How Computer Games Affect College Students

How Computer Games Affect College Students 

Video games have come a long way since it was first introduced to the public. According to statistics, 72% percent of US homes have video games players included in their household. To put it in another perspective, that is 150 million players. 

With the quality of video games improving year after year, it’s no wonder why even college students are getting hooked on playing one. But the question is, how do computer games affect college students?

Just like everything else, computer games have positive and negative effects. Let us discuss both.

Prone To Addiction

According to research, video games negatively affect students’ performance, especially once they become addicted to them. This addiction can lead to mental health issues such as depression and low self-esteem and, in some cases, is linked to having social anxiety. All of these can directly affect a student’s performance in school.

In college, the environment alone causes a great deal of stress to the student, so adding all of these is like adding fuel to the fire. A study conducted in the US showed that students who were addicted to video games tend to perform lower than their non-addicted peers.

Limits Growth In Social Skills

Playing too many video games also affects the way students interact with their peers. Some video game players prefer isolating themselves, which causes them to lose interest in socially interacting with other people. Though some can argue that there are games that allow you to interact with others, it is still not the same compared to when you are physically talking to another person and doing activities with them in the real world.

Health Hazards

Playing too much video games also has health implications. It can be physically and mentally exhausting, which results in students not having the energy to accomplish more important tasks. It also causes psychological distress and promotes irregular sleeping patterns. These traits could lead to more serious illnesses if not addressed immediately.

Now that we have discussed the negative effects of video games, let us go over to the positive side of it.

Improves Alertness 

Today, many video games require a player to react to a certain situation within a game to accomplish a specific task. There are games wherein you have to stay alert to where the opponents are and anticipate where they are positioned. 

This kind of environment trains you to be wary of your surroundings and could be translated into real-life applications. By improving their mental alertness, perception, and memory, they can solve problems and create better decisions which help in improving their performance in school.

Improves Hand And Eye Coordination

To successfully play video games, proper hand and eye coordination are required. You need to react to whatever you see on the screen quickly; that is why this skill is developed when you play video games. 

Improves Cognitive Abilities

Playing video games can lead to a variety of cognitive benefits. According to a study, gamers show a better range of cognitive abilities, specifically involving mathematical intelligence, deductive reasoning, analogy, and processing speed. The study also showed that people who play on a long-term basis showed improved mental flexibility, attention capacity, spatial memory, and reaction time and improved their multi-tasking ability.

Helps Improve The Condition Of People Suffering from Dyslexia

According to a study, playing 12 hours of video games improves the reading test of Dyslexic students. Dyslexia is a condition wherein a person has difficulty in reading due to issues in identifying speech sounds. Because of these findings, there are training programs that use video games to treat this disorder.

Now, is playing video games beneficial to students, or is it something that causes harm? Just like all things, everything should be taken or done in moderation for it to become effective. You can get many good things from playing video games only if you don’t spend too much time with them. 

It would be best to balance it with your time to do your schoolwork and interact with other people. We cannot argue that there are benefits that you can get from playing video games, so restricting a person from engaging in this activity may prevent them from receiving the perks video games offer. Plus, it is a good stress reliever, and everyone needs a break every once in a while.