“They’re harming your brain.” “They’re ruining your eyes.” “They’re turning you into a violent person.” The words said publicly against video games are so common, but are these worries founded on actual science? Countless studies have offered different opinions on whether video games are bad for you. We’ve rounded up the most notable reports and studies below, so you can weigh up the evidence for yourself.
In 2013, psychologist(心理学家) Simone Kuhn studied the influences of spending long hours on video games on the brains of young adults and found that several areas became bigger than before. These areas are connected with higher cognitive functions(认知功能), memory formation and fine motor(精细运动) function.
Last year, psychologists said that video game players who favour violent games are more likely to be violent when offline. Dr. Mark Appelbaum of the American Psychological Association said that there was a relation between violent video game use and increases in violent behaviour.
Dr. Daphne Bavelier is an expert in the field of Brain & Cognitive Sciences. Bavelier presented the audience with a colour-word test, where non-gamers are easily puzzled by the test, and those who spend long periods playing on their computers are more likely to pass the test with flying colours.
“Actually, those video game players have many other advantages in terms of attention,” said Bavelier, “and one part of attention which is also improved for the better is our ability to follow the movements of objects.”
“So, in a sense, when we think about the influence of video games on the brain, it’s very similar to the influence of wine on the health. There are some very poor uses of wine. There are some very poor uses of video games. But when drunk in reasonable amounts, and at the right age, wine can be very good for health,” said Bavelier.
【小题1】What can be learned from Simone Kuhn’s study？| A．Video games make you happier. | B．Video games make your brain grow. |
| C．Video games play a key role in memory. | D．Video games teach you how to learn fast. |
| A．He was against them. | B．He was hopeful of them. |
| C．He was in favour of them. | D．He was uncertain about them. |
| A．Video games fix attention problems. |
| B．Video games make kids do well in exams. |
| C．Video games encourage violent behaviour. |
| D．Video games help increase colour knowledge. |
| A．To remind people to avoid video games. |
| B．To show the disadvantages of video games. |
| C．To help people learn more about video games. |
| D．To ask people to make good use of video games. |
