Mabanta 1

Nicko Mabanta

Professor Rodrick

English 115

5 December 2018

The Negative Effects of Video Games

Technology is improving. It helps us in many ways. Online calendars make it easier to

organize our time everywhere we go, Electronic banking makes paying bills more convenient

and less stressful, and online documents reduce paper use. Television keeps us entertained and

updated on the news, and cars, trains, ships, and airplanes help us travel faster in long distances.

Video games reduce boredom and let players interact and play with or against other players

through wireless servers. Technology has also improved medically. X-ray machines, ultrasound,

MRI, and CT scanners help doctors in diagnosis, medicine cures our illnesses, and vaccines keep

us protected from diseases. Technology is both convenient and necessary in our lives. While

technology makes our lives much easier and more convenient, it also shapes us in badly through

video games; video games can increase aggression, change the way our brain functions, which

results in addiction, and reduce physical activity and sleep, causing obesity.

Shooting games, racing games, fighting games, and sport games are some of the

examples of games that involve competition. If a player loses a match to another player or

computer, it can cause frustration or even anger. Players feel this way because they feel that they

have no control over the outcome of the game. If they lose, they won’t feel satisfied. Paul

Adachi, author of the article, “The Association Between Competitive Video Game Play and

Aggression Among Adolescents and Young Adults,” believes that exposure to competitive video
 Mabanta 2

games for long periods of time can increase aggressive behavior. Adachi States, “Playing

competitive games… may lead to elevations in trait levels of aggressive affect, and in turn,

people with elevated trait levels of aggressive affect may be more likely to behave aggressively”

(Adachi 3). Adachi’s point is that if a person plays a competitive game for a long period of time,

he/she will have a more aggressive affect. Once the aggressive affect becomes elevated, it will

eventually result to an aggressive behavior. For example, if a player gets killed in a shooter

game, that player may become frustrated. If that same player gets killed repeatedly, it would

cause the player to rage and probably shout obscenities to the player who killed him. This

aggressive affect also applies to non-violent competitive games. For example, in racing games,

contact is inevitable. If another player bumps your car and made you spin out, that you would

probably be very angry. This kind of situation happened to me too. I was in the first place in a

racing game. There was a slow turn ahead, so I naturally had to brake, or else I would go off the

road. The other player behind me decided to not brake at all. My car went off the road because of

the hit, and it made me really angry. He was disqualified in that race, but I didn’t get the first-

place trophy. Noncompetitive video games, such as puzzles, role playing, and platform, can also

cause aggressive behavior but not as much as competitive games. Adachi said “Consistent with

the frustration–aggression hypothesis, however, competitive video games may be more likely to

induce anger and hostility than noncompetitive video games, because only competitive games

involve the threat of deliberate goal blocking from one's opponents (e.g., other vehicles trying to

overtake the player in a race), which may feel like a personal attack”(Adachi 3). Aggressive

behavior caused by video games can negatively shape one’s identity because not only it would

make the player behave aggressively, it would also cause problems to the people around him/her.
 Mabanta 3

Video games can be addicting. If someone plays video games most of the time, that

person could become addicted. Repetitive use of video games can change the way someone

thinks. The article “GAME OVER: HOW VIDEO GAMES AFFECT A CHILD’S BRAIN AND

BEHAVIOR” by Vibrant Life explains how video games can manipulate a child to become

addicted. “When we pursue a hard-won goal, the brain is flooded with dopamine, the reward

neurochemical, and serotonin, the self-confidence neurochemical” (Game Over 2). These

chemicals in our brain are the sources of our happiness and satisfaction. The problem with this is

that video games only give children small doses of dopamine and serotonin. “The desire for more

quick, pleasurable hits of dopamine and serotonin and unlimited access to gaming ultimately

primes the brain for addiction.” In other words, children will become addicted to video games

because they want more and more small doses of serotonin and dopamine that video games give

to them. Dopamine and serotonin can be obtained in many ways. You could go on a hike, go to

amusement parks, play with friends, watch movies, go on a date, eat your favorite food, or play

mini golf. These types of activities, fill our brain with dopamine and serotonin, which makes us

feel happy. The problem with this is that these activities are not easily accessible. Hiking takes

time and energy, amusement parks cost a lot of money, friends might be unavailable, movies cost

money, dating costs money, and mini golf cost money. If we don’t do these types of activities,

our dopamine and serotonin levels will go down. Video games, however, is easily accessible. All

you need to play video games is a gaming console/computer and a game. Easy access to video

games keeps our serotonin and dopamine levels from going down, but it does not go up elevate

that much, meaning that you have to play more and more to reach the chemical levels similar to

activities that are not easily accessible. It works the same way as alcohol or drugs. When

someone drinks alcohol or uses drugs, they will become psychologically dependent to that
 Mabanta 4

alcohol or drug. They think that they need to drink more alcohol or use more drugs because if

they don’t, they will not feel good. Video games can shape one’s identity in a bad way by

manipulating their brain and turning them into video game addicts.

Video games can also badly shape our identities literally. When someone plays video

games all the time, his/her personal time of interaction with the world or other people is greatly

reduced. Gamers would often skip any physical activity, sleep, and even human to human

interactions. Sometimes video game addicts would skip school or work. This means that the

amount of sleep is also greatly reduced. As they play more and more video games, their personal

time will be reduced more because video games steal that time. Reduced physical activity and

sleep can cause someone to become overweight or even obese. Targeted News Service’s article,

“Can Video Games Make Adolescents Obese?” believes that video games can cause obesity

through lack of sleep. The article states, “links between video game addiction and reduced sleep,

and from sleep to obesity and its associated metabolic issues were found. This may manifest

itself as elevated blood pressure, low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high triglycerides and

high insulin resistance ... that can lead to heart disease, hardening of the arteries and diabetes”

(Obese 1). In other words, video game addiction can reduce sleep, and lack of sleep can cause

obesity. This kind of situation happened to me too. I used to run and play outside when I was a

kid, which kept me in shape. Then, my parents bought me a gaming console. As I play more and

more video games, my time to play outside is being taken away by video games. Because of that,

my physical activity is greatly reduced, and I soon became overweight. However, I have

corrected myself and restricted my time to play video games to make up for any physical activity

that I lost. Because I only play video games occasionally now, I’m not overweight anymore.

There is no direct link between video game addiction and obesity. You can’t become obese by
 Mabanta 5

playing video games, however, video game addiction can cause lack of sleep, which is linked to

obesity. Video games can badly shape one’s identities by causing him/her to become overweight

or obese.

While technology can make our lives safer and more convenient, it can also shape us

badly through video games. Video games can shape us to become aggressive, addicted, and

obese. Repeatedly losing to a competitive video game match can cause aggressive behavior.

Video games make our brains want more and more serotonin and dopamine, causing addiction.

And, video games can reduce sleep, which causes someone to become overweight or obese.

Although video games can be fun and interactive, they can cause aggressive behavior, addiction,

and obesity.

Works Cited

Adachi, Paul J.C., and Teena Willoughby. “The Longitudinal Association Between Competitive

Video Game Play and Aggression Among Adolescents and Young Adults.” Wiley Online

Library, doi: 10.1111/cdev.12556, 27 June 2016. Accessed 21 Sept. 2018.

 Mabanta 6

“Can Video Games Make Adolescents Obese?” Targeted News Service, 2016, ProQuest,

Targeted News Service, May 18, 2016.

"GAME OVER: HOW VIDEO GAMES AFFECT A CHILD'S BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR."

Vibrant Life, vol. 34, no. 4, July-Aug. 2018, p. 26+. General OneFile. Accessed 21 Sept.

2018.

“The Real Story About Video Game Addiction.” Ashwood Recovery, 29 July 2015,

www.ashwoodrecovery.com/blog/video-game-addiction/. Accessed 29 Sept. 2018