Rough Draft of Signature Assignment 1
Philosophy 341 Critical Reasoning OL-F
Clarence A. Culata
West Coast University – Ontario
Professor Geoff Arnold
February 28, 2021
SIGNATURE ASSIGNMENT OUTLINE 2
“The Impact of Video Games on Young Children.”
Are video games good or bad for young children? It can be both. There are video games
that are extremely negative for children’s development, but there are also positive effects that
video games can have on a child. A child’s brain can be trained to become creative in both
problem-solving skills and in actually solving puzzles. It also helps develop hand-eye
coordination, fine motor, and spatial skills. In many video games, a child needs to make quick
discussions on what action to take. When making these quick decisions, your child is exercising
their brain. In other hand, there’s video games have something that has caused children to
become more aggressive and have eroded a child’s imagination and empathy. Violence and
shooting are the types of video games that carry the most negative effects. Children who play
violent video games are more likely to have increased aggressiveness. (Wickham 2020)
Claims parents should limit online or device time. I understand for some reason other
parents limit their children using any device to play online games. There is growing research on
the effects of video games on children. Studies of children exposed to violence have shown that
they can become immune or numb to the horror of violence, imitate the violence they see, and
show more aggressive behavior with greater exposure to violence. The more realistic and
repeated exposure to violence the greater the impact on children. Per Dr. Cindy Gellner, while
some games have educational content, many of the most popular games emphasize negative
themes. They promote the killing of people or animals, the use and abuse of drugs and alcohol,
criminal behavior, disrespect for the law and other authority figures, sexual exploitation, and
violence towards women, racial, sexual, and gender stereotypes, and foul language obscenities
and obscene gestures.
SIGNATURE ASSIGNMENT OUTLINE 3
I regularly talked to my friend she always says I allow my children to play online for only
two hours a day it leaves emotional effects of the game behind when the game is over and gives
a big impact on her kid’s behavior, being aggressive, constantly change of mood and it really
affects their grades. Added to that she claimed video games can clearly confuse reality and
fantasy.
Two psychologists, Dr. Patrick Markey of Villanova University and Dr. Charlotte
Markey of Rutgers University, have presented evidence that some children may become more
aggressive as a result of watching and playing violent video games, but that most are not
affected. After reviewing the research, they concluded that the combination of three personality
traits might be most likely to make an individual act and think aggressively after playing a
violent video game. The three traits they identified were high neuroticism (prone to anger and
depression, highly emotional, and easily upset), disagreeableness (cold, indifferent to other
people), and low levels of conscientiousness (prone to acting without thinking, failing to deliver
on promises, breaking rules).
Parents should not limit online or device time. As a parent, I experienced it with my
daughter she started to expose at a very young age probably 2-3yr old in playing toddler games
and other educational sites. I and my husband noticed that watching her online games and
puzzles greatly teaches her a high level of thinking skills it drives her to motivate and challenge
herself by expressing creativity and being focused. I remember one time when she played one of
her games she lost and in full swing to cry she came to our room and started to share what
happened and she made a promise to herself next time I will not cry I will focus to win. To us
allowing our children to play online games can improve our kid’s decision-making speed, eye
SIGNATURE ASSIGNMENT OUTLINE 4
and hand coordination, memory, and concentration. Experts believe that parents playing video
games with their kids can boost better communication between them.
Before when I saw children having cellphone and tablets at their very young age, I told
myself I will not allow my kids to have the same cultural pattern we have today but I failed.
“Video games change your brain,” according to University of Wisconsin psychologist C. Shawn
Green. According to Marc Palaus, author of the study published in Frontiers in Human
Neuroscience, there is abroad consensus in the scientific community that playing video games
not only changes how the brain performs but also its structure.
Even though we allow her to watch and play online still we imposed certain boundaries
so she can do other childhood activities such as playing outside with us and her cousins. I am not
encouraging others to let their children play online for a long period but for us based on our
experienced it helps our daughter develop her character at a young age but for others maybe it
will give a wrong effect and signal to their behavior.
Nicely, recent studies suggest that playing video games is not as harmful as often
interpreted. In fact, it can have some potential positive effects on developing your child’s
interpersonal, social, cognitive use, if done responsibly. However, parental guidance and
vigilance are inevitable. Playing video games can be fun, interesting, and intriguing. Excessive
gaming is a result of addiction, that when neglected, could lead to “pathological gaming.” As a
parent, you can take some prompt steps to ensure that your child enjoys video games without
going overboard and falling prey to the negatives. Consequently, children get addicted to them.
However, by keeping an eye on your child’s playtime, physical health, and overall behavior, you
can regulate your child’s gaming habits (Patwal,et al 2020).
https://www.consumerreports.org/gaming/how-to-play-video-games-with-your-kids/
https://www.consumerreports.org/gaming/how-to-play-video-games-with-your-kids/
SIGNATURE ASSIGNMENT OUTLINE 5
Playing video games is neither good nor bad, existing research shows that they are
powerful teaching tools and therefore we need to harness that potential, aiming to maximize the
benefits while minimizing the potential harms (Bavelier et al., 2011).
Playing video games should never be completely rejected as it could push your child to
play video games that are inappropriate for their age. There are positive effects of playing
videos, but the negative impact of excessive gaming cannot be challenged. Therefore, it is best to
get along with the child, be their gaming partner, and teach them healthy gaming. Studies
demonstrate that in moderation, video games can be a medium of entertainment that parents and
children can enjoy. The key to gaining these benefits, just like with any other platform of
entertainment, is moderation.
SIGNATURE ASSIGNMENT OUTLINE 6
Reference
Bavelier, D., Green, C. S., Han, D. H., Renshaw, P. F., Merzenich, M. M., & Gentile, D. A.
(2011, November 18). Brains on video games. Nature reviews. Neuroscience.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4633025/.
Claire McCarthy, M. D. (2020, June 24). Protecting children from the dangers of “virtual
violence”. Harvard Health Blog. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/protecting-children-
dangers-virtual-violence-2016080210036.
Tumbokon, R. (2021, February 15). 25+ Positive and Negative Effects of Video Games. Raise
Smart Kid. https://www.raisesmartkid.com/3-to-6-years-old/4-articles/34-the-good-and-bad-
effects-of-video-games.
Patwal, S., & Kadiri, M. Y. (2020, October 20). 17 Positive And Negative Effects Of Video
Games On Children. MomJunction. https://www.momjunction.com/articles/positive-effects-of-
video-games-on-children_00371136/.
Wickham, M. K. (2020, October 6). The Positives And Negatives Of Video Games. Special Ed
Resource. https://specialedresource.com/the-positives-and-negatives-of-video-games.
https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/protecting-children-dangers-virtual-violence-2016080210036
https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/protecting-children-dangers-virtual-violence-2016080210036
