Scientists Prove Video Games Rot Your Brain!

[Jonbo298]

Research: video games decrease brain activity




Prolonged time playing video games could cause people to lose concentration, get angry easily and have trouble associating with others, a Japanese professor's research has suggested.

In a survey conducted by Akio Mori, a professor in Nihon University's College of Humanities and Sciences, it was found that the longer people spent playing video games, the less activity they showed in the prefrontal region of their brains, which governs emotion and creativity.

And brain activity in the people who continually played games did not recover in the periods when they weren't playing games, the research showed.

Mori analyzed the brain waves of 240 people aged between 6 and 29, separating the beta waves that indicate liveliness and degree of tension in the prefrontal region of the brain, and alpha waves, which often appear when the brain is resting.

He divided the brain activity of participants into four categories -- naming the activity normal, visual, half-videogame, and videogame.

The beta waves in the brains of those in the normal category, who rarely played video games, were always stronger than the alpha waves their brains emitted, and little change was shown when they started playing a game.

Those in the half-videogame category, who spent between one and three hours each day playing games for three to four days a week, had roughly equal alpha and beta wave activity before they started playing a game. However, once they started playing, the beta waves rapidly decreased, falling below the level of the alpha waves.

Beta wave activity in people in the videogame group, who spent between two and seven hours each day playing games, was constantly near zero even when they weren't playing, showing that they hardly used the prefrontal regions of their brains.

Many of the people in this group told researchers that they got angry easily, couldn't concentrate, and had trouble associating with friends.

"I want people to be aware of the quality of games and the time young people spend playing them during their earlier years when sentiment develops," Mori said of the results.

Mori said the research showed that only the nerve circuits of sight and motion moved when people played videogames, causing a drop in the process of thought.

The research also found that after continued time playing videogames, a decrease in prefrontal brain activity became chronic. Those in the visual group, who were used to visual stimulation, such as from television, easily developed videogame-type brains.

"Many videogames stir up tension and a feeling of fear, and there is concern that this could have an effect on the autonomic nerves," Mori said. "During childhood, playing outside with friends, not videogames, is the best option."

The results of the research were expected to be announced at a meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in the United States in autumn. (Mainichi Shimbun, July 8, 2002)

http://mdn.mainichi.co.jp/news/20020...fp013001c.html

Oh, man. This is too funny Just reading that article decreased my prefrontal brain activity.

[Jason1]

yea I heard about that on planetgamecube...I dunno what to think of it really, sure you could quickly pass it off as bull****, but there could be some truth to it...

[GameKinG]

I beleive that video games increase imagination, which is important in life if you want to design things like houses, cars, inventions, or videogames. Some of that could make you a lot more rich then anything some school will teach you. Besides math, thats important, except for algebra...useless algebra

[bobcat]

I was never good at arts neway

[manasecret]

I tend to agree; video games in general, when played almost constantly and by yourself, will make you less social and decrease how much you use your brain.

But the same goes for just about any mindless entertainment; watch TV all day everyday all by your lonesome and you're likely to get some social problems and not think as much because that's what entertainment does, takes your mind off things and puts creativity on the backburner.

But also just like other entertainment, if you play video games that aren't stupid, mindless crap and play them with a bunch of friends while having a good time, then that's probably just as good socially and mentally for your upbringing as playing outside with friends or reading all the time. I mean, some games require more thinking or strategizing. Playing a strategy game or puzzle game can take a lot of thinking and perhaps increase your intelligence or at least the use of your brain. Then some games are meant to be fun for a whole group, such as SSBM.

That's what I don't like about this "study." There's no mention of what games he let them play, whether or not they were played with friends or without, whether they were having fun or not, or any number of factors that I can't think of but could affect the results. I mean, sit someone alone in a small room with a game like Quest 64 (:eek: ) to play for eight hours straight everyday, and who could blame them for going a little nutso?

Of course, we don't know if that's what happened; we don't know anything, and that's the point.

I pretty much agree that while growing up it's probably better for both your health and general mental health to be outside playing with friends. But a little entertainment, especially the more intelligent kind, every now and then can't hurt more than any other activity that a kid might participate in while growing up.

After all, a child could be outside playing with peers, but as happens with at least one kid in every group, the peers could mock him and outcast him and make him feel like dirt and pretty much destroy his social and mental health totally absent of video games. Would playing video games with like-minded friends have been better for his health in that case?

Anyway, my point is, I think any extra-curricular activity (read: not killing people) you participate in with friends who respect you and with whom you can have fun is just fine and healthy.

db

[thatmariolover]

Hm...

That's fascinating considering that they are using video games to help children with ADD and ADHD concentrate on their homework and other tasks at Mayo Clinic.

They started the study like 2 or 3 years ago. They found games help children (and people in general) to focus.

And I have a hard time believing this. I play video games, and feel I have a very creative brain. I think this is a load of crap, except for the anger portion. I would partially agree with that.

But I mean, look at the tournament taking place in the Twin Cities (visite PGC to learn more). That sort of event makes people who play video games get social. They can be a very social pass-time. I'm going to take this article with a agrain of salt.

[GameKinG]

Yep, so we have:

Focus
Hand-eye coordination
Creativity

[GameMaster]

That article alone has convinced me to give up video gaming. Goodbye old friend, or so I thought.

[fingersman]

Scientist are so funny sometimes......although I partially agree that the kid should get some other kind of entertainment than playing games.........however I think playing games helps with the imagination and developes quick think and reflexs and better hand to eye co ordination.

But playing just staying inside the house playing games all the time...will have some negative effects on you......but your not gonna want to stay in the house all the time will you??

[Idiot]

Well, videogames are an artistic medium, and thus contribute to artistic studies and knowledge.