What is the impact of video games on health?
In recent decades, video games have become very popular. More than 500 million people around the world are entertained and spend at least one hour per day playing. Most fans can reach 25 hours a week. Many parents worry that their children are too long in front of the screen and wonder about the effects of this behavior in the minds of men.
Video games: friend or foe
The truth is that this practice is associated with some adverse effects. There is evidence that they may create a harmful habit and encourage addiction. Some players are very attuned to the game and are isolated from the world, even may feel they are in the same scene and involved in the game. Finally, as demonstrated in a study of Japanese and U.S. children, those children who prefer violent video games tend to be more aggressive in real life.
However, not everything is negative. The use is also associated with certain benefits. For example, increase coordination between the hands and the view and tend to improve reflex responses. Increases sensitivity to contrasts and, when playing as a team, supporting collaboration among peers.
Another important positive effect of video games called “assets” is that the boys manage to get up from your chair and move. For some time, this method is known as playful “Exergaming”. This particular way of interacting with the console is based on technologies that track body movement or reaction. Consoles like the Wii Fit exergames Eye Toy or make kids dance or play sports like tennis or boxing, so they exercise and perform at least part of the recommended weekly physical activity.
A survey of more than 1,200 high school students in Montreal, Canada showed that 25% of the participants was a user of “exergames”, which means nearly an hour of exercise twice a week. Although not replace outdoor activity, this gym exercise covers part preferred or 1 hour of moderate physical activity most days of the week.
Experts recommend that children do not spend more than two hours per day to screens (TV and computer). So active video games would replace, would add not, exposure time to the screens, although they add hours of exercise.
