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Oct 12, 2012

How computer games are stunting with teen brains

Technology has given so much to humans, but with good things as well as bad things. Same is in the case of Computer games. Gone are those days when kids wanted to go for outdoor games to basketball courts or soccer ground to feel some sweat and get some physical strength. Sunday rush on grounds is vanishing completely. Computer games are becoming more popular day by day. Every day we see number of games being launched and teens who are crazy for games line up for hours in front of stores to buy.

The effect of computer games is starting to show in teens as they are becoming more and more violent day by day. Playing first person shooter action games may be giving them enjoyment. But they are unaware of the effects on brain both physically and mentally. A study done on teenage gamers in Tohoku University in Japan showed that computer games only provided stimulation to those brain parts that are associated with movement and vision. On the other hand teenagers studying arithmetic showed activity in both left and right hemispheres of frontal lobe areas associated with learning, emotion and memory.

But the most disturbing factor is that the frontal lobe, which plays a very important role in human behavior, is affected the most. It keeps on developing till we are 20 years old, but due to playing online games, this may not be developed completely. Continuous game playing greatly effects growth of frontal lobe and harming its development.

It has been comparatively observed that teens playing games have a less developed brain than those who are involved in doing arithmetic for around half an hour. Solving arithmetic involved a high degree of mental activity in both the hemispheres of the frontal lobe. It has also been observed that listening to music or listening to readings did not involve much of brain activity. In fact, reading out aloud is another thing which teens can do to stimulate brain activity.


Teenagers involved in playing computer video games have been seen to react to almost any other thing quite violently. Through Kawashima’s study, it was also inferred that playing computer games halted the process of brain development and also reduced their capacity of toleration. In the terms of science, it has been said that thickening the fibers in the frontal lobe of the human brain can enable the child to have control over his/her behavior, and the more the stimulation, the more is the fiber content thickened in the brain. The frontal lobe comes into action when to try to use self-control for refraining from something and if that is underdeveloped, it may easily allow you to go towards the wrong direction in life.

Since the playing of online games only helps in the development of organs related to sight and movement, it can be safely concluded that they are such things which should be kept within a limit and activities like arithmetic should be given more time. Only by this way shall a teen grow up to be a good and independent human being.

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About the author: Brianne is a blogger by profession. She loves writing, reading and travelling. Beside this she is fond of luxury cars and wishes to own one day Porsche 997.