Possible Meeting Date For The Communication Arts Program? (2-2)

I will provide several links throughout the post!

Hey Jim, I was just wondering if you had an update on the planned date for this meeting. I have been asked by my teacher in Composition class to come up with a research topic to write an argumentative paper on. The teacher had noted to all of the students that they should pick something that is interesting and pertinent to them. I have decided it would be interesting to write about the "Effects Of Video Games On The Brain." This is a topic that hasn't been beaten to death, and since I have a deep interest along those lines I could figure out what can be represented to the topic and develop my understanding.

My final draft for the Interview/Observation is due on 3-9-06. If it is possible to interview the Dean or to go through an exploratory of his line of work... I am sure I could get some valuable information for the paper and future decisions.

I would also like to know if it would be possible if I could bring a tape recorder to help keep my analysis accurate.

The following is some questions I pondered on through class...
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1-19-06

I absolutely enjoy video games so I am sure I’m going to pick a topic along these lines. I have been thinking about picking something along the lines of, “video games and the effects on the collective.” Parents seem to think that video games are way to harmful and that this selection of fun isn’t good for the brain. However, I am going to throw the points out there and say, “Well this activity is better then doing drugs, or giving up on yourself for the choices that you have made.

As parents or those in opposing viewpoints reflect over those issues… I could also argue the point of ESRB rating systems. Why does there have to be a board of members keeping the job of parenting in the back pocket. Parents should be spending time with their kids to determine what is allowed in the household. Parents don’t have to drop what they are doing in order to accomplish the task because all it takes is five minutes of watching the child play.

I could also study the effects of a person playing a game and study the effects of a person doing drugs. This is in turn could help designate the pros and cons of the action at hand. From a recent psychology standpoint it is possible to determine these issues via P.E.T. scan. From this data I can determine the type of brain activity on the color level.


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Jim, is it possible to examine these issues via P.E.T. or fMRI scan on campus? I have seen pictures on other levels of activity such as drugs, and sleep. However, I am still confused and I wonder if this is even possible.

Thanks for your help,

Best to all, -John Ott

P.S. I can take care of the rest once I see the timetable of this event. Pictures would also be nice for the Obsevatory folder for me and in the records! (Knowledge continutes to grow inside there!)

The following article I have just stumbled upon is a preliminary start to what I want to look in a more in depth process.
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The Effect of Video Games on the Brain (Cons) *I also found some spelling mistakes.*

Eleni Kardaras

The effect of video games on the brain is a research area gaining popularity as the percentage of children and adults who play video games is on the rise. Some people believe violence in video games and in other media promotes violent behavior among viewers. While there is not sufficient data to validate this claim, there are a number of studies showing that video games can increase aggressive behavior and emotional outbursts, and decrease inhibitions. From a few of these studies, and from my own observations of children playing video games, it is quite obvious that the video games do have at least some effect on the behavior of the player. The extent and long range consequences of these behavior changes after one has turned off the video game are not so easily deduced. One source states that "While research on video games and aggressive behavior must be considered preliminary, it may be reasonably inferred from the more than 1,000 reports and studies on television violence that video game violence may also contribute to aggressive behavior and desensitization to violence" (1). Another study reports that "Hostility was increased both in subjects playing a highly aggressive video game and those playing a mildly aggressive video game. Subjects who had played the high-aggression game were significantly more anxious than other subjects" (2).

I had a chance to observe the effects of video games first hand on two boys, ages eight and ten, when I babysat them earlier in the semester. They were playing the video game "Mario Kart," which is really not a very violent game; the object is to win a car race by coming in first while maneuvering through different courses. When the younger brother won, the older brother got up and started kicking him and yelling insults! Later on that day, the younger brother was playing another video game by himself and when he could not beat the level, he threw down the controller and screamed at the t.v. screen, "Why are you doing this to me...?!" and burst into tears. I was very shocked by this reaction and was not quite sure how to handle the situation. This game had brought an eight year old boy to tears, right in front of me. "Certainly, video games can make some people go nuts. You just have to look at some enthusiasts playing video games on their cellular phones, mumbling to themselves heatedly even though others are around them. At game centers (penny arcades), frustrated people punch or kick game machines without regard to making a spectacle of themselves" (3). From the above descriptions, it seems that players get somewhat "sucked" into the video game and become oblivious to their surroundings and much less inhibited to share their emotions. What types of changes are occurring in the brain to activate this behavior which one exhibits when "sucked" into a video game?

Akio Mori, a professor at Tokyo's Nihon University, conducted a recent study observing the effects of video games on brain activity. He divided 260 people into three groups: those who rarely played video games, those who played between 1 and 3 hours three to four times a week, and those who played 2 to 7 hours each day. He then monitored "the beta waves that indicate liveliness and degree of tension in the prefrontal region of the brain, and alpha waves, which often appear when the brain is resting" (4). The results showed a higher decrease of beta waves the more one played video games. "Beta wave activity in people in the [highest amount of video game playing] was constantly near zero, even when they weren't playing, showing that they hardly used the prefrontal regions of their brains. Many of the people in this group told researchers that they got angry easily, couldn't concentrate, and had trouble associating with friends" (4). This suggests two important points. One, that the decrease of beta wave activity and usage of the prefrontal region of the brain may correlate with the aggressive behavior, and two, that the decrease of beta waves continued after the video game was turned off, implying a lasting effect. Another study found similar results and reported: "Youths who are heavy gamers can end up with 'video-game brain,' in which key parts of the frontal region of their brain become chronically underused, altering moods" (5). This study also asserts that a lack of use of the frontal brain, contributed by video games, can change moods and could account for aggressive and reclusive behavior. An important question arises: if the brain is so impacted by video games as to create behavioral changes, must that mean that the brain perceives the games as real?

Perhaps looking at what effects video games have on autonomic nerves can begin to answer that question. "'Many video games stir up tension and a feeling of fear, and there is a very real concern that this could have a long-term effect on the autonomic nerves,' Mori commented" (6). Autonomic nerves are those connected with involuntary internal organ processes, such as breathing and heart rate. "Heart rate can be altered by electrical signals from emotional centers in the brain or by signals from the chemical messengers called epinephrine (adrenaline) and norepinephrine. These hormones are released from the adrenal glands in response to danger..." (7). Multiple studies have reported that playing video games can significantly increase heart rate, blood pressure, and oxygen consumption. If studies show that heart rate is increased when playing video games, then it seems that the brain is responding to the video game as if the body is in real danger. Does repeated exposure to this "false" sense of danger have an effect on what the brain then perceives as real danger?

From the above studies and observations, video games do effect the players in some ways, since it appears that players get so wrapped up in the game that they forget their surroundings and begin to see the game as a real quest. Studies have shown that playing video games can increase heart rate and blood pressure, as well as decrease prefrontal lobe activity while the person is playing the game. This could account for changes in the player's mood and cause him or her to become more aggressive or emotional. However, the extent of these effects on the body once video game playing has ceased are preliminary and need to be confirmed.

References
1)Mediascope website, highlights data from various scientific studies concerning video games.
2)Mediascope website, violent video games causing aggression.
3)Japan Today News website, an interesting news site and discussion board.
4)Mega Games website, a hardcore gaming site, including cheats, demos, and facts.
5)Beliefnet website, centers around spiritual, religious, and moral issues.
6)Sunday Herald online, a news resource.
7) Freeman, Scott. Biological Systems. New Jersey: Prentice Hall Inc., 2002.
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Obviously, Eleni Kardaras has some bias toward one side of the subject! Logically this type of writing with basic facts is not something to invest much time into worry.

To access the brain imaging on video games use the link below... (Very cool!)
http://www.newsroom.msu.edu/site/indexer/2532/content.htm