Is playing violent games bad for mental health?

[Deleted]

I was skeptical about this issue until I came across these pages:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2067607/Violent-games-DO-alter-brain--effect-visible-MRI-scans-just-week.html

http://healthland.time.com/2011/12/02/how-playing-violent-video-games-may-change-the-brain.html


It seems stop playing represents a health improvement for those already ill.

[Rukentuts]

Pretty much everyone can discern the obvious difference between fantasy and reality. It's when those already mentally ill confuse video games for reality.

[S2omegaS2]

short answer...it is for some people, isn't for others

[Deleted]

There is some evidence linking excessive game playing at young ages to ADHD, but for adults it's usually another, underlying problem which manifests as an obsession with video games.

As fair as plain logic is concerned, I think it's clear that spending a lot of time in a virtual action-reward treadmill is not great for your brain's reflexive assumptions about the real world. It's good policy to limit your hours, and have enough game-free days.

[DeltrusDisc]

If it is literally ALL you do ALL day? Then perhaps yeah, probably not the healthiest thing to do.

[Rafax]

I think games have nothing to do with violence and alot of violent games are actually a deterrent from violence and not a method of making people want to be violent.

[Phookah]

To any sane person, violent video games aren't an issue. We know the difference between reality and a game.
To someone not quite all there, yep, probably shouldn't be playing them.

[Deadvolcanoes]

I think for the vast majority of teens/adults, violent video games have a negligible effect on things like emotion, reasoning, empathy, violence, etc. There probably are a handful of people, however, that are effected to some degree by violent video games/violence in general.

I found this quote from the article to be interesting:

Learning any new activity causes changes in brain activity that are visible under MRI scans, so the study does not prove that it is specifically playing violent games that alters behaviour.

So....the results are basically inconclusive. I would certainly suggest they continue studies similar to this, because I think it's an important topic.

[Shakadam]

If you're mentally unstable or underage (i.e. your brain hasn't fully developed), then yeah maybe.

If you're a normal, healthly, adult person; No.

[Cephilia]

Personally, I don't think video games make people mentally ill; what I do know is that they can make existing conditions worse. If you play video games in excess (so that it starts affecting your life negatively), you tend to stay inside a lot and start cutting other things that are good for mental health (like meeting friends and other hobbies).

[kouby]

If you can't see the difference between a video game and reality, yes. But then again if you can't see the difference between a game and reality you probably shouldn't read any books and certainly not watch anything on TV before thinking about video games.

[Liagala]

Doing anything can be bad for mentally unstable people. If your mind is not in proper working order, all sorts of things are going to hit you oddly and perhaps give you urges to do terrible things. Cutting vegetables when cooking could make you realize that you really like knives and want to cut fingers off or something. Does that mean that cooking is a bad thing and should be strictly regulated?

For normal, well-adjusted people, neither video games nor TV programs are going to give them violent urges. For messed-up people, anything can do so. Banning and regulating certain things is ridiculous in either case.

[Hiricine]

Playing video games is as bad for health as eating food. Depends who you are, how much you do, and if it interferes with the rest of your life. So just like anything in life, it depends how they're used.

[tombstoner139]

I was skeptical about this issue until I came across these pages:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2067607/Violent-games-DO-alter-brain--effect-visible-MRI-scans-just-week.html

http://healthland.time.com/2011/12/02/how-playing-violent-video-games-may-change-the-brain.html


It seems stop playing represents a health improvement for those already ill.

This is a bull shit study designed to support a predetermined position. The only conclusion that can be drawn is that video games cause a change in brain function. the correct way to do this study is to have a 3rd group play a non violent video game for one week followed by one week of no game play. followed by the control group playing a weeks worth of games on the 3rd week. this would show the change in brain function is cause by game play and not an alternative source.
then and only then can you make a determination between violent and non violent game as the cause of the changes.

This is a politically motivated BS study.

I wonder if MRI scans for people who like Boxing, Football, violent movies, Shoot fighting, local news or any other form of violent content would show a change in brain activity. TV rots your brain. i think it would since the control group would not watch any tv for 2 week the brain would recover and start healing its self.

[Ovacor]

It depends on the person. Even then it's a really odd question because when you think about it...most people can go back to reality after playing a video game like GTA. The few true psychopaths out there who play a game like GTA probably get some real physical enjoyment out of beating the shit out of people with baseball bats. With that being said I am not sure if I would rather have the psychopath playing those video games to release some of that anger, or if I would rather him stay away from them to prevent him from thinking, "this is alright".

Honestly I am not a psychologist, nor am I going to act like one; however, I would personally not allow my child to play a video game LIKE Grand Theft Auto IF he/she had some major psychological issues. Though, i'd also like to imagine that I would spend more time teaching my child what to do rather than what not to do. Psychotic or not...

Video game addiction (which most of us have whether we care to admit it or not) isn't necessarily a good thing, nor is it a bad thing. I think there lies the line for us without any psychological disorder, the line between escaping our real life in these virtual worlds, and using these virtual worlds as our real lives...if that makes any sense.

[Nathiest]

My mental health sucks, and I hate violent games.

Wait.. does WoW count?

[chadwix]

Yes, there is no need for them since they provide no benefit and can only do harm. Aside from a 12 year old going gaga over seeing some red pixels, whats the point?

[Pull My Finger]

Obviously complete BS "study".

[Rukentuts]

Yes, there is no need for them since they provide no benefit and can only do harm. Aside from a 12 year old going gaga over seeing some red pixels, whats the point?

There's a not a lot of need for many things I read from fellow Americans, but they're protected under the same Amendment.

[oblivionx]

I think the question is answered by just asking "is playing violent games good for mental health"? Obviously the only answer would be no, hence anything not good for your mental health is bad, hence playing violent games is likely bad for mental health.

But it's your mental health and your entitled to do with it as you see fit, until you go on a killing (some to be stabbing) spree.