The Effect of Video Games On the Body

In video games, youre in a virtual world where enemies lurk

around every corner. But how do these games impact your body
in real life? The excitement of a computer or video game can be
intense. Does your body know the difference between real life
enemies and those on the screen? Find out in this video game
science fair project!
Problem
Can video games trigger an adrenaline response?
Can playing video games change your blood pressure, breathing
rate, heart rate, and pain tolerance
Materials

Toothpicks

Watch

Notebook

Pencil

Blood pressure monitor

Ruler

Action video game and console

Stopwatch

Notebook

Pencil

Ball
Procedure

1.

To begin this experiment, youll need an exciting video game

thats fast-paced and involves danger.

2.

Find a few friends to be your test subjects. When youre

collecting your data, take note of your test subjects ages,
genders, and experience with video games to see if you can find
any trends or patterns correlating with those variables.

3.

Begin by taking your first test subjects breathing rate. Set

your stopwatch for a minute and count the number of breaths
your friend takes. Record it in your notebook.

4.

Now, take you friends pulse. Place your fingers under your
friends jaw and slightly off to the side, a push in gently until you
can feel a pulse. Again, set your stopwatch for a minute and count
the number of times that your friends heart beats. Record it in
your notebook.

5.

If you have access to a blood pressure monitor, place it

around your friends arm, and read her blood pressure
measurement. Record it in your notebook.

6.

Now, test your friends reaction time. The procedure for

testing reaction time can be found here.

7.

Finally, test your friends pain tolerance. Have her look away,
and poke her ten times on the arm with the toothpick. Be gentle!
Have her count how many pokes she can feel.

8.

Now, turn on the video game. Have your friend play the
game for ten minutes. Make sure that youre playing through
some intense action sequences.

9.

Immediately after your friend stops playing, take her

breathing rate and blood pressure. Record your data.

10.

Resume gameplay for five minutes.

11.
Pause the game. Take your friends pulse and test her
reaction time. Record your data.

12.
Resume gameplay again for another five minutes. Then
begin your poking test while your friend is still playing. Poke her
arm 15 times and then pause the game. Ask her tell you how
many times she was poked, and record your data.
Results
When you get excited by video games, your heart rate, breathing
rate, and blood pressure increase. Your perception of pain
decreases, so youre less sensitive to being poked.
Why?
Your body works in many amazing and quiet ways. Right now, you
are breathing, and probably digesting food. Your heart is beating,
and you dont even have to think about it. Your bodys systems
help maintain a state of homeostasis, where all internal
processes are stable and constant.
The sympathetic nervous system is one of your bodys
regulatory mechanisms. One of its jobs is to deal with stress. The
nervous system is programmed with a fight-or-flight response
(also called the acute stress response) to increase your
chances of survival if you find yourself in danger. This response is
triggered instinctively in reaction to a perceived threat to survival
rather than activated consciously or by choice, and adapts your
bodys systems to prepare you to either fight that danger or to
evade it by running away. So when your mind is focused on
watching a scary movie or playing a video game with intense
action, even though you may not actually be in real danger, your
adrenal medulla gland still springs into action because of your
stressed state. It releases hormones and a rush of adrenaline
that could help you fight or get away by increasing blood
pressure, heart rate, and breathing rate, turning fat into available
energy, suspending digestion, and dilating pupils.
All of these factors work together to increase your strength and
speed. Did your subjects reaction times improve? Dilated pupils
help you see more clearly, and muscle tension and increased
blood flow readies your muscles for action and amplifies your
agility. Were your subjects hands sweaty after playing for a
while? During an adrenaline response, your body increases

perspiration to prevent overheating due to the higher rate that

youre expending energy. Your body even increases how fast your
blood coagulates so that if youre injured, youll experience less
blood loss. Decreased or no perception of pain, called analgesia,
is also an effect of these life-preserving hormones.
All animals are equipped with a survival response. The flame
scallop shoots water out of its shell to flee in the opposite
direction. Blue-tailed skinks detach their brightly-colored tails to
distract predators while they scurry away. The stingray thrusts out
its poisonous barb as a defense. Other animals excrete venom or
go rigid to appear dead.
Although in our modern age, unlike prehistoric humans, we do not
rely on the fight-or-flight response for our daily survival, it still
functions in the times when we do encounter danger, or when we
subconsciously perceive a threat. There are many recent recorded
instances of adrenaline response provide superhuman strength
people lifting cars, wrestling bears, leaping inconceivable
distances for their or others survival, completely unaware of
injuries they had sustained.
Going Further
Take a look at your test subjects. How did the stress response in
males differ from females? Were your friends who regularly play
these kinds of action video games more or less affected by the
video game? Did age factor in to your test subjects reactions?
The more people you include in your experiment, the more
insightful your data and conclusions will be.