Television & Video Games
Latest
May 2008
Emotional effect of video games can help creativity
As part of the search for ways to use video games
educationally, a study
of around 100 students has found that those who scored highly on a creativity
test after playing the game Dance Dance Revolution fell into two groups: those
who had a high degree of emotional arousal (measured by skin conductance) after
playing and a positive mood, and (this is the weird part), those in the
completely opposite camp — low arousal and negative mood.
The explanation for these somewhat paradoxical findings rests on there being two
aspects to creativity — diffused attention (presumably where the happy people
score), and a certain analytical ability (which is where the sad people are
presumed to score).
It still seems weird, but the take-home point I guess is that being angry (high
arousal, negative mood) is not conducive to creativity, and neither is medium
arousal. On the other hand, I’m wondering about individual differences. I think
some people probably are creative when angry, and I’d like to know about
personality characteristics that might have distinguished the students who were
creative when happy from those who were creative when sad. Still, interesting
study.
Effect on the brain
December 2007
Watching violence begets violence?
There’s lots of argument about whether watching violence on TV and in movies makes people more violent. Some studies have found a correlation, but correlational studies can always be attacked. But now a brain imaging study has found that watching violent movie clips (but not ones with scenes of horror or physical activity) can cause the parts of your brain that suppress behaviors like inappropriate or unwarranted aggression (such as the right lateral orbitofrontal cortex, and the amygdala) to become less active. Less activation in this network is characteristic of people reporting an above average tendency to behave aggressively.
http://www.physorg.com/news116155534.html
November 2006
Violent video games leave teenagers emotionally aroused
An imaging study of 44 adolescents playing either a violent or a nonviolent video game for 30 minutes has found that the group that played the violent video game demonstrated less activation in the prefrontal portions of the brain, which are involved in inhibition, concentration and self-control, and more activation in the amygdala, which is involved in emotional arousal.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/rson-vvg112206.php
July 2006
Violent games desensitize players to violence
In a study in which 257 college students played one of eight randomly assigned violent or non-violent video games for 20 minutes, followed by a 10-minute videotape of actual violent episodes taken from TV programs and movies, has found that the real violence produced significantly lower physiological arousal (measured by galvanic skin response and heart rate) in those who had played a violent video game. There was no difference in arousal between the two groups after playing the games, and before seeing the videotape, showing that the effect was to desensitize individuals to real-life violence.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/07/060727162108.htm
Effect on children
July 2007
Most Middle-school Boys And Many Girls Play Violent Video Games
A survey of over 1200 American middle-school kids (12-14 years) has found that almost all of them, boys and girls both, play video games, and most of them regularly play violent ones. Even girls rated the notorious Grand Theft Auto as the second most popular series (it was the top pick for boys). Boys do play more than girls — a third of the boys played almost every day, compared to only 10% of girls. But on the bright side, the games aren’t as anti-social as commonly portrayed — the kids often play in groups, either in the same room or over the internet, and boys’ friendships often center around games (I have to concur with this — a lot of the bonding between my sons occurs through the playing together and endlessly conversing about, games). The study also found that many children were playing video games to manage their feelings (although it seems to me as an observer that games are great for creating intense frustration in susceptible people!).
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070703172538.htm
July 2006
Effect Of Removing TV, Games Consoles And Computers On Young Children
The BBC filmed 23 7 and 8-year-old children in school, and in some cases at home, over a five-week period, which included two weeks when half of them had their TV sets, PCs and portable game consoles removed or disabled. Even after just two weeks, families found they began to interact more, even to `rediscover' their pleasure in each other's company. Some parents admitted the experiment had shown up how they had allowed themselves to rely too much on on-screen entertainment to keep children amused while they got on with their own business. They also found children tired from an active evening were more liable to go to bed early and wake up refreshed and alert the next day. Although there was no conclusive evidence that the temporary absence of TV and game consoles resulted in changed behaviour in school (it was after all only for 2 weeks), but many of the children showed more enthusiasm for doing homework.
I have to say, my family do a lot of talking, and sometimes go through bursts of card-playing, even though we have a TV, computers, and Playstation — but we only got the TV and Playstation a couple of years ago, when the boys were in their mid-teens (similarly, before that time, computer games were all of the ‘educational’ variety, and time limits imposed). I think the important thing is to keep strict control during the earlier years.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070619172711.htm
December 2006
Watching TV reduces pain, anxiety
Here’s an interesting, and for a mother somewhat worrying, study: 69 7-12 year-old children in hospital were asked to rate their pain when they were stuck with needle to take a blood sample. Those watching TV cartoons reported half the pain as those who were being soothed by their mother, and a third the pain of those who just sat in a hospital room with mothers who didn't try to soothe them. Does this point to the power of TV, or just the limitations of a mother? Other studies have found that the mothers and fathers attempts at comforting often backfire because it makes the children feel that "something must really be bad".
Why people play games
December 2006
A Reason Why Video Games Are Hard to Give Up
Big surprise — a survey of 1,000 gamers has found that people enjoy video games because they find them intrinsically satisfying. More interestingly, players reported feeling best when the games produced positive experiences and challenges that connected to what they know in the real world. The researchers reckon that the attraction of games is largely due to their capacity to engender feelings of autonomy, competence, and relatedness (think MMO —"massively multiplayer online"
