Opinions Diverge on Gaming’s Impact

Video games are a large part of modern entertainment and, due to advances in technology, they have become realistic to the point where it can be hard to tell the difference between games and real life.

Research was done at Indiana University with Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) showing that adolescents playing non-violent games activate their frontal cortex, the part of the brain that allows us to determine what is good or bad. However, when adolescents play violent video games they activate the amygdala, the part of the brain that triggers actions based on emotion rather than logic, and almost none of the frontal cortex.

This issue of violent video games affecting children is controversial. Some argue that games can make children violent because violence is rewarded in the games. However, others who disagree with this opinion argue that those who play video games know they are not real and can distinguish the games from real life.

“I think that playing these violent video games does not make me more violent,” said William Kwon, a student at Fairfax High School, when interviewed by JSR.

Kwon added, “And I believe that these games allow me to express my emotions without physical harm to myself or others.”