As gaming is increasingly embraced by adolescents, researchers have been investigating how it alters their cognition and feelings. For instance, results indicate that gaming enhances one’s information retention, enhances one’s capacity to make decisions, and increases one’s emotional intelligence, but improvement in feelings towards others lags behind. These results paint a clear picture of the impact games have on the minds of the young. There is massive evidence that video game-playing can enhance the skills of young adolescents in areas related to decision-making and emotional intelligence, but researchers are exploring how it shapes empathy and aggression. Through this view of frameworks like GAM (General Aggression Model), we can gain a deeper understanding of the underlying processes through which video games influence the young mind-positive and negative alike.
What is General Aggression Model (GAM)
An integrated model to understand aggressiveness would be the General aggressiveness Model (GAM). This model considers what could affect aggression- social, cognitive, psychological, developmental, and biological aspects. The proximate processes by the GAM outline how situational and individual factors would affect feelings, thoughts, and arousal, which in turn would affect the judgement and decision-making processes and then therefore affects aggressive or non-aggressive behavioral outputs. The creation and availability of hostile knowledge structures are influenced by the learning trials that every round of the proximal processes provides. The GAM’s distal processes detail how modifications in knowledge structures caused by biological and persistent environmental factors might influence personality. GAM has been utilized to analyze aggressiveness in a range of settings, including the effects of media violence, marital violence, and group violence.
Cognitive Benefits of Video Games
A study that surveyed nearly 2,000 children found that kids who said they played video games for three or more hours a day performed better than those who never played video games on cognitive tests that included working memory and impulse control. The study was published in JAMA Network Open titled as “Association of Video Gaming With Cognitive Performance Among Children“. Nonetheless, video gamers have reported considerably higher levels of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, depressive symptoms, and problems with attention than the general public. Video gaming cognitive behaviour studies are getting a lot of attention with not much knowledge of the neurological mechanism through which they operate, and there are very few neuroimaging studies that have covered this topic, and most of these studies have small sample sizes like under 80.
Researchers at the University of Vermont in Burlington closed this research gap by analyzing data from children who joined the ABCD Study at ages 9 and 10. The team reviewed survey responses, cognitive assessments, and brain imaging data from nearly 2,000 participants within the larger study cohort. They further divided the children into two groups: those who reported not playing video games at all and those who reported playing for 3 or more hours daily. The level of gaming exceeded the limits set by the guidelines of American Academy of Pediatrics, to limit video gaming for older children to one or two hours of screen time per day. This research measured the performance of children on two task that test control over impulsive behavior and information retention, while assessing their brain activity.
Researchers found that children who played video games for three or more hours per day outperformed those children who did not played video games on the basis of cognitive tasks, children who played video games were more faster and accurate. They also noticed the brain activity between two groups. According to functional MRI brain imaging tests, kids who played video games for three or more hours a day had activity in the parts of their brains linked to memory and attention than kids who never played.
No Evidence of Clinical Aggression from Gaming
Other studies have found associations between playing video games and increasing violent and aggressive behavior, this study made no such findings. Counter to children who did not play video games, children who reported playing for three or more hours per day scored higher on measures of attention problems, depression symptoms, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, they found that these behavioral and mental health scores achieved neither clinical significance in the two groups, meaning that they did not cross any thresholds for clinical symptoms or risk of problematic behaviour.
Conclusion
Children who played video games for over three hours daily demonstrated better cognitive skills, faster responses, and improved memory and attention compared to non-gamers. Brain imaging revealed increased activity in areas linked to these abilities. While gamers reported higher attention and mood-related problems, these issues were not clinically significant. The findings suggest video games can enhance cognitive performance, but excessive gaming may pose risks to mental health, warranting a balanced approach.
FAQs
How do video games affect cognitive skills in children?
Video games significantly improve cognitive skills such as memory retention, impulse control, and decision making. Studies, including brain imaging studies, indicate that children who play video games for three or more hours a day perform better than non-gamers in tasks that require these skills.
Do video games promote aggressive behavior in children?
Some research has suggested a positive link between video games and aggression. However, this research failed to establish a direct link between frequent gaming and violent or aggressive behavior. It instead identifies cognitive benefits from gaming that do not reach clinically significant behavioral issues.
Does frequent gaming pose any mental health risk?
Gamers have reported higher levels of attention problems, depressive symptoms, and ADHD indicators compared to non-gamers. However, these issues were not clinically significant, meaning they did not cross thresholds for medical concern or diagnosis.
