Health & Fitness
Why Does my Teen Play Video Games...Continued...
Creating awareness about teens and video games.
James Paul Gee, professor of education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, says, “playing a video game is similar to working through a science problem. Like students in a laboratory, gamers must come up with a hypothesis. For example, players in some games constantly try out combinations of weapons and powers to use to defeat an enemy. If one does not work, they change hypothesis and try the next one. Video games are goal-driven experiences, says Gee, which are fundamental to learning.”
And with a combination of concentration and rewarding surges, video games exercise and build muscle for the brain caused from neurotransmitters such as dopamine.
“Dopamine is a chemical that’s released when we encounter something pleasurable”, like when someone unexpectedly finds a $20 dollar bill in their pocket or a teenager playing video games, beating a level or using their favorite weapon to beat the enemy will release a lot of pleasurable feelings. Dopamine is very important for learning behavior and motivation for activities in our lives. This is one of the many reasons people love to play video games, especially teenagers. But too much dopamine can become addicting, a high for a person they will consistently be after.
