It starts innocently enough. The menacing bad guys, who are armed to the teeth, meet their demise at the hand of a 12-year old kid with a videogame controller. This epic fight of good versus evil leads to more video challenges, including virtual football, basketball, baseball and any number of other video sports games.
The addiction to video games becomes clear to a parent or spouse when the gamer would rather "play" Tony Hawk's skateboard game than go outside and actually skateboard. This example suggests how video games affect the way we think.
The videogame business generates more revenue than the entire motion picture industry. Since their introduction Sony's PS3 has sold 6,998,000units, the Xbox 360 has sold 14,194,200 units and the Wii console has sold 18,230,200 units. In January 2009 alone, the video game industry enjoyed sales of $1.33 billion, up 13% from the previous year. In the context of the worldwide economic collapse, these numbers are staggering.
Evidently, millions of people, kids and adults, LOVE to play videogames. The result is that a substantial segment of the population is living vicariously. As with many "mega trends," this phenomenon is both good and bad for the gamers and the rest of us.
In order to end this epistle on a positive note, let's start with the downside of having tens of millions of kids and adults addicted to videogames.
As with any compulsive behavior, the addiction to gaming can cause health problems. It is not coincidence that one of the primary causes of the epidemic of childhood and adult obesity is the sedentary lifestyle of all those couch-potatoes - many of whom spend hours each day in front of a screen, trying to move to the next level of a videogame.
Videogames are not the only culprit in the obesity plague. We can also thank the fast food emporiums, the junk food junkies and the soft drink companies for this health fiasco that is threatening to bankrupt the healthcare system. However, a mindset that believes that it is more fun to "play" videogame sports than to actually go outside and play sports is a part of an insidious disease that can lead to diabetes, heart problems, liver damage and psychological/self esteem issues.
A lack of basic problem solving skills and the ability to maturely interact with others have also been mentioned by psychologists who have studied hard-core gamers. These problems need more scientific analysis and based on the fact that the gamer population is exponentially growing, it is a statistical certainty that there will be a large pool of maladjusted gamers for the shrinks to study.
Even with all of these negative effects, videogames can also have very large and very positive effects on the way we think. It all has to do with neuroplasticity.
In the past few years, scientists who study the way that the brain works have come to the conclusion that the human brain is constantly re-wiring itself. Any neurons which carry electrical charges and happen to be severed, damaged or otherwise blocked, naturally seek to find an alternative route for these electrical charges. This neurological research has determined that the brain is malleable and regenerative. In this sense, it is "plastic."
So, what does this neuroplasticity of the brain have to do with videogames?
In order to re-wire itself, part of the brain that is malfunctioning must be "re-trained." For example, this is necessary for rehabilitating from a brain injury or stroke. This is typically accomplished by repetitive actions in a course of physical and mental rehabilitation.
Videogames are perfect tools for this type of rehabilitation because they require the eyes, brain and hands to deal with spatial challenges over many, many times. And, because the graphics and action of videogames are extremely compelling, the boredom factor of normal rehabilitation (which causes many to drop out) is a non-issue.
This rehabilitation can be supercharged when "active gaming" equipment is included in the regime. A "Wii" console or a "Playstation" modem hooked up to a "GameBike" increases the effectiveness rehabilitation by adding an aerobic element to the process. Functional MRI tests have shown that the aerobic exercise of active gaming dramatically increases the blood flow to the brain and the rehabilitation is enhanced.
When rehabilitation is interesting or fun, patients enjoy it more and spend more time doing it. Videogames are designed to be fun. In fact, millions of gamers are proof that they are just about the most fun of any entertainment.
Videogame technology has also changed the way older brains are made stronger. Because the population is living longer and illnesses associated with the brain such as Alzheimer's disease are facing millions of people, an entire "Brain Strengthening" industry has developed. The same concepts that are found in videogames are helping to build cognitive fitness in older individuals.
Do videogames affect the way we think? Definitely. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? Both!
Like it or not, the enormous amount of money that the makers of these games earn on these products, ensure that these games are going to be a part of our lives for a long time. The challenge is to use the technology for good and not evil. This is exactly the motivation of the 12-year old for playing the games in the first place.