Can overplaying video games rewire your brain? The cognitive process I am studying is changes to the brain after playing video games and how a person can damage their vision. I have read articles that suggest video games can cause substance abuse to occur. How can playing video games influence a person? Some articles I have come across explains playing video games for too long can cause a person to start showing disruptive behavior. Over playing video games can cause one to have problems such as not being able to focus for a long amount of time. In terms of the brain, if one is constantly playing video games for 10 plus hours, the brain would start to signal to that person they would have to be playing games all the time.  Another problem with the brain is it can potentially rewire itself, especially if it isn’t fully developed yet. Some articles I have read explained that at the age of 25 and on the brain is fully developed. Under the age of 25 the brain isn’t fully developed. This can cause problems when the brain isn’t fully developed, because it can possibly rewire itself.Physiological change occur. Behaviors start to change when video games are being played more than usual. Aggressive behaviors are shown, when violent video games are played. Playing to many violent games can cause affect parts of the brain, such as emotionally.

I chose to study this topic, because it fascinates me how some people can be addicted to game while others can play video games all day and nothing happens to them. I want to know how playing video games affect fully developed brains, compared to those whose brains aren’t fully developed yet.

Thesis: Can overplaying video games rewire your brain?Playing video games for too long can cause a negative impact on a person life along with having an impact on their brain.

Spatial cognition is the cognitive process I would be studying for my research. I would be specifically focusing on visuospatial skills. Visuospatial skills are a set of cognitive function that plays an essential role in our everyday life. I have played lots of video games with my young brother, whiles playing these games I have notice a significant improvement in my spatial cognition. In real life I’m the person that can never remember where they have parked their car. However when I play video games I become the person who can easily direct you to your house or the nearest paint shop without the use of a map or be able to stay focus on the enemy in a war zone. I think it would be very interesting to see if there is any scientific validity to my observations. There has been a few studies conducted examining the relationship between video game usage and visuospatial skills. What would make my research unique is the subject population I which I chose to study. My research would either focus on individual with dementia or schizophrenia. I am considering studying this subject population because, there has been significant evidence to suggest a decline in the visuospatial skills of individuals with dementia or schizophrenia. I’m currently not quite sure which one of the two population I would focus on.

Thesis

It is predicted that excessive video game usage can improve visuospatial skills in men and women with dementia (or possibly schizophrenia).

Thesis: it is predicted that game-based learning is an effective way of learning because it helps children perceptual process by using a different style of learning.

The cognitive process i am studying is working memory. This study is socially relevant because is something that is becoming more common in the early education schools. As well as not all student learn the same way different children have different styles of learning and game based learning can be one engaging way of learning for children. This study isn’t necessarily solving an issue is justing adding additional research to the reason why game based learning is something that should be involved in children education.

Game Elements:

The title of the game is SPENT developed by McKinney and funded by Urban Ministries of Durham. The URL of where the game can be found  is http://playspent.org/html/.

Learning Objective:

The learning objective of the game is to teach the player about the importance decision making and rational thinking. The dominant form interaction the player has with the game is choosing and making decisions. The cognitive process is most affected by the game design by having the player think before making a decision and weighing their options.

Formal Elements: 

The game is a one player game but there are other characters in the game. The primary objective of the game is to make it through the month with enough money. Enough money can mean range from a penny and up.  The game consists of no rules which complements both the learning and game objectives. During the game money is acquired and spent. Groceries, bills, health insurance etc are other resources that are being acquired. Conflict is introduced when the player is faced with a problem, such as sending their child to an after school program or using the money for rent. The problems are maintained and resolved throughout the game. The game prevents the player from entering their own options, which contributes to both the learning and game objectives. It does so by allowing the player to think and learn from their mistakes and make better choices for themselves and families. When the player runs out of money, the game ends.

Dramatic Elements: 

The main character of the game is the player of the game. The motivation of the player is to obtain/ have enough money to make it through the month. The challenge the player is presented with is determining what decision they think is best.  The general premise of the story is a parent raising their child on minimum wage and the story uses an emergent narrative. From Bartle’s Taxonomy, achievers are more likely to enjoy this game.

Functionality, Completeness, & Balance:

The game is fully functional, balanced, and complete.

Fun and Accessibility:

The game is engaging and easy to learn. All the choices the player makes in the game are meaningful.

Game Elements:

The title of the game is Start the Talk, funded by the US Department of Health & Human Services and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The URL of where the game can be found is: http://www.gamesforchange.org/play/start-the-talk-underage-drinking/

Learning Objective:

The game aims to teach parents how to speak to their children about underage drinking and also informs children about the dangers of underage drinking. The cognitive process is most affected by the game. The game allows parents to think about what they’re learning about and how they are going to respond.

Formal Elements: 

In this game there is one player engaged in the game but there is more than one character. The game is cooperative not competitive due to their only being one player. The primary game objective is to talk to the character of the child in the game about underage drinking and have the child decide that they should not partake in underage drinking. In the game there aren’t any rules. The game is based on conversation and the player is able to choose what they want to say. Having no rules complements the game because there is no right or wrong in the game, just a matter of how the player wants to approach the situation. There are no resources acquired or spent in the game, achievements are earned/acquired in the game. Conflict in the game is introduced when the parent approaches the child about underage drinking, it is maintained throughout the conversation and it is resolved at the end of the conversation when the child speaks about what their parent has spoke to them about and what their take on underage drinking is. The game prevents the player from typing their own responses, instead they are given multiple options of responses and the player chooses one. This limitation contributes to both the learning and game objectives because the provided responses help the parent with things to say and how to approach the situation when having this talk. If the parent knows what to say and how to approach the situation then their game objective will be easily accomplished. The game ends when the player reaches the “ENOUGH FOR TODAY” achievement. The outcome may or may not be a conflict to the objectives depending on if the child wants to partake in underage drinking or avoid it.

Dramatic Elements: 

There are two main characters in the game, the parent and the child. The player is the parent in the game. The challenges that are presented to the player in the game are the child’s responses to what the player has said to the child. The player must know what to say, how to say it and when to say it. The game takes place in the fictional home of the parent and child. The general premise to the story is that there has been underage drinking going on and the parent has heard about it and is worried about their child getting involved, and it uses an emergent narrative. From Bartle’s Taxonomy, an achiever would enjoy playing this game.

Functionality, Completeness, & Balance:

The game is fully functional, complete, and balanced. All voices are being represented in the game.

Fun and Accessibility:

The game is engaging and promotes learning by allowing the player to think about what they’re going to say before they say it. What the player chooses to say to the child is meaningful in the game, which relates to both the learning and game objectives. There are no broken parts of the game and it is easy to learn how to play.

http://smorballgame.org/

Smorball Game

Usman Athar

CUNY York College

The game is trying to teach players to read fast, think fast and to respond/type fast. To learn to think fast and react fast is the learning experience the game is attempting to create for the player. The dominant form of interaction the player has wit the game is typing. This supports the learning objective, as it is a part of it. Cognitive process systems are most affected by the game design. It attempts to affect the cognitive process system by making the player process the next word that comes up quickly. There is only one player engaged in the game, versus the other computer-player robots. Players interact with the computer-player and the game by typing the word on the screen and pressing enter, as it releases the player’s team out to destroy the computer-player robots and/or release them to collect items on the screen. It is competitive against the computer-player, as the player has to beat the computer-player down the field before it gets to the player. The primary game objective is to read the words in each lane fast, as they come up, type them quickly, and release the team to destroy the computer-player robots before they get to the player. As the player beats each level, the player progresses to a higher level, which increases in difficulty. The ultimate goal of the game is to get to the championship match, which is the hardest of all of them. The game objective reinforces the learning objective as it gets the player reading, thinking and typing faster. The rules of the game include typing one word at a time, which releases one team member to destroy the computer-player robot. Another rule of the game includes some opponents that must be tackled multiple times before they actually go down. Some opponents will come at the player slow and some will come fast. The player’s score starts at 600. If opponent score on the player, he/she will lose 100 points. These rules ultimately complement the game and learning objective as it causes the player to read, think and type faster. Points are accrued during the game, as the player wins each level and with those points he/she can choose to spend on whichever accessory game-hack the player can afford. How much points the player acquires governs the exchange of resources. The conflict between the players is introduced as a sport competition, where the player’s team has to beat each level of robots to move onto the next round. The conflict is maintained throughout the game by the speed at which the robots come at the player increases and makes it harder for the player. Ultimately if the player beats every round, the player then moves onto the championship round which if he/she wins, the game ends.

The game prevents the player from being bored, as it leaves the player coming back to beat the next round, as it becomes a self-test as to whether the player can beat a simple “game”. The game does this by making each round faster, and harder to win. This limitation of making it easier to lose, as the rounds go by, makes it fun and addicting for the player to come back and win that round. This contributes to the objective as it keeps the player in the game for a longer period of time, which helps train the player to read, think, and respond/type faster. The game ends by winning the “championship” round. The outcome conflicts with the objective as it leaves the player satisfied with beating the game. If the game never ended, the player could ultimately get even better at reading, thinking and responding/typing. The main character is the player, but in terms of the game it is the player’s team, the “Eugene Mellonballers”. The relationship between the characters and the player is basically a coach-player relationship. You guide and dictate the team’s every move, onto the championship round. The challenges presented to the player include losing points when the robots get to the player’s team before letting the team get a chance to be let out to destroy the robots. Other challenges include robots being harder to kill before actually being destroyed, as rounds progress. The ultimate skills the player learns or masters include thinking, reading and reacting/typing faster than they previously did. This game takes place in a futuristic, fictional world. The general premise of the story of the game is to beat the robots, round by round to eventually win the championship round and beat the game. The story uses a linear narrative as the player has a consistent goal and consistent obstacle. Player interactions relate to the narrative, as the player is beating each round, the team in essence also gets better and moves up to the next round. The game is playful as it gets the player intrigued and wanting to win it. Cooperative play is the most prevalent. The achievers in Bartle’s Taxonomy are most likely to enjoy this game. Tension and resolution is controlled by how good the player is at reading, thinking and typing. The story does not create conflict in the game as it aligns with the objectives. Stadiums, robots and bats are all objects used to build the game system. No object properties are required for the game system as it focuses mainly on the field. Object behaviors include buying, selling, obtaining points, destroying robots and running.

The basic relationship between system elements include the team and the robots at it to destroy each other, causing one another to either win or lose the round. The player controls the dynamics of the system. The game system does not exist as an economy as its main goal is not points or money, but is to win the championship round. The only new systems that emerge from gameplay are the new rounds, after beating set rounds. These rounds are indeed procedurally generated systems. The player is exposed to the fact that robots will come out eventually to attack the player’s team. What’s hidden is the when the robots will come out, how fast or which kinds. The players interact with the system by typing as many as possible to keep the lanes filled with team members to destroy the robots. That seems to be the most efficient tactic. If it doesn’t work for the player, the robot will attack the team member as feedback. The game is fully functional, as it’s not missing any parts that hold the player back from winning the championship, i.e. the game. The game is also fully complete. All voices that need to be present within the game are present for the player to successfully win the game. The robots balance the game. If you don’t attack or respond first, the robots will beat you. The dominant strategy as stated before includes typing all words on the screen as fast as possible to allow as many team members out in the lanes as possible, which helps defeat all the robots. The game is not symmetrical, as the robots do not come at the player’s team, with the same intensity as the team puts out towards the robots. The imbalance is intentional throughout the game, as it allows the player a break to slow down and eventually win. The game is so engaging that it keeps the player coming back to beat the round after losing. As addicting as it gets, it also promotes the learning objective by helping you get better at thinking, reading and responding/typing. The choice to choose which word in which lane is meaningful in this game as it controls which lane-robot the player would like to destroy. This relates to the objective as it helps the player read, think and type quickly. No parts of the game are broken, boring or micromanaging as it’s a fun and addictive game with a positive learning objective. Ultimately the game is beatable and so are the rounds, which gives the player a feeling to want to come back and complete the next round. It is very easy to play the game as a player can learn within seconds. It is a common-sense game. Players can read the instructions to play the game or can simply start and figure it out within seconds.