Santoyo 1
Nomar Santoyo
Professor Briones
English 1302 222
March 3, 2023
Are Video Games Beneficial or Harmful to Society?
Video games have been a leisure activity for both children and adults alike for over 50
years. Over the years, debates have come up on whether video games are harmful, beneficial, or
even deserve to have a place in society. Video games have the potential to be great, if used
correctly. Video games not only have the capacity to be able to use in education, but they can
also be used to help with cognitive skills. Although they can be used good, they can also have
harmful effects on people. Gambling problems and violent behaviors are some things that can be
associated with video games.
Video Game Uses in Education
Video games can provide a more fun and interactive way of learning. Websites like
Kahoot, that bring together quiz questions and make a fun game out of them, and ABC Mouse, a
program that combines lessons and games for young children to play are ways that video games
can be introduced into the classroom. ABC Mouse is a proven and effective program that helps
students engage with learning. In this
program, “Students use their dashboards to
move onto the next lessons, choose themes,
visit special areas, and set up and customize
their avatars and decorate their spaces” (Peck
21). One of the more important factors to
Santoyo 2
consider with mixing video games and education is seeing if students are learning. Applications
like ABC Mouse provide feedback to both instructors and the students, and instructors can base
teaching plans around what they see students are struggling with.
On the other hand, video games might not provide the same results for every classroom.
This was reflected in a study conducted by Marco Ruth and Kai Kasper. The study was
conducted in a biology classroom. It was found that high school age students weren’t as
interested in playing the games while learning. There were also problems with inaccuracy. The
article states, “students could be confronted with inaccurate or wrong information, for example,
regarding scientific principles in biology or regarding stories with narrative biases in history”
(Ruth & Kasper 2). Another problem the study faced was the difficulty of introducing the game
into the curriculum. Teachers don’t know when they would be able to spend time playing the
game while still teaching the students. In the experiment, 29 students played the game spore, a
game about evolution starting from a single cell. Students overall had mixed reactions with one
student saying, “I would use it especially for younger children, because then they have a little bit
of fun and learn playfully, so maybe we are already a little too old for that” (Ruth & Kasper 9).
And another student saying, “I think it’s just fun and I think if one has fun together, then one
learns better. So, if one must make some exercise sheets all the time, I think one doesn’t learn so
much, because it’s not so much fun” (Ruth & Kasper 9). Overall, factors like inaccuracy,
maturity, and ability to adapt to a new way of teaching are all things that limit the ability to use
video games in some classrooms.
Video Games and Cognitive Functions
Video games have been proven by many studies to have a positive effect on cognitive
functions. These cognitive functions include things like attention, problem solving skills, and
Santoyo 3
social skills. Choi states, “top-ranking players were better at selective attention than players with
lower-level skills and less gaming experience” (3). This means that people who played video
games more frequently were shown to
pay more attention than people who
played video games for less time.
Moreover, Granic states, “Compared to
control participants, those in the shooter
video game condition show faster and
more accurate attention allocation, higher spatial resolution in visual processing, and enhanced
mental rotation abilities” (3). Video game players were also shown to have great problem-
solving skills. Video games often have puzzle elements in them to give players more of a
challenge. Choi states, “Adolescents, playing strategic VGs (i.e., SVGs, RPGs) more frequently
during 4 years of high school period, also showed better skill to solve problems” (5). The
cognitive function of solving problems has been shown to have been brought out and enhanced
while playing video games. Social skills are also improved while playing video games. Most
games nowadays are online, and players need to work together to achieve a common goal. It is
necessary to have social skills while playing online, or else you’ll fall behind. Not only do
gamers use social skills to achieve a common goal, but as Markey states, “gaming provides them
an opportunity to create new friendships” (88). Overall, video games have shown to help young
children in their cognitive functions. For example, in this study, where “In a sample of over 3000
young children across six European countries, high video game usage (playing video games
more than 5 h per week) was significantly associated with higher intellectual functioning,
Santoyo 4
increased academic achievement, a lower prevalence of peer relationship problems and a lower
prevalence of mental health difficulties” (Kovess-Masfety 355).
Video Games and Violence
Video games have always been shown in the media in a negative way. One of the ways
video games have been criticized has been its relation to violence. Video games have been
shown to increase aggressive behaviors and thoughts in young people. For example, in a study
on long term effects of violent video games,
Gentile states that “habitual violent [video game
play] increases long-term [Aggressive behaviors]
by producing general changes in [Aggressive
cognitions], and this occurs regardless of sex,
age, initial aggressiveness, and parental
involvement” (456). This study was done using hypothetical situations, but would these young
people really act on these behaviors? For example, huesmann states, “It is time for the public
health establishment to accept the fact that playing violent video games increases the “risk” that
the player will behave more aggressively” (3). Huessman mentions how it will only increase the
“risk” of violent behavior.
In Video Game Play: Myths and Benefits, Markey mentions that the link between violent
crime and violent video games can be dubbed the “grand theft fallacy” (95). Markey brings up
the arguments that violent crime levels are lowered during months of high video game play.
Markey brings up the point of how:
For a violent crime to occur, a perpetrator must be in the same location as the victim, and
this location tends to be free of those who would likely prevent the crime. Now, consider
Santoyo 5
how playing many hours of video games may keep these potential criminals and victims
entertained and off the streets. (96)
Markey explains how video game players are less likely to commit violent crimes because they
are too busy staying inside playing games.
Video Games and Gambling
Loot boxes are a growing problem in the gaming community. The problem has gotten so
bad that the European Union has made laws regarding the usage of loot boxes in video games.
While most of the time these boxes can be used simply for cosmetic items that serve no real
purpose, sometimes games will hide useful
items in them that players will waste their
money gambling for the chance of winning
one. As King states, loot boxes often
“disguise or withhold the long-term cost of
the activity until players are already
financially and psychologically committed” (1). These games will often bring players into the
system by offering “free” boxes simply by leveling up. These boxes will be rigged in your favor
to gain good items. This will in turn guide players into spending more money on loot boxes.
Also, Games will often add a “starter pack” that will give you a good amount of loot for a
cheaper price. These loot boxes also often have animations that show the good items a player
could get but will still give them the worse options. Zendle stated, “the gambling-like features of
loot boxes are specifically responsible for the observed relationship between problem gambling
and spending on loot boxes” (1).
Santoyo 6
In conclusion, video games are a controversial thing to talk about. It can have many
positive uses including things like education and improving cognitive functions. But not
everyone will approve of video game use. Things like gambling and violence are issues that still
need to be discussed in the topic of video games.
Santoyo 7
Works Cited
Choi, Eunhye, et al. “Commercial Video Games and Cognitive Functions: Video Game Genres
and Modulating Factors of Cognitive Enhancement - Behavioral and Brain Functions.”
BioMed Central, BioMed Central, 3 Feb. 2020,
https://behavioralandbrainfunctions.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12993-020-
0165-z.
Gentile, Doug, et al. “Mediators and Moderators of Long-Term Effects of Violent Video Games
on Aggressive Behavior.” PsycEXTRA Dataset, 2014,
https://doi.org/10.1037/e574242014-125.
Granic, Isabela, et al. “THE BENEFITS OF PLAYING VIDEO GAMES.” American
Psychologist, vol. 69, no. 1, 2014, pp. 66–78., https://doi.org/10.1037/a0034857.
Huesmann, L. Rowell. “Nailing the Coffin Shut on Doubts That Violent Video Games Stimulate
Aggression: Comment on Anderson Et Al. (2010).” Psychological Bulletin, vol. 136, no.
2, 2010, pp. 179–181., https://doi.org/10.1037/a0018567.
King, Daniel L., and Paul H. Delfabbro. “Predatory Monetization Schemes in Video Games (E.g.
‘Loot Boxes’) and Internet Gaming Disorder.” Addiction, vol. 113, no. 11, 2018, pp.
1967–1969., https://doi.org/10.1111/add.14286.
Kovess-Masfety, Viviane, et al. “Is Time Spent Playing Video Games Associated with Mental
Health, Cognitive and Social Skills in Young Children?” Social Psychiatry and
Psychiatric Epidemiology, vol. 51, no. 3, 2016, pp. 349–357.,
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-016-1179-6.
Santoyo 8
Markey, Patrick M., et al. “Video Game Play: Myths and Benefits.” American Journal of Play,
vol. 13, no. 1, 2020, p. 87–.
Peck, Joan Gal. “ABCMOUSE.” Tech & Learning, vol. 38, no. 6, 2018, pp. 21–21.
Rüth, Marco, and Kai Kaspar. “Commercial Video Games in School Teaching: Two Mixed
Methods Case Studies on Students' Reflection Processes.” Frontiers, Frontiers, 8 Dec.
2020, https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.594013/full.
Zendle, David, and Paul Cairns. “Video Game Loot Boxes Are Linked to Problem Gambling:
Results of a Large-Scale Survey.” PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science,
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0206767.
