CHAPTER 2

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES

This chapter shows the related literature and studies after the profound and in-depth
search done by the researchers.

THEME

The Positive Effects of Video Games

According to Rakesh Vadhanan (Aug 16, 2015), people playing a video game tends
to be too engrossed to do something until a productive member of society comes along
and tells them to do something productive. There are video games that can teach
individuals in many different ways. History games such as Civilization is a turned
based game that reflects the growth of human civilization and Assassin’s Creed
follows true events. Tactical, or Strategy games as you would call it, is a challenge of
wits and it depends on how the other player is playing. This calls for improvisation skills
and split second decisions like how the game Age of Empires is played akin to a chess
board game. Action-adventure trains the reaction-time to identify the pattern of enemies
along with obstacles and then deal with them, similar to how the game Batman:
Arkham City where the player have to counter press the right movements to dodge and
attack an enemy at the right time. Shooter games provide knowledge on firearms,
people can learn about firearms such as guns and weapons from games like Far Cry
and Call of Duty. Sport games, from the name itself, simulate the practice of sports.
While some emphasize actually playing the sport, such as the FIFA series, others focus
on strategy and sport management like Motorsport Manager and Out of the Park
Baseball.

SUMMARY :

Hearing ‘Don’t waste your time, you never gained anything from games’ is not true.
There are things that you can learn by playing video games . In history based games,
they cover the real events. In Strategy based , can be likened to a business , you need
to access first what your competition is doing based on which you change your strategy
or prepare strategic plan or once your competitors know your strategy they change
theirs to counter yours. In timing based ,most of the activities you encounter daily have
a pattern, if you know the pattern you can beat it or manage. In Gun based, this game
makes it as original as possible including firing sounds and you can recognize through
its distinctive sound.

FINDINGS :

Who said games where a total waste of time. Most of times you hear your parents
saying don’t waste your time, are games going to feed you. Tell them next time that they
teach you valuable life skills.

According to Dr. Mercola (July 27, 2017 ), a meta-analysis of 116 studies published
in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience set out to determine what effects gaming has on
your brain. The authors noted VGs have gained prevalence as an entertainment option.
Consequently, the number of people who spend hours daily playing these kinds of
games is increasing. There is interest in knowing the possible effects of long-term
exposure to VGs, and whether these effects are generally positive or negative . The
evidence suggests that video games may benefit attention - players show
improvements in selective attention, divided attention and sustained attention. The
Visuospatial skills , refers to player’s ability to visually perceive the spatial relationship
between objects. Cognitive control, this describes the mental resources required by a
person engaged in a specific task, the researchers said ,the number of stimuli
appearing simultaneously on the screen ,each stimulus elicit different responses from
the brain. Cognitive Workload , response one or more cognitive tasks Skill acquisition,
with overall skill acquisition improving after regular playing that skills can be learned via
playing video games may transfer to real life .

The downside of video games to the brain may be their effects , video games addiction -
an impulse-control order . The researcher noted it is a nonsubstance addiction not
unlike other addictive disorders, especially nonsubstance addictions such as
pathological gambling. Other downside are playing an adult video game that has the
exposure to violent that preventing empathy that linked to aggressiveness . There are
variables that may influence problematic video game such as role play games - gamers
assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting and first person shooter games
involve shooting enemies. Negative consequences of video game playing ; Eating and
sleep problems , loss of family time ,lack of school investment.
 Summary : Because of the wide scope of the research, the researchers grouped the
study into six sections based on different cognitive functions which are attention,
cognitive control ,workload , Skill acquisition , Visuospatial skills and Video game
addiction.

Findings : Not only improvements of the brain player will acquire through playing
video games , there are negative consequences like game addiction. The exposure to a
task leads to an increase of activity as the performance improves after repeated
exposures, it improves memory, attention, processing speed and performance in daily
life.

Video games do not just have negative effects on people; they can also have
positive effects. According to this database, “Players play video games due to various
motivations and purposes. Some believe video games help them boost mental skills
and improve physical coordination… reading ability, attention, hand-eye coordination,
and speed reactions to novel situations.” (Shu-Hsun 2011).
Summary : This means that video games can contribute mental skills because some
video games require critical thinking and that can enhance people’s reaction. Also
since most video games require a remote control, hand-eye coordination increases a
person’s movement.
Conclusion : In conclusion, video game addictiveness can have various effects. There
are helpful websites that can instruct parents on how to control their child’s playing
habits. Since this starts at an early age, the websites target parents to be focused on
what their children are playing and how long they are playing it.
Dupon, Steven Video games can invoke a wide range of emotions. Whether you realize
it or not, video games can invoke a lot of emotions for the gamer playing video games.
Whether positive or not, playing video games is still an emotional experience.
Relaxation , Playing a quick game after a tough day at school can do wonders .This is
why it is one of the most popular recreational activities one can do today. Many people
play video games for relaxation purposes. Getting home after a stressful day and
picking up your console can be the perfect way to unwind and get your troubles
disappear. Games relax us, putting us in a comfortable zone .
Mood regulator, Mood Regulation is a good thing. When you are in a bad mood ,
playing a video game is a good way because it can quickly regulate your mood and
calm you down.
Feeling of Achievement / Excitement , Playing video games is very rewarding. There is
a huge feeling of joy whenever you complete a level or beat your previous high score
the whole games gives you feelings of achievement and that excitement can carry
through for the rest of the day.
Rage , When the highs comes the lows, and gamer rage is a very real thing. Getting so
far through a mission but you only to be ‘killed’ or fell at the very last second, those kind
of things can evoke a feeling of such anger and rage that makes you want to scream
and throw things.

The Negative Effects of Video Games

Call of Duty, Madden NFL, Battlefield, World of War Craft are the examples of popular
games not only in the United States but throughout the whole world such as South
Korea, China , France and more . They consist of a video game console or
computer. You can play them at home; at a friend’s house or even while you are
walking down the street with a portable gaming device. Now, you cannot find a house
with children or teens living there without seeing some type of video game hardware
inside their home.
Graphics have been modified to look like real life events and people. Video game
makers have established a gaming experience where it feels as though the users are
really inside the game.
What do researchers say can cause a child, teen or adult to become addicted to video
games in the first place? According to research, most kids ranging from 8 to 17 years
old play video games for large amounts of time because, they do not have anything to
do when they get off of school and some children and teens do not have friends at
school so they can use video games as a replacement to have fun and interact with
people. Expect videogame usage to increase loss of family time bonding, cutting and
sleeping in class.
Video games can deprive a person from the real world. According to this database,
“Users may play compulsively, isolating themselves from other forms of social contact,
and focus almost entirely on in-game achievements rather than broader life events.”
(Weinstein 2010).

SUMMARY
This means video game addicts focus all of their attention on the video game and they
do not try to interact with life outside the game. Symptoms a person can have are
isolation from the outside world; the person stays in their home, having no connection
with the outside world. They spend all day playing video games rather than being with
friends and family. They also make goals for themselves, but not life goals such as
striving for good grades, being in clubs or trying to get a boyfriend/girlfriend. Instead
they make video game goals as in trying to achieve in completing a certain level, getting
a high score or beating the whole game in one day. All these are symptoms of a video
game addict.
Violent video games are believed to contribute in effects of playing video
game. According to this article, “One of the primary concerns with violence in video
games is that gaming is not passive. In order to play and win, the player has to be the
aggressor. Rather than watching violence, as he might do on television, he's committing
the violent acts.” (Violence and Video Games). Video games are rated to show the age
appropriateness. Video games have ratings to show the appropriateness of the video
game. The ratings start at C, which means children and range up to A which means
adults only. The most common rating is E, which stands for everyone. Most shooting
and violent games are M for mature which says they are only meant for people over the
age of 17, meaning, only people over the age of 17 can purchase these types of
games. However, children and teens are still able to get their hands on these games
because parents or older siblings buy them without noticing the ratings.
According to these criteria, playing constructive and prosocial games like Sims can
be "good for you" with at least one caveat---as long as you have a balanced life with
real-life face-to-face friendships and enjoyment in socializing. Why worry about the
latter? Because playing videogames typically keeps active primitive parts of the brain
that are not social nor cognitively sophisticated.
Okay, so that was the good news. Now, the bad news.
Playing violent video games is different from playing positive, constructive games. In
fact, violent videogames have an even more powerful influence than violent television
and movies, whose detrimental effects have been documented for decades. While
violent videogames may promote some complex problem solving and coordination skills
as well,
Theme: Action games expand the brain's cognitive abilities?
According to Université de Genève ( December 12 2017)
The human brain is malleable -- it learns and adapts. Numerous research studies
have focused on the impact of action video games on the brain by measuring cognitive
abilities, such as perception, attention and reaction time. An international team of
psychologists, led by the University of Geneva (UNIGE), Switzerland, has assembled
data from the last fifteen years to quantify how action video games impact cognition.
The research has resulted in two meta-analyses, published in the journal Psychological
Bulletin, which reveal a significant improvement in the cognitive abilities of gamers
Summary
According to this research the human brain learns and adapts. Numerous research
studies have focused on the impact of action video games on the brain by measuring
cognitive abilities, such as perception and reaction time. An international team of
psychologists has assembled data from the last fifteen years to quantify how action
video games impact cognition and the research has resulted in two meta-analyses,
which reveal a significant improvement in the cognitive abilities of gamers.
Findings
This research finds the results were beyond dispute: individuals playing action
videos increased their cognition more than those playing the control games with the
difference in cognitive abilities between these two training groups being of one-third of a
standard deviation. "The research, which was carried out over several years all over the
world, proves the real effects of action video games on the brain and paves the way for
using action video games to expand cognitive abilities
Limitations:
Despite the good news for avid gamers, it is worth highlighting that these beneficial
effects were observed in studies that asked individuals to space their game play out
over a period of many weeks to months rather than to engage in a large amount of
gaming in a single sitting. As is true in any learning activity, short bouts of repeated
practice is much preferred over binging!