            Most parents are worried about the psychological effects video games have on their kids. Most forms of media have some effect on people. Something to keep in mind is every time a new form of media comes out there is always an initial resistance and blaming of the new media as a source of problems. Despite all of the claims and studies saying that video games are causing problems, crime rate has been going down quite steadily over time.

            If you are worried about your kids having issues with aggression consider this. In less modern times, people may have punched bags, chopped wood, wrestled with friends, or found other outlets for their frustrations. Now if kids want to vent their frustrations they have video games. Video games give kids something they do not have in real life. It gives them control. Parents have control over their kids. They choose what the child does. One of the sources of frustration for the kid is that control is not fair. And it’s true, it's not fair. Children need parents, but that does not change the fact that it is still an unequal relationship. What video games offer children are safe outlets to unload the emotions left over from the relationships.

            However, even if it is a vent for their frustrations that does not mean it is healthy for them. Playing video games will boost a child's aggression levels temporarily. A study by Chris Barlett found that "...there was a significant increase in aggressive thoughts, feelings, and arousal from pre- to post video game play. This effect stabilizes after the initial increase in aggression...there is no additional effect of continued violent video game play" [1]. These studies basically say that there will be an increase in aggression but it will not get worse the longer you play. There are similar studies saying that this aggression does not linger.

References

[1]. Barlett, Christopher. (2009). How Long Do the Short-Term Violent Video Game Effects Last? Aggressive Behavior. Retrieved from http://videogames.procon.org/sourcefiles/shorttermplaying.pdf

Interview #2

This interview features Krischan Makowka, a staff member of Free Gamer. Free gamer is a blog that commentates about free software games. Like the other interview, the questions are similar with some additions.

·         What are your experiences with gaming?

I grew up with the early forms of gaming (C64, Amiga500, 286/386 IBM compatibles etc.) and got into the FPS modding scene at some point. Nowadays I play actually only a little and try to reserve some time for gaming related 3D modeling, however my job, which is totally unrelated, occupies most of my time.

·         Do you think the gaming population greatly increases when new technology becomes available?

Not really, gaming compatible mobile devices may have increased the hours played and increased the gaming population by a few casual gamers, but I think it mostly just increased the time spend gaming, especially of people that might have gotten out of the habit a bit.

·         Do you think video games help or hurt social interaction?

That depends, obviously it can introduce people into the gaming population, and LAN parties (which are getting sadly less common) were certainly a great way to get to know people back in the day. However games like World of Warcraft which occupy massive amounts of time (and the people you interact with virtually are mostly not know to you in real life) certainly take a toll on the remaining social life.

·         What are your thoughts of gaming industries promoting their products through various media?

No problem with that really, I am still a bit surprised when a see a big gaming commercial in the cinema or TV, but I don't see anything wrong with that. It's a business and they are doing advertisements like any other.

·         What is your opinion of gaming influencing learning capabilities?

This is actually a very interesting point. I think the new interactive technologies (gaming internet etc.) have a strong influence on the formation of everyones brains especially that of children. If it would be utilized right (and here the experience of developing open-source games is certainly much better than just consuming the next call of duty title) it could have a great overall effect on learning. However it also makes our brains somewhat incompatible with traditional learning methods, and I think you can see that in todays schools already, especially with boys. But here I think the schools need to adjust, as the technology is here to stay and be utilized.

·         Do you think gamers are more aware of struggles in the country, for example war and the national debt, than non-gamers?

No, and I would say the general gaming demographic is probably less aware (not necessarily due to gaming, but just being the 15-35 mainly male demographic). Open-source enthusiasts might be a bit different, as it certainly has a political/moral part.

·         How do you think society would differ if gaming cease to exist?

I would say this differently... basically gaming is still largly non-existant for the majority of society. Television etc. is a much more dominant force. However this is changing rapidly in the last couple of years (in tandem with the rise of the internet) and this is in my opinion a positive change for the most part.

References
(Krischan Makowka, Personal Communication, November 23, 2012)