Computer games enrich leisure, but do they pose a risk of increasing aggression?

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Computer games are a popular leisure activity around the world, but their negative effects, such as addiction and violence, have been criticized. Research on whether games promote or reduce aggression is mixed, and the pros and cons need to be balanced.

 

Computer games have become one of the most popular leisure activities in the world. At the same time, the positive and negative effects of these games on gamers have also become a global topic. Many studies have addressed the harms that gaming can cause, focusing on the addictive nature of gaming and the aggression, loneliness, and anxiety it can cause. These studies have raised awareness among parents and educators, and some countries have even introduced regulations to limit screen time.
Computer gaming is a type of video game, but it also refers to any game that uses a computer. In this article, we’ll focus specifically on the relationship between video games and aggression. This topic is not just of interest to academics, but has become an important topic of discussion throughout society. One only has to look at the numerous fish bars that can be found on the streets of Seoul to realize that this is a very real issue in modern Korean society. Furthermore, the fact that the highly violent shooter game Sudden Attack has been ranked as the third best-selling game in South Korea for seven years highlights this issue.
There is also research showing that violent games have a negative impact on the people who play them. For example, adolescents who play certain games for extended periods of time have been shown to exhibit aggressive behavior in real life, so the influence of gaming cannot be ignored. However, these studies also show conflicting results, and some argue that gaming doesn’t always have a negative impact. Therefore, we need to look more closely at the pros and cons of gaming.
A lot of research has been done on the negative effects of violent games on aggression and general social behavior. Based on the studies reported so far, it’s unclear whether video games promote aggression. There is also a lack of research on the long-term effects of gaming. It is possible that the rules of the games differ in the level of aggression when playing against each other, individually, or in groups, and research on this could provide an important variable to the findings on the impact of gaming.
Some studies claim that games reduce prosocial behavior. These studies raise concerns that violent content in games can reduce interaction between people and undermine empathy. Ironically, however, gaming is becoming an increasingly social activity. In South Korean gaming culture, people go to fish rooms to play with friends, actively seek out and connect with friends online, and even play games together at home. These behaviors demonstrate the potential for games to encourage socialization and develop sportsmanship.
In the journal Videogame Addiction and its Treatment, Mark Griffiths, a professor at Nottingham Trent University, describes the ability of video games to promote aggressive tendencies or, conversely, to defuse them. This can be explained by social learning theory and catharsis theory. Social learning theory is based on the hypothesis that aggressive video games will stimulate aggressive behavior. The catharsis theory, on the other hand, hypothesizes that aggressive video games will actually have the effect of releasing latent aggression.
Video games have both positive and negative aspects. Studies have shown that games designed in the right context have great potential for educational and medical aids. In particular, video games can be used in therapies such as chemotherapy, and as a form of physical or occupational therapy. They can even help children develop social and spatial skills. As you can see, video games have the potential to be used in many different fields beyond just entertainment.
However, despite the fact that computer games have become very widespread among children and adolescents, there is still a lack of evidence that moderate play has serious negative health effects. Therefore, there is a need for research on excessive gameplay and for clear criteria to define what constitutes excessive gaming. With this knowledge, it’s important to further emphasize the problems associated with computer games and provide people with the right information and guidance.
In the end, gaming has become an inescapable part of modern society. It’s important to study the effects of gaming in more depth, and to develop social consensus and regulatory measures based on the results. We need a balanced approach that considers both the pros and cons of gaming, which will ultimately have a positive impact on the individuals who play and society as a whole.

 

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