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William Bruan
ENGL 101
Mrs. Jackson
11/23/15
Living Well: Video Games
The gaming scene has changed from the days of packed arcades and Pong. Video games
today reach graphical levels that are almost real, incorporate life lessons and human values, and
greatly expand our creativity and interactivity. The industry itself is a multimillion dollar
business, competing on the entertainment scene with film. More people than ever before are
playing video games, challenging how we perceive the industry, the gamers, and the effects of
gaming on our daily lives. The effects of gaming have been well studied over the decades, on
how they can be used in different environments, settings and groups and what aspects of them
are harmful or helpful for average life. Research shows that playing video games and integrating
them into our daily lives can be beneficial, and has even greater potential for satisfying our
mental, social, and physical needs.
Gamers are portrayed as sitting around a television or computer for hours, being
completely sedentary with their eyes fixed on the computer. Loathed is the image of children
becoming fat, spending time away from sports or the outdoors while eating a few bags of chips.
However, gaming has huge potential to change this lifestyle and improve an average persons
health: new technologies such as motion tracking lasers and controllers have allowed a huge
range of exercise options available for players. Household gaming consoles such as the Wii Fit

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are now usually sold along with devices and games that allow users to play different sports,
workouts, and even dance routines which may have effect depending on intensity of the game
and the frequency of it being played. Unfortunately, research has shown that in preventing
weight gains, active video game intervention had no effects (Simons, Monique, et al.) on
weight loss and eating habits. But perhaps video game exercise is not as effective as compared to
actual physical activity, but that is only due to the unreliability and dissatisfaction left by current
fitness games and programs. The fitness problems encountered in gaming can be solved not by
incorporating fitness into gaming, but by doing the opposite. It takes a level of reality,
satisfaction, and entertainment for any workout or physical routine to be effective. Researchers
testing interactive video game cycling discovered a higher rate of energy expenditure than a
bout of conventional cyclingmore enjoyable. (Monedero, Lyons, and OGorman) Such
active gaming that is both intense and encourages gameplay has a higher potential for
improving health than non-active gaming, such that asthmatic children tested with active gaming
showed higher levels of clinical control and aerobic fitness, (Gomes, Evelim L. F. D., et al.)
which is important because asthmatic children are less likely to exercise due to their condition.
Interaction and engagement such as this increases the chances that individuals will continue the
activity and the effects that the workout has. There is more potential than ever for gaming to
have a major impact on how we are getting our daily levels of exercise, whether it is in your
living room today with Just Dance 2015, tomorrow with challenging visual aides to go with your
treadmill or stair climber, or in the coming years participating in a virtual bike race in your living
room, burning calories and having fun.
It may seem that playing games may make a person less intelligent or capable of being a
rational human being. While playing games will not help pass an exam the next day, gaming can

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be much more mentally stimulating than we think. A difficult game can be as much as a
headache as a game of Sudoku or Chess. We see many examples today of video games teaching
players and improving our mental capacity. Typing computer programs attempt to make learning
and memorization more entertaining and relatable whereas picturing a scene of a teacher
providing the same information would seem impossible. Simulation games such as Minecraft
and open world games (those without a linear path or storyline for players to follow) unleash a
players creative mind by allowing him/her to explore and experiment, increasing interest and
thus focus on the topic. Even apps such as Candy Crush can work to exercise and improve our
normal brain functions with the simplest of game rules and complexities, and that game has
millions of players and hundreds of spinoffs. Hugely competitive games even have players
mastery of the mechanics and rules to learn about strategy and teamwork to accomplish goals or
win matches, in essence real world lessons with real world benefits. Due to the mentally
challenging nature of certain games, our cranial capacity is strengthened and improved by
constant use. This is supported in a paper published by Ubiquitous Learning, referencing
research papers that state that video games, decrease reaction time, enhance attentional
efficiency and flexibility, and improve visual working memory. (Rice, Stephen1, et al.) The
same paper notes that gamers are even positively perceived as having higher levels of STEM
(science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) capability than non-gamers, due to the idea
that gamers are good with computers. Gamers can even benefit from societal opinions of their
knowledge without actually having to be smart, although in fact the games they are playing are
increasing their ability for learning. The same researchers cited a study where an engineering
class learning content through video games was more likely to have remembered the
lesson/content than conventional lectures. In the same ways as with exercise, perhaps video

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games can be incorporated into educational activities to increase the potential of the lessons, to
simplify certain complex concepts to students, and thus to better connect with them. Integrating
interactivity with exercise can challenge both the mind and the body.
Many have argued that the constant exposure to violence, gore, cartoonish animations,
etc. will make a player blind to the realities of the world. The fear is that the morality of an
individual is negatively affected and that persons character is changed in unfavorable ways,
leading to a decay in that persons real-life relationships, and/or the inability to make new
friends. There is severe misrepresentation of women and minorities in many games. A
publication from the Journal of Family Therapy makes the claim that, violent games may
adversely impact on the therapeutic process if conversations about the games content do not take
place. (Jordan) This conception is easy to make, children seen playing video games with violent
scenes often do exhibit aggressive behavior towards their peers. Yet this is not the case and
common fears are misplaced, as the poor behavior stems not from the poor content but the way
the game itself addresses it. Gaming actually improves our moral foundations and exposes us to
more diverse scenes and actually may teach us very deep and philosophical lessons about
ourselves and the world: video games actually serve a moral purpose. The Psychiatric Times
published a paper compiling their sources. They noted that influence on aggressiveness was
weak and less significant than that of violence on television, and their review not show a clear
relationship between violent representations and criminal acts. (Fournis, Abou) The content
in games is not the cause for some gamers antisocial reactions or violence, but rather a potential
catalyst for individuals suffering from mental illnesses. Gamers will still rely on real life peers
for their moral base and through their exposure to poor moral scenes with peers helps them
understand what immoral actions are. Some gamers exposure to rude and violent behavior from

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other anonymous players shapes their social logic (see social): They cannot connect with these
people who outright abuse them thus incorporate this anger into their lives and morality. Having
a peer that is known in real life or players that are not protected from committing online injustice
prevents others from doing so. Going back to the games themselves as the root of the moral
problem, while it may seem that games just throw in obscenities and violence everywhere, games
actually can influence the thinking of their players based on a reward system for moral actions.
According to the Journal of CyberPsychlogy, committing immoral behaviors in a video game
can elicit guilt, (Grizzard, Matthew, et al.) which means that games can teach morality to the
players, albeit less than real life experiences. The reward structure and narrative context of
games was also looked at the Journal of Experimental Psychology, where they concluded that
in-game mechanics can increase or decrease post-game aggression without affecting in-game
violence. (Sauer, James D., Aaron Drummond, and Natalie Nova.) Gaming companies trying to
teach a lesson to gamers can easily do so through narrative guidance and backstory as well as
repercussions for immoral acts. The controversy surrounding certain intentional violent games is
well founded, but the simple conclusion that violent video games promote violent or otherwise
immoral acts is wrong, and some violent games work around that using their unique game
design. The classic Fallout series with its motto War Never Changes announced in every
introduction as well as the violence-packed campaigns of a nuclear post-apocalyptic world
engage the player into making moral decisions, with many different endings based on the
players actions. Games are absolutely capable of making an emotional connection with the
player, although more games need to be made in this way.
In the same way that there is potential for moral benefit from video games, video games
satisfy social needs as well. The average gamer is less like an unkempt person sitting alone in a

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room, but rather an unkempt person sitting alone in a room but actually connected to tens of
thousands of other gamers in a connected landscape. With internet access becoming a necessity
for average life, gamers find themselves in an ever increasingly connected environment. They are
able to see each others profiles, which includes their ranks, friends and achievements, filling a
role very close to social media. Almost all games today have multiplayer capability, or at the
very least the ability to see their progress in comparison to others. Games allow millions of
players with similar mindsets and preferences to interact, whether that is by cooperating or
competing/killing each other. Many players who are unable to establish strong friendships in real
life can and have found themselves becoming legendary figures in games, either through their
wild personalities, or excellent skills. The Forum for Qualitative Social Research shows that
games satisfy three social needs: success, belonging, and autonomy. For the first one, gamers,
try to succeed within the game and are successful in doing so effort and success are strongly
related gamers are much more able to control the game than their life. (Bleckmann, Jukschat)
Being able to succeed reliably- whether by accomplishments made in the eyes of others or the
feeling of control through those- is an important driving factor in the players, especially those
that lack success in their real lives. On the topic of belonging, the paper notes that, On the one
hand are gamers who search for belonging on the basis of virtual extensions of real-life
relationships and thus play with their peers, and, gamers who immerse themselves completely
into the game world. (Bleckmann, Jukschat) The creative aspects of some role playing games
allow players to customize their own characters, cars, weapons and more. This allows them to
express who they are, who they wish to be, or just experiment with different styles. And also
gamers not only connect with unknown people, but with their friends, family, and peers which
helps strengthen their relationships through playing. To autonomy, games help gamers to assert

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their autonomy. (Bleckmann, Jukschat) Games help players be one with themselves, to find who
they are whereas in life they might be forced to follow societal, familial, or other demands set
upon them. It should be noted that researchers declared that games only [virtually] provides
fulfillment of the biographical (real-life) quests, (Bleckmann, Jukschat) meaning that real-life
feeling of success, belonging, and autonomy are experiences that last. This is one of the reasons
why some games are simply addicting, that they are too good: they fulfill many of the social
needs where average lives cant, and this leads to reduced connection to reality. An argument can
be made that games are simply addictive and that friendships online are nothing compared to
real-life relationships. Another argument is that the friendships that one makes on the web cannot
be trusted, and that gaming chatrooms and games themselves tend to be rather rude, offensive, or
discriminatory. This is because that autonomy mentioned earlier allows players to think they can
do anything-everything, similar to hate speech on the internet. Certain players will live their real
lives acting like the characters they play due to the experiences they encountered with other rude
individuals online (link to morality). Depending on the game, there is little accountability and
few restrictions on what can be said or done. If the players real identities were revealed, then
their attitudes on such games would be vastly different. And while the researchers have a point,
that doesnt mean that the video games need be eliminated: too much immersion into the game is
negative, yet the gaming experiences with peers noted in the study are still ways that gaming can
fulfill the gamers social demands and still be in the realm of real life. So while a players social
needs can be met by playing with anonymous gamers online, forming bonds and connections, it
is still important to understand the importance of real friends, not hiding behind false identities
but rather serving as a place where real people meet.

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In the end, every video game is different, leaving the choice between potential (if any)
benefits up to the consumer, catering to different styles of play and content (and profit). But as
access to technology increases and more creative minds take to an ever-expanding industry,
video games are going to become bigger and bigger in ambition and scale. There are going to be
revolutionary games that dont make big appearances or fantastic gameplay but will have major
impacts on lifestyles. There will be games that mock gender roles, incorporate and inflate
stereotypes, and/or include mature content. Many games will have both of these. However on the
whole, the potential for games to have a better and more influential role in our lives in the
coming future is immense, and the many of the stigmas associated with video games are not as
blown out of proportion as many sources would believe and are real issues that game developers
need to solve in order for the positive potential to be released. Much of what we do can be
improved by incorporating interactivity and fun into them, thus making normal tasks like school
and workouts interesting and fun thus increasing collective health and learning. Video games
whether wanted or not will become increasingly incorporated into the ways which we receive our
social, moral, and physical needs, and with almost sixty percent of Americans playing, rising
every year, it isnt hard to see why. Dont ignore simple games that may cause a huge stir and
changes and remain grounded in reality are the main lessons for success in incorporating gaming
into our daily lives.

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Works Cited
Bleckmann, Paula, and Nadine Jukschat. "The Integrated Model Of (Dys-) Functionality:
Reconstructing Patterns Of Gaming As Self-Medication In Biographical Interviews With
Video Game Addicts." Forum: Qualitative Social Research 16.3 (2015): 1-21. SocINDEX
with Full Text. Web. 18 Nov. 2015.
Fournis, Gal, and Nidal Nabhan Abou. "Violence, Crime, And Violent Video Games: Is There A
Correlation?." Psychiatric Times (2014): 1-4 4p. CINAHL Complete. Web. 18 Nov. 2015.
Grizzard, Matthew, et al. "Being Bad In A Video Game Can Make Us More Morally
Sensitive." Cyberpsychology, Behavior & Social Networking 17.8 (2014): 499504. Business Source Premier. Web. 19 Nov. 2015.
Gomes, Evelim L. F. D., et al. "Active Video Game Exercise Training Improves The Clinical
Control Of Asthma In Children: Randomized Controlled Trial." Plos ONE 10.8 (2015): 111. Academic Search Premier. Web. 20 Nov. 2015.
Jordan, Nickolas A. "Video Games: Support For The Evolving Family Therapist." Journal Of
Family Therapy 36.4 (2014): 359-370. SocINDEX with Full Text. Web. 20 Nov. 2015.
Monedero, Javier, Elizabeth J. Lyons, and Donal J. OGorman. "Interactive Video Game Cycling
Leads To Higher Energy Expenditure And Is More Enjoyable Than Conventional

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Exercise In Adults." Plos ONE 10.3 (2015): 1-12. Academic Search Premier. Web. 20
Nov. 2015.
Rice, Stephen1, et al. "The Perception Of Video Game Experience And Its Effects On STEM
Tasks And Tests." Ubiquitous Learning: An International Journal 8.2 (2015): 1319. Education Source. Web. 18 Nov. 2015.
Sauer, James D., Aaron Drummond, and Natalie Nova. "Violent Video Games: The Effects Of
Narrative Context And Reward Structure On In-Game And Postgame
Aggression." Journal Of Experimental Psychology. Applied 21.3 (2015): 205214. Business Source Premier. Web. 20 Nov. 2015.
Simons, Monique, et al. "Replacing Non-Active Video Gaming By Active Video Gaming To
Prevent Excessive Weight Gain In Adolescents." Plos ONE 10.7 (2015): 1-21. Academic
Search Premier. Web. 20 Nov. 2015.
Tobias, Scott1, Stobias4@kent.edu, Jessica2 Halter, and Denise2 Newbauer. "Relationships
Between Video Game Play And Family Environment Among Female University Student
Game Players Living At Home." Journal Of Family & Consumer Sciences 107.1 (2015):
25-34. Education Source. Web. 20 Nov. 2015.

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Thesis: Research shows that playing video games as a part of our daily lives is beneficial, and
has even greater potential for our mental, social, and physical needs.
I.

Gaming has huge potential to improve an average persons health.

A. New technologies such as motion tracking lasers and controllers have allowed a
huge range of exercise options available for players. Household gaming consoles
such as the Wii Fit are now usually sold along with devices and games that allow
users to play different sports, workouts, and even dance routines
B. Video games can promote better health through physical activity and better
workouts.
1. It takes a level of reality, satisfaction, and entertainment for any workout or
2.

physical routine to be effective

Active video game intervention had no effects on weight loss and eating

habits.
3. Interactive video game cycling discovered a higher rate of energy
expenditure than a bout of conventional cyclingmore enjoyable
4. Interaction and engagement such as this increases the chances that individuals
will continue the activity and the effects that the workout has.
5. Asthmatic children tested with active gaming showed higher levels of
II.

clinical control and aerobic fitness

While playing games will not help pass an exam the next day, gaming can be much
more mentally stimulating than we think.
A. We see many examples today of video games teaching us and improving our
mental capacity.
1. Apps such as Candy Crush can work to exercise and improve our normal
brain functions.
2. Typing computer programs attempt to make learning and memorization more

III.

entertaining and relatable.

Gaming doesnt increase violence in kids, but rather shapes them to be more open and
morally responsible.

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Conclusion: On the whole, the potential for games to have a better and more influential role
in our lives in the coming future is immense, and the many of the stigmas associated with
video games are not as blown out of proportion as many sources would believe and are real
issues that game developers need to solve in order for the positive potential to be released.