Video games are a multibillion-dollar industry that could be worth $321 billion by 2026, a 2022 PwC report says. Clearly, the bubble isn’t bursting anytime soon.
How do video games affect a growing brain? A National Library of Medicine study reported that kids who play video games longer have worse attendance in school, lower grades and reported more sleep issues.
Then there’s the game’s contents.
Ideally, parents should be familiar with the games their kids are downloading or playing online because many contain themes of violence and sexual content. The fear is that long-term exposure to such content could cause children to become immune to violence or increase the chance of them acting aggressively, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. Make sure to check the game’s Electronic Software Ratings Board (ESRB) ratings, which range from E for Everyone, to AO for Adults Only.
Takijah Tiffany Heard, MD, a University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine-educated and Harvard Hospitals-trained pediatric neurologist and epileptologist with Endeavor Health Medical Group, said she hears more questions from parents about screen time rather than video games.
Instant gratification leads to more screen time
“I do think some of the games make a difference as to how the brain develops,” she said. Games provide a dopamine hit and a sense of instant gratification that can get addictive, she said. This sense of reward leads to expectations of immediate gratification and may keep them playing longer. “It keeps them on the game longer,” she said.
This gratification is different from what mom or dad might get from receiving likes on an Instagram post. The “likes” are not something you are instantly creating, she explained.
“In video games, you are making things happen actively in the moment, whereas in an Instagram post you’re waiting for someone else to give you gratification,” she said. “While in a video game, on the other hand, you are actively influencing the gratification. It’s something you’re in control of and it’s instant at that moment. You hit the question mark and instantly it turns into a one-up. Or an extra life or whatever key you’re trying to get.”
Photosensitivity
As a pediatric neurologist and epileptologist, Dr. Heard is frequently questioned about how video games might affect patients with epilepsy and migraines due to their photosensitivity.
Games can flash and hit a certain frequency that can trigger people’s photosensitive epilepsy, she said. She referenced a 1997 episode of “Pokemon” that contained repetitive visual effects that induced photosensitive epileptic seizures in hundreds of Japanese viewers. (The episode never aired in any other country.)
Another recent pop culture incident Dr. Heard noted was from the animated movie, “The Incredibles 2.” There was a warning mentioned at the beginning of the movie that cautioned viewers about the potential of seizures and migraines being triggered during the hypnosis scene in the movie.
“Here in the United States, we regulate the frequencies we send things out in regard to photosensitivity,” she said. For example, fire alarms in the United States are programmed to flash at a slow frequency to avoid triggering photic sensitive illnesses like seizures and migraines.
Long-term effects of video games on the brain
The long-term effects of excessive video game play can cause changes in the brain, Dr. Heard said, citing a report that studied functional MRIs that examined the volume of the white matter in the brain.
“We find that the white matter in the brains of people who do a lot of gaming — like 10 hours a day — is not as well-formed in the functional, frontal lobe,” she said.
“The frontal lobe is mainly for personalities — your rewards, your impulses, your attentiveness, different aspects of your personality. The frontal lobe tends to have less development in those that do a lot of gaming — 10 hours a day or more.”
Any benefits?
Gaming gets a bad rap, but she thinks there are benefits to video games.
- Problem-solving. Educational games, for example, can be quite useful. Video games can engage in the problem-solving parts of our brains.
- Sensory input. “The adventure games that have a lot of sensory input can sometimes be helpful for kids who have ADHD. Sometimes they need a lot of sensory input to calm them and to be able to pay attention,” she said. Another benefit of video games could be social, oddly enough.
- Socialization. Multiplayer online gaming with friends can help with socialization, which seems obvious but at the same time counterintuitive. “People who don’t make friends as easily, who aren’t as social as others, may have a hard time walking up to someone and saying, ‘Hi my name is Takijah, would you play with me.’ They find making a connection difficult. You have to make eye contact,” Dr. Heard said.
“I do think video games can be helpful for kids that have a hard time making friends and have a hard time socializing to find something that they’re good at. Maybe they’re not good at a sport or maybe they’re not in a club, but they may be good at gaming and that gives them the confidence they need while giving them the ability to speak to other “gamers” in their safe space, behind the mask of a video character,” she added.
“If someone is autistic or on the autism spectrum or has social anxiety, they don’t have to be afraid of the reaction of the person. It’s a single sense involved, which is auditory. They’re just waiting for a person to respond on the game. It takes away the possibility of disappointment. You’re hidden behind the mask of the video game, which I think for those that are shy is helpful. You can come back and interact with this person as you please. It’s not forced like at school or at church or whatever sport that you play. Whenever I turn on this video game, I will interact with this person at my leisure. It’s a little bit more control for the child.”
- Impulse control. Gaming can not only help those who are socially inept gain confidence, but it can actually help with impulse control, she said, because players must learn to control their actions in order to improve.
- Motor skills. “Certain video games, with time, can teach people to be a little bit more accurate in things — a lot of golfers use the automated simulation to have a better golf swing,” she said. “It’s not always a negative thing, it can honestly be helpful for visual, spatial, fine tuning of motor skills as well by activating the frontal lobe.”
Gaming is a billion-dollar industry that is appealing to our youth. Understanding how it affects the developing brain may allow individuals to use gaming to their benefit.
Dr. Heard practices in Evanston, Wilmette and Lincolnshire. Dr. Heard specializes in pediatric epilepsy and neurophysiology and treats general neurologic issues like migraine headaches, movement disorders, tics, Tourette’s, sleep-related movement disorders and ADHD amongst other neurological disorders.
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