Video Games

What Are The Benefits of Video Games?

Kahri Carnegay
Senior Seminar
Ms. Hill
3/14/15
According to Steven L. Kent, New technologies do not simply sprung out of thin air.
They need to be associated with familiar industries or ideas (2010), explaining how each new
electronic has been made. Video games are a technology resource providing entertainment for

kids, teens, adults, and elders. 59% of Americans play video games, which are one of the key
advancements of technology. Video games has a wide variety of genres that each gamer is used
to. But, overall, video games can benefit a variety of people based on their age and condition.
Video games have been around for generations with the invention itself and games that followed
starting off as a mark in history. Video games continued to be a big deal over the years and
reacted to new heights in visualization, storytelling, art style, and coordination. Using these
factors, video games tend to become helpful to infants and kids with learning problem solving
skills and imaginative creativity. Teens and adults can also benefit from todays video games
such as a social connection to other people around the world and using a variety of games to
increase their critical thinking, physical, and mental skills.
To start with, statistics show how many and much different people play video games. In
Lisa Galarneaus article, 2014 Global Gaming Stats: Whos Playing What and Why, there
states the amount of gamers are counted frequently. For Example, women, new and old
generation, are playing games more and more over time. According to Lisa, Its a relatively
small increase but women now account for 47% of U.S. gamers, up from 42% in 2012
(Galarneau, 2014), providing information that video games is not a boys only thing. Surprisingly
enough, 29% of female gamers are over the age of 50. Thus making video games more diverse
and more popular. Even though there is diversity in video games, a lot of gamers are branded as
recluses.
Due to the fact that people see most gamers as the average lonely gamer stereotype; a lot
of gamer, however, actually play games with family members and friends. Over one-third of
families play games together regularly while over half of families play once a month. Lisa,
explaining the groups of which gamers play with, stated that 16% of kids play with parents,

40% play with friends, 17% play with their spouse or significant other, and 34% play with other
family members, (Galarneau, 2014); therefore, removing doubts of playing video games. As a
result of video games being a source of entertainment, games have been a serious competitor
with the tv/film industries. With games containing television viewing, especially in cinematic
video games, games have been selling more than movie box offices; selling 24 billion dollars per
year while box offices sold 10 billion per year. Although video games contains family
entertainment and entertainment itself, many gamers wanted the same thing everywhere they go.
As a result, games started to transcend to mobile phones and started becoming as popular
as the console games, which led casual, casino, and social games to appear on mobile phones and
tablets. When smartphones were around, it became very popular as a source of communication,
media, and entertainment. According to Lisa Galarneau, In the US mobile penetration is 101%,
meaning there is at least one phone for every American [...] more powerful than even the PCs
we used in the 1980s and 1990s (Galarneau, 2014), proving how popular mobile phones were;
also explaining how A total of 48 million people play games on their smart phones and tablets
(Galarneau, 2014). When mobile games were playable on mobile phones, 46% of teens were
playing them while 71% use gaming devices. Overall, video games continue to be a value in
entertainment and connection. With video games overall having successes in their own
perspectives, they also have their origins and recognitions.
On the subject, video games go far back from the 1940s at the Worlds Fair where
Edward U. Condon designed a computer that plays a traditional game called Nim, a game in
which players try to avoid picking up the last matchstick, as the westinghouse display for the
event. Showing the computer as proof of advance technology, Tens of thousands of people play
it, and the computer wins at least 90% of the games (Strong, 2010). Forwarding to the 1960s, a

computer programmer by the name of John Burgeson was sick at home from work and started
developing a computer baseball simulation. The next month, John ran the first baseball computer
program on an old IBM 1620 computer with the help from his brother Paul. The year after, a
computer simulation of global cold war conflict developed by the Raytheon Company. Even
though the inventions made were not considered video games, the notoriety among these
inventions increased as time carried on.
Accordingly, a year later, a college student named Steve Russell was able to hack a
computer hardware creating the first computer game known as Spacewar. According to Maltman,
The game featured rocket ships sailing across a green screen [...] The game wowed computer
scientists, but few others saw it (2010, pg.6), giving away the details of the game and the
impression made to others. In 1963, months after the Cuban Missile Crisis, the U.S. Defense
Department completed the computer war game STAGE, Simulation of Total Atomic Global
Exchange, showing that U.S. would defeat the Soviet Union in a thermonuclear war.
To resume, by the next year, the computer time-share system and BASIC programming
language by John Kemeny. With the computer time-share system and BASIC programming
language making computer game writing easy, this point and time started countless games to be
created. The first game to be created from this was when a Dartmouth student was able to
program the first football computer game by the day after Dartmouth defeated Princeton in
football to win the Ivy League championship. During the near late 1960s, Ralph Baer thought of
the idea of playing a video game on TV while waiting for his colleague at a New York City bus
station. On the first of September, he wrote down his ideas which became the basis of his
development of television video games. By the next year, Baer developed a brown box, the
first video game prototype that lets people play tennis and other games, for the television. One of

the games being his interactive television game Odyssey, the first home video game system
based on his design, which was released by Magnavox. The 1960s had a start-up success in
video games; however, in the 1970s, began a whole new generation.
Next, by the 1970s, Martin Gardner began that generation with his Mathematical
Games column, a simulation where isolated or overcrowded cells die while others survive and
reproduce, with the rules of LIFE published by Scientific American. Watching patterns emerge
was glorious, prompting hacker to implement it on their computers. Soon later, games such as
Oregon Trail, Pong, Maze Wars, and others were made. Oregon Tail is a simulation
pioneers westward travel, created by Minnesota college students Don Rawitsch, Bill Heineman,
and Paul Dillenberger; originally played on a single teletype machine. Rawitsch brought the
game later to the Minnesota Educational Computer Consortium, also known as M.E.C.C.,
distributed the game nationally. Ataris Pong, a classic arcade legend, was born thanks to
creators Nolan Bushnell and Al Alcorn. With a simple test at Andy Capps Tavern in Sunnyvale,
California resulting the game to stop from the amount of quarters jammed into it, arose the
recognition it was expected and more. Around the late 1970s, descending on japan with the
cause of one hundred-yen coin shortage, Taitos Space Invaders had over sixty thousand
machines showcasing the the game sold in the United States. Which was tempting to Americans,
spending over a million quarters fighting seemingly unstoppable ranks of aliens. With the decade
ending with toy-maker Mattel selling three million of a new handheld electronically
supplemented console, the Intellivision, the 1980s embarks on popular icons and games that
made historical marks in their debut.
Afterwards, when Namcos Pac-Man, created by Toru Iwatani, debuted in the 1980s on
both the arcade and the Atari 2600 home console; it became the best-selling arcade game of all

time two years later when Ms. Pac-Man came out as a blow for gender equality. In the year 1981,
fans took notice in Nintendos Donkey Kong as the game featured the protagonist, Jumpman,
who would be later known as the world-famous Mario. Speaking of world-famous, during 1982,
Disney created the hit movie Tron, with the contests from the movie featured in the arcade game.
In 1984, simple yet addictive puzzle game Tetris, created by Russian mathematician Alexey
Pajitnov, was leaked out. However, four years later, Nintendo began to bundle it with every new
Game Boy. Two years after the release in Japan, the Nintendo Entertainment System, normally
called the NES, was revived an ailing U.S. video game industry. With the introduction of The
Learning Companys Reader Rabbit Program, the educational software market leaped ahead and
the learning computer business arose with the introduction of CD-ROMs in the 1990s. At the
end of the decade, John Madden Football introduces realism in a field of football to computer
games making the game and its sequels perennial best-sellers. From the 1990s on, more games
and consoles, such as PlayStation, Xbox, and Wii, perpetuated and improved the legacy of video
games. However, even though the successes of video games have made their marks in history,
some critics believe that video games have nothing to value in todays generation.
Naturally, video games are to blame for the corruption of brains in todays generation by
critics including parents and education experts. However, scientists and psychologists found out
the many benefits to video games; making kids smart was the one of the main benefits
discovered. Playing video games changes the physical structure of the brain just like learning to
read and write. It is proven that kids who play video games keeps their brain working as they try
to win using high level thinking, which appeared to have never been taught at school before.
According to the writer of the article The Positive and Negative Effects of Video Games,
When a child plays a game such as The Incredible Machine, Angry Birds or Cut The Rope, he

trains his brain to come up with creative ways to solve puzzles and other problems in short
bursts(2011), explaining how the childs mind functions as he plays games. As the brain
continues working while playing video games, the benefits differ from what type of game each
gamer plays.
For example, shooter games benefit hand-eye coordination, which provides the
requirement of keeping up with the position of the character, where the character is going, and
where to aim. The person playing the game must coordinate the brains reaction with the hands
movements, requiring visual abilities to be successful. Giving additional info to the benefits from
video games, the writer of The positive and Negative Video Games suggests that people can
learn iconic, spatial, and visual attention skills from video games (2011). While shooter games
help improve kids eyesight and hand coordination, MMORPGs and strategy games assist kids in
organization and multitasking.
Like in reality, many gamers learn to manage limited resource and the best use of them.
Games such as the Sims series and Age of Empires honed the skills required. Stated by the
writer, The American Planning Association, [...] and Maxis, the game creator, have claimed that
SimCity has inspired a lot of its players to take a career in urban and architecture (2011),
explaining how gamers sought out careers from what they have enjoyed out of the virtual
experience. In strategy games, players are forced to be flexible, to change their tactics quickly
through a series of managing multiple objectives or multitasking, and to develop reading to
understand the instructions and storyline of the game; as well as getting important information
from the games texts. However, it also requires quick thinking and concentration, prompting to
make fast decisions and use every second of the game; giving the brain a workout.

To resume, there are other ways that kids benefit from video games on a regular basis.
For example, video games are an introduction to to computers for kids. Living in a world where
almost everything is high-tech, video games help children get comfortable with using the
computer. This especially applies for girls who are not interested in technology as boys. Some
video games often bring children and their parents together as a bonding experience, and could
share something in common. As the child explains how to play, the parent begins to understand
the childs skills and talents. Childrens creativity is one of the skills attained. Kids use their
creativity to make the game fun via animation, color, inactivity, challenge, and rewards. Kids use
their creativity to make the game fun via animation, color, inactivity, challenge, and rewards.
However, even if video games benefit the kids, teens and adults have just as much to benefit
from video games.
Video games are capable of training teens and adults to be soldiers and surgeons. Shooter
games, for example, helps teens and adults increase their surgical skills with hand-eye
coordination. Even the military uses video games to their advantage. Theyve been using action
and shooter games, mostly Call of Duty, to provide training exercises in combat and strategy in
the field; raising their awareness in certain situations, causing to adapt to it accordingly. Many
simulation games help the player adapt to real world situations with the use of mimicking the
reality of real world problems in everyday lives. Speaking of everyday lives, video game
experience can increase the chance of a career opportunity.
Much like being used by the military, video games were sought to be used to gain
attention towards young people. What better way to to use video games on than education. As a
prime example, according to the Harry J. Browns Videogames and Education, one of the early
games, The Oregon Trail, was made to teach history via entertainment. The idea of of the game

is to put the player in the place of a wagon train migrating to the west as a feel of what it was like
in the nineteenth-century; showing the time periods economy and material culture, as well as the
geography representing towns, mountains, rivers, and deserts. The realization of the game may
not have been visually real, but the obstacles faced in the game was based on real world
problems from the nineteenth-century. Problems such as sickness, attack, accident, and the
hardship of keeping the virtual family alive; getting the player to learn the human struggles faced
in the nineteenth-century.
However, according to Brown, The game did not require quick reflexes or peculiar
cleverness at solving puzzles, nor does it feature dramatic cut scenes or surprising narrative
twists (2014, pg.177-178), describing what the game was lacking. In addition, the game was
unanimated with simple graphic. However, the game receive so much attention at the time
because of the primary goal: migrate to Oregon. The goal of the game does not have a clear path,
it determines whether you go fast and risk the wagon damages or go slow and survive a winter in
the mountains; go past a dangerous river or take an expensive ferry ride. In either case, the
structure of the game illustrates the approach to thinking of the past, informing advanced video
games as a historical research. Nonetheless, history is contingent upon decisions, and while
some are more consequential than others, they all add up to what we know as history (Brown,
2014, pg.178). Even though video games give teens and adults the academic advantage, they can
even assist teens and adults with their careers.
Evidently, teen and adult gamers and video game enthusiasts often want to make a game
of their own; others want to know the skill requirements to make one. According to the author of
the web article, Video Game Jobs, Dawn Rosenberg Mckay, Many gamers dream of one day
making a living designing video games themselves(2012), notifying the similar goal some

gamers want to achieve. It is possible to get a video games job. However, a job as a video game
programmer usually takes years of experience doing other work in the field. Luckily, there are
varieties of jobs that fall under both the technical side of video games, where the production and
programing of games are set up, and the business side, where the marketing and selling of games
is set up.
The job as a video game designer contains a concept that eventually becomes a video
game with the idea sought through to fruition. Added by McKay, He or she will work with other
members of the production team, including artists, programmers, and audio engineers(2012),
overviewing the jobs that are involved in a video game production team. Not all video game jobs
are entry-level positions; each person will have to work to their position by working other jobs in
the field. In the production team, each jobs in the field holds a different responsibility.
Video game programmers make the games by designing and developing specific codes
for each game. When programming a video game, the programmers work with the design team to
implement the final product. The programmers usually specialize the area of computer
programming and computer software engineering. The animators brings the visual aspects of
video games and are an important part of the production team; creating a series of pictures that
forms the images in video games. The audio engineers is responsible for the voices and sounds
that is heard in video games. These engineers depend on the writers, who fill the roles and
dialogues for the character, and the translators, who converts the audio, dialogues, languages, and
written documents and instructions. Once the video game is set, the game tester plays the game,
identifying the problems and bugs that would be found. While the technical support specialist
help the customers who may have problems with the games. These jobs under the technical side
make the games; but, how they are sold nearly around the world benefits from the business side.

On the business side of the video game industry, lies jobs that markets the games, sells it
for the fair price, and where and when the games are released. The producers, for starters, are
like producers in the entertainment industry; they manage the business and financial details
involved in the making of video games. Marketing managers overlooks the marketing team,
formulating a way to market the video game to the public. The market research analyst help
video game companies determine what product or service to sell, how much to charge for them,
and where and how to sell them(McKay, 2012). The sales representatives sell the games to
wholesalers, knowledgeable about the product, potential customer and the industry. The jobs
overviewed are qualified for teens and adults to pursue and learn the ins and outs of video games,
as well as finding a career that can relate to them. However, even though video games would
have more influences towards kids, teens and adults, there are benefits that video games have to
offer towards senior citizens.
Senior citizens are the least expected to play video games. However, video games can
help the elderly with their lifestyles. In Drew Guarinis article 9 Ways Video Games Can Be
Good For You, video games, for example, can be therapeutic for seniors citizens with mental
disorders that causes the brain to shrink or alter; in this case, the most common diseases of such
are Alzheimers, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other diseases that detrimentally affects the
brain. Video games could slow down the aging process in senior citizens. Guarini also said,
Playing brain-teasing games for just two hours a week may help slow the degree of mental
decay associated with the natural aging process, according to a study this year from the
University of Iowa (2013). Elders up to age 50 and older played ten hours, stalling the natural
decline of different cognitive skills by up to seven years. In summary, the more senior citizens
play video games, the more their brains continue functioning; never to slow down. Even though

video games has it benefits with positive outcomes, it is best that the negative effects of video
games is established.
Evidently, there are games that do or may contain violence, one of which being the cause
of the negative effects of video games. In the article, The Positive and Negative Effects of Video
Games, the author compiled that Children who play more violent video games are more likely
to have increased aggressive thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, and decreased prosocial helping,
according to scientific study (Anderson & Bushman, 2001) (Raise Smart Kid, 2011). The
aggression of children increases from video games because of the games interactive nature, such
as being rewarded for acting more violent. As the child plays violent video games, acts of
violence such as kicking, punching, stabbing, and shooting will be experienced through the
childs eyes. These games teach kids the wrong value, rewarding them with violent behavior,
vengeance, and aggression. While playing online, kids tend to pick up bad language and behavior
from other players, making them vulnerable to online dangers.
With teens and adults, specific games like Mortal Kombat, Doom, Grand Theft
Auto, and Death Race will inspire the player to commit crimes in real life. The online dangers
teens face lead to negative effects in their health and behavior. Results include obesity, social
phobia, an increase in anxiety, seizures and trouble paying attention in school. Teens and adults
with mental illness can also fall to committing crimes from video games. Although these effects
are strongly evident to the extent that video games are bad, there are ways to balance out.
Both good and bad effects of video games were discussed to get an even balance out the
use of video games for each age group. Kids and teens, who are the primary concern of
preventing need to be monitored during game play the same way while watching tv or other
media. In some cases, the parents would have to be loving and attentive to their child, at the

same time who disciplines that child. Because dysfunctional parents, and early combinations of
personality and family factors such as not getting along with classmates, can show crimes
committed by most children. Limiting the amount of time the child has on video games to focus
on homework and keep his/her grades from lowering. Limiting the childs time will also keep
him/her from getting addicted or withdrawing to video games. Naturally, in terms of playing
video games overall, make sure that the game for both kids and teens get games are acceptable
for them and the people around them.
In conclusion, video games are beneficial for positive and negative effects towards
infants, kids, teens, adults, and senior citizens. Statistics were shown to the number of people in
the United States who play certain games and who would interested in it. Video games started
out to be a sensation and over time, grew in style and popularity to generation after generation.
Kids and infants have many things to learn from video games through an appropriate
introduction determining the game. Teens and adults are able to gain employment, educational,
and financial benefits from video games. Although senior citizens rarely play video games, there
are cathartic benefits that can affect them. Video games can good and bad for anyone which can
bring a positive or negative change in the players behavior. Overall, the only way to see a
neutral reaction via video games is to balance it out. Regardless, video games were made for
entertainment and interaction. Despite the ups and downs of video games, it has and always will
play a big part in history.

Source #1: CBC (September 2013) Video Games Becoming Required Coursework In School
Retrieved From: http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/09/02/olds-college-video-gamesrequirement_n_3855013.html
Date Accessed: 2/2/15
The source discusses how playing an iPad game is required at a college in Olds, Atlanta. This
article shares the opinions of students and staff as they use the game to virtually open a lemonade
stand and turn it into a business empire. Many positive reviews were recorded on behalf of the
students and staff, enough to support the benefits of video games towards teens and adults.
Source #2: Dawn Rosenberg McKay (2012) Video Game Jobs
Retrieved From:
http://careerplanning.about.com/od/occupations/a/videogamecareer.htm
http://careerplanning.about.com/od/occupations/a/videogamecareer_2.htm
Date Accessed: 2/1/15
The source contains small but effective information on video game related jobs teens and adults
could intern and/or work at. Details on each job specifically is summarized and plays a vital role
in the gaming industry; making the majority of the video game benefits towards teens and adults
highly recommendable to anyone in the future who discusses the benefits to video games.
Source #3: Drew Guarini (November 2013) 9 Ways Video Games Can Be Good
Retrieved From: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/07/video-games-good-forus_n_4164723.html
Date Accessed: 1/21/15
The source contains 9 different benefits to video games. From Mario being therapeutic to adults
and senior citizens with mental disorders to Call of Duty improving eyesight and reflexes, this

source contains short yet plausibly strong evidence substantiating how helpful video games can
be.
Source #4: Harry J. Brown (2014) Videogames and Education
Date Accessed: 1/20/15
The book Videogames and Education, tells the history of different video game genres and how
each genre involves education. The source contains a high amount of information supporting the
history of video games, as well as the connection with educational learning.
Source #5: Lisa Galarneau (2014) 2014 Global Gaming Stats: Whos Playing What and Why?
Retrieved From: http://www.bigfishgames.com/blog/2014-global-gaming-stats-whos-playingwhat-and-why/
Date Accessed: 2/10/15
This source contains statistics based on successes and benefits from video games affecting all
ages.The source is considered highly reliable and is supportive in how much people interact with
their everyday live in video games and how many is connected to that interaction.
Source #6: Myint Swe Khine (2011) Learning To Play: Exploring The Future of Education With
Video Games
Date Accessed: 2/6/15
This source discusses the use of educational-based video games and how video games in general
can assist in educating young people from kids to young adults. Like in Harry J. Browns
Videogames and Education, the source contains a high amount of information that supports the
connection between video games and education.
Source #7: Raise Smart Kid (2011) The Positive And Negative Effects of Video Games
Retrieved From: http://www.raisesmartkid.com/3-to-6-years-old/4-articles/34-the-good-and-badeffects-of-video-games
Date Accessed: 2/1/15
The source talks over the positive and negative effects in video games and how these effects
occur. In this article, both positive and negative effects will be pointed out. However, the

negative effects are mentioned to find a balance in video games and prevent the negative effects
from happening. The source contains, more or less, a high amount of information that can assist
substantiating bothe side of video games.
Source #8: Steven L. Kent (2010) The Ultimate History of Video Games
Date Accessed: 2/6/15
The source contains a more complex version of the history of video games. The timeline and
history is much compared to The Strongs Video Game History Timeline but with more details
in the specific timeline. The source contains a good amount of information. Yet, not much was
used due to the timeline itself.
Source #9: The Strong - National Museum of Play (2010) Video Game History Timeline
Retrieved From: http://www.museumofplay.org/icheg-game-history/timeline/
Date Accessed: 2/10/15
This source is a timeline of video game history. From the 1840s to today, the source contains
more than enough information. However, the source contained a gratuitous amount of
information; so, not all of the information was going to be used.
Source #10: Theesa (2014) Essential Facts About the Computer and Video Game Industry
Retrieved From: http://www.theesa.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/ESA_EF_2014.pdf
Date Accessed: 1/30/15
This source is a walkthrough on the computer and video game industry providing essential facts
and statistics. Not much information was used in this source on the grounds that the majority of
the information was found on another source. However, the source was helpful verifying the
facts and statistics from Lisa Galarneaus 2014 Global Gaming Stats: Whos Playing What and
Why?.
Source #11: Thomas James Maltman (2010) The Electrifying, Action-Packed, Unusual History
of Video Games
Date Accessed: 2/5/15

This source reflects the history of video games and the impact it made in the community. The
majority of the book had already covered information from other sources; however, a fair amount
of important facts were overlooked as verification on previously stated notes.