13 ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF VIDEO GAMES - TECHNOLOGY - 2026

Video games have advantages and disadvantages; the positive side is that they can teach knowledge and improve physical and mental skills. The downside is that they can be aggressive and cause you to spend too much time with them. In this article we explain all the pros and cons.

Today it is difficult to find a house that does not have the occasional console or computer. Both adults and young people spend several hours a day playing, either through the means mentioned above or through other devices such as mobile phones or tablets.

Few of us have stopped to think about whether everything that surrounds the use of video games brings advantages to those who use them, or if on the contrary it is only characterized by its disadvantages.

What is a video game?

It is difficult to find a general definition of what a video game is, each author who has described it focuses on or points out some of its characteristics.

According to Wikipedia, we can define a video game as:

«An electronic game in which one or more people interact, by means of a controller, with a device equipped with video images. This electronic device, known generically as a platform, can be a computer, an arcade machine, a console or a portable device such as a mobile phone. Videogames are, today, one of the main industries of art and entertainment ”.

Advantages of video games

Among the advantages for the people who use them we can find:

1- Training and improvement of physical and mental abilities

It has been proven in some studies that if we play video games daily, we can improve our visual attention, be more efficient in changing tasks, be faster in tasks in which we have to perform a visual search or discriminate objects by their shape / color.

Also among other benefits, it provides more efficiency in the monitoring of multiple objectives.

Other researchers have carried out training studies corroborating that playing video games also improves the execution of divided tasks and mental rotation.

2- It has therapeutic uses

Video games can be used by people with both physical and mental problems. As for example in people who have mobility problems in the arms, or who find it difficult to relate; as is the case with people with autism.

It has also been used in a rehabilitative way in people with attention problems, among others.

3- Use as a teaching aid

Video games can be a learning medium for people who use it since it is a different and more playful context. For this reason, they are a good means of motivation for minors and young people, as well as for children who have learning difficulties or who are even at risk.

Thanks to this medium, students can be motivated to learn by creating feelings of fun.

4- Encourage positive values

Console and computer games also promote values ​​such as solidarity, friendship, cohesion, and a sense of belonging to a group. It is important that parents take advantage of these types of benefits to improve family relationships.

5- Use as leisure and entertainment

We need to distract ourselves so that we don't feel stressed in our day to day or simply to combat daily boredom. For this reason, video games are a great means of entertainment due to the large number of realities they present.

6- develop empathy

Since there are many group games, players have to make decisions and know that these can have consequences, both positive and negative, on the other participants in the game. Therefore, it is a means that facilitates the development of empathy.

7- Increase the sense of competence and self-esteem

The use of video games also creates feelings of self-worth and competence in players game after game. Since as you overcome the different challenges and levels, you feel better about yourself and able to face the following objectives.

8- Encourage teamwork

In team games, players will also develop group work skills since, on occasions, they have to be united to overcome a challenge.

In addition, it also allows them to develop other skills such as quick thinking to act satisfactorily when faced with a problem that has arisen or even work under pressure so as not to lose the game.

Disadvantages of using video games

In addition to the aforementioned advantages, we also find possible disadvantages and negative effects in people who use it:

9- They can create addiction

It is common to hear that there are people who are addicted to video games, however and despite the studies that have been carried out on the matter, today it cannot be proven that playing video games can create addiction.

Some people, at a given moment, acquire a pathological fixation for an object or activity. Even so, we have to analyze the person and ask ourselves why they have reached that point.

In addition, we also have to point out that there are activities that are tremendously entertaining and absorbing, so you can spend more time than usual.

10- Increases the aggressiveness of the player and they are violent

Some games are very aggressive and violent. Sometimes, this content is not only limited to physical attacks but also enters into ideologies. There is a wide range of research in this regard in which a clear conclusion is not reached as to whether video games create or increase aggressiveness in their players.

Some argue that its effect is short-term, while others argue that it has a long-term effect on players.

11- It has negative effects on socialization

The child who amuses himself with games that are violent, can lead to negative effects on his socialization with other equals, resulting in them not developing a sense of belonging or social justice.

We also know that in video games it is not possible to dialogue, which increases the use of violence as a solution.

12- They present a disproportionate image of the woman's body

In many games, sex and sensuality is an important part of the plot or story. The woman is usually presented as a sexual object and with bodies disproportionate to the real ones.

This image can make the players assimilate that a woman's body must be that and not another.

13- It can affect the lives of the players

If its use is not controlled, it can affect our lives in a negative way; thus affecting our school performance, the family and our day to day in general.

Recommendations for parents and educators

Once we have presented the advantages and disadvantages of the use of video games, we find it necessary to develop a section of recommendations for parents and educators regarding the proper use and purchase of video games.

• It is necessary that we pay importance when buying a video game for our child to the age group to which this game is aimed, in addition to the plot and history it presents, with the idea of ​​avoiding the violent ones and choosing those that are aimed to learning.
• As a general rule, we have to implement a usage schedule that does not exceed the daily hour. To do this, we will have to expose other alternatives to the console such as sports, the park, etc. In the event that you play the computer we will also follow these recommendations.
• Whenever possible it is important that we play with them, so we will know the different games there are and which ones they like.
• If adults also play at home, it is important that the children play games that they can also enjoy, that is, for the whole family.

Some figures

Video games are the favorite toy of both children and adults in today's society.

On a global scale in the entertainment industry with an approximate figure of 690,000 million dollars, Americans were placed first in the lists of video game users. Followed by the Asia-Pacific region with 432,000 million and Europe 14,300 million.

Of the consumption of audiovisual entertainment, the use of video games accounts for 35% of the total, ahead of the cinema box office, video films and recorded music.

In the case of computer gamers, its habitual user is young people who like sports, strategy, adventure and racing games. While in the console ones the profile is of children up to 13 years old who opt for one or another video game depending on their speed and the protagonist they present.

Conclusions

In this article we have presented you with the most popular and common advantages and disadvantages of using video games. Today, many people make use of devices that can be played with, and yet few are aware of the disadvantages and negative effects that they can have on the people who use it.

It is important that, from home and schools, priority is given to its advantages and positive effects. Well, it has been proven that they positively affect all people who play video games both physically and mentally.

In fact, many teachers have started using video games to teach subjects like math, language arts and English in their classes.

Even so, we must remember that both parents and mothers have to know the diversity of video games that exist. The purpose will be to buy the one that best suits your child's age range, since on many occasions we are not aware of what that game consists of or if it is really the most appropriate.

Finally, it is important to point out that it is important from home to discuss the most appropriate hours for the use of video games, both for children and adults, in order to make good use of them and maximize their benefits.

References

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